Lessons To Be Passed Along

Book 1 - Tommy & Mary

Chapter 1 - Meeting and Dating

1964

“Well, aren’t you a little cutie!” said the cashier.

Tommy Caparelli smiled at the young woman. She wasn’t talking to him, but to his infant son. Herschel was sitting in the child seat of Tommy’s shopping cart, kept upright by a few baby blankets, and was looking around at the world. When he heard the cashier talking to him, he turned to face her and gave her a big smile. He flapped his arms and made some happy gurgles back at her.

“I am guessing you are talking to him and not to me,” said Tommy.

“Nothing personal, but I’ll get in trouble if I start flirting with Daddy. Better that I stick with him,” she laughed.

Tommy smiled. “Thanks…I think.” He began putting items on the belt. It was Saturday afternoon, and he was grocery shopping at the Grand Union with his son.

Tommy looked closer at the girl and realized just how pretty she was. She was very short and wearing a not very flattering grocery store uniform of pants and a shirt, but she seemed to be quite curvy underneath it. She had wavy auburn hair and brown eyes but what really set her off was when she was smiling. That transformed her from pretty to breathtaking.

“What’s your name?” asked the cashier.

Tommy looked at the girl, who was wearing a nametag that said she was ‘Mary T.’ “Tommy,” he replied.

Mary giggled. “I was talking to the cute guy.”

“Now that hurts!” protested Tommy. Mary giggled again, and he added. “Oh, you mean the short, cute guy, not the tall, cute guy. His name is Joey.”

“Thank you.” Mary kept ringing up the groceries and talking to Joey, though some of her comments seemed aimed at his father. When she finished, she bagged the groceries and took a lollipop from a container next to the cash register. “Can I give him this?” she asked. Some people got picky about giving their children sweets.

“Sure, but I think I’d better hold this for him, otherwise he’s going to fuss when he can’t get it open.”

“Hmmm…sounds fishy.” She looked at Joey and said, “I think Daddy is going to take your lollipop! I’d better give him one, too.” She pulled out a second candy and handed both to Tommy.

Tommy laughed as he loaded the grocery bags back into the shopping cart. “So wise, so wise.” The lollipops went into his shirt pocket.

“Bye!” Mary waved her fingers at Joey, and he gurgled and flapped his arms.

“Bye,” replied his father. Tommy pushed the shopping cart to the exit.

***

Over the next three weeks, Thomas Caparelli went grocery shopping three times at the Grand Union. On the first try, he missed Mary, but casually asked another cashier when she worked. The next two times, he made sure he went through Mary’s line. On the third week, he stopped shopping halfway through his list and followed her to the lunch area, where he found her buying a piece of pizza and a Coke. When she saw him, she smiled and asked, “Where’s your little helper?”

Tommy smiled back. “He’s at home with my mom.” He pointed at the chair across from her. “May I?”

She looked at him curiously. “Okay.”

Tommy sat down. “Feel free to tell me to buzz off, but I think you are …well…uh…I feel so stupid.” He moved to stand up.

“What’s going on, Mister Caparelli?” The week before he had worn a work uniform while shopping. It had ‘Tommy’ embroidered above the left breast pocket and ‘Caparelli Construction’ on a patch above the right breast pocket. She had asked him about it, and he admitted that his last name was Caparelli, and he worked for his father as a carpenter.

He sat back down. “I thought I might ask you out,” came rushing out.

“I don’t date married men.”

Tommy said the first thing that came to mind. “Neither do I.”

“What about that cute little fellow? You’re divorced?” she asked.

He didn’t smile. “I’m widowed.”

Mary’s eyes popped open. “Oh, my God! I am so sorry! I…I mean…”

Tommy shook his head. “You had no way of knowing. Don’t worry about it.” He paused a moment and added, “I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable. It’s just so hard to meet people at times. If you want, I’ll leave you alone. You’ll never see me again.”

“No, it’s just you surprised me.”

“I was just figuring something simple, maybe dinner, or even just a lunch. It would have to be on a weekend, though, for a lunch.”

Mary looked at Tommy, but then looked away. “I don’t think so,” she said quietly.

“Well, okay. I’ll leave you alone.” He stood up.

“That might be best.”

That evening, Mary told her mother about what had happened at the store. “What’s he like?” asked Angela Tomasino.

Mary shrugged. “Well, he’s tall, like really tall.”

Angela snorted and said, “Mary, you’re all of about five foot nothing. Everybody on the planet is really tall next to you.”

“Mom!” Mary gave Angela a Bronx cheer.

“What else?”

“He’s older than me, but not like really old, like you and Dad.”

Angela said, “You are pushing your luck.”

“And he has this little boy. So cute! He’s about one, I think. He says he’s a widower, but it can’t have happened all that long ago, right?” She continued telling her mother about Tommy.

Angela was curious about what her daughter was up to. She seemed to know an awful lot about this guy, much more than she would know about any other customer. “So, why didn’t you say you would go out with him?”

“Mom, you know why. I can’t date…”

“Mary, what makes you any different than this Tommy fellow. He has a baby boy? So what? So do you!” She looked at the small bundle wrapped in a blanket next to her. “And yours needs changing.”

Mary rolled her eyes and grabbed a disposable diaper.

The next week, Mary Tomasino saw Tommy Caparelli shopping in the Grand Union. She quickly called for somebody to fill in and then went searching for him. She found him pushing a shopping cart through the bread aisle. His eyes lit up when he saw her approaching. “Mister Caparelli.”

“Tommy.”

“Tommy, were you serious about going out?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

***

Dinner Saturday night was at a restaurant on Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Mary asked Tommy to pick her up at the grocery store. She was nervous about meeting him at her home; her mother knew she was going out on a date, but neither had told her father.

It was raining lightly, so Mary was wearing a trench coat and hat that she had borrowed from her mother. She drove to the Grand Union in her mother’s VW Beetle and parked near the entrance, instead of the side where the employees parked. She looked around nervously. What if he didn’t show up or something? Then she saw a tall man walking to the store entrance and looking around. He, too, was wearing a trench coat but didn’t have a hat. She flashed her lights, and when he turned in her direction, she grabbed her purse and got out of the car, locking it behind her.

Tommy walked towards her and met her in the parking lot. “I was worried you might change your mind.”

“I was worried about you not showing up,” she admitted.

“And miss that incredible smile? I don’t think so!” She smiled at that, which simply reinforced his belief that she was gorgeous. “Yes, that smile.” That earned him a blush.

He led her to a pickup truck with Caparelli Construction on the side. She eyed him curiously but noticed the truck looked immaculate. Tommy blushed and said, “Mom’s got a car, but only Mom is allowed to drive it. Dad and I make do with pickups for work and whatever. I made sure to clean it earlier.” He opened the door and held her hand while she climbed in.

Mary said, “That’s fine. Dad drives a pickup, too. Mom and I use her car.”

They made small talk as they drove into town. The grocery store was just a few blocks from Route 9, called Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Broadway was the main drag in town and was where most of the restaurants and hotels were. The rain was keeping traffic down and they found a parking spot near a group of restaurants and bars. Tommy said, “I made a reservation here, but if you don’t like it, we can go elsewhere.” They were parked in front of a place called The Golden Pony.

“I’ve never been here, but I’m willing to give it a go,” said Mary. She smiled at him and his heart began racing again. He led her inside.

The hostess pointed them towards the coat room, where they took off their coats. She grinned at Tommy and said, “You clean up nice.”

Tommy laughed. “You mean something other than work jeans and shirts with my name on them? Thanks. You look fantastic!” Mary was wearing a fitted short sleeved white blouse, a slim knee-length skirt, and pumps with a two-inch heel. Her work clothes, shapeless blue trousers, and a blue and gray striped loose-fitting shirt, completely hid a gorgeous hourglass figure.

“Thank you. This is very nice,” she said, looking around the room. It was very upscale, with lots of race and horse related decor, and had both tables and booths. They were seated at a table near the bar.

Tommy grinned. “Yes, it is. Be glad it’s not the season. They have separate menus for then, with all the prices doubled.”

Mary’s breath caught when he said that. She quietly said, “I know.”

Saratoga Springs summer events revolved around the horse racing season. Saratoga was one of the oldest racetracks in America and the race season ran from the end of July to the beginning of September. Saratoga was old money, and that money flowed during the racing season. The wealthy would fly in from around the world, to see and be seen, and the sums involved could be staggering. Some residents reportedly rented out their homes for the season and moved elsewhere; the rental supposedly paid for the residents’ vacation elsewhere as well as the home’s mortgage for the year.

Tommy missed the haunted look on Mary’s face. “I told Joey I was going to see you tonight and he thought the idea was great. He grinned and babbled and waved his arms all around.”

She smiled. “He does that a lot. You could have told him you were taking the Hunchback of Notre Dame to dinner, and he’d have done the same.”

“Probably,” he agreed, with a smile.

“How old is Joey?”

“He’s almost a year old. He was born last June, so it’s just over eleven months. Karen died in August.”

“What happened?”

“She died in a car crash. She was hit by a drunk driver.” Tommy paused in remembrance. “We were visiting my parents and Karen had to go out and buy some formula. She never came back, and I ended up calling the police. That’s when we found out.”

“Wow.” What a godawful way to find out, she thought. “How old are you?” she asked. Thomas Caparelli didn’t seem old enough to have married, have a child, and lose his wife.

“Twenty-four.” He saw her trying to work out the details and explained, “I met Karen our senior year in high school, and we fell in love. We stayed together after graduation, which a lot of high schoolers don’t manage. I went to work full time for my father, and she went to work as a waitress in town. She wanted to save some money to go to college.” He shrugged and smiled. “That didn’t work out so well. We got married a year later and moved into an apartment. A year later she…we…got pregnant. You know the rest.”

“Oh.”

“So, tell me about you. What are your deepest and darkest secrets?” Tommy was laughing as he asked. What he wasn’t expecting was for Mary’s face to turn ashen as she stared back at him. “Mary?”

“I shouldn’t be here,” she whispered.

“Mary?”

“This was a mistake. I shouldn’t be here.” She moved to stand up.

Tommy reached out and took her hand. “What is going on, Mary? What have I done?”

She tried to pull away and said, “It’s not you. It’s me.”

“Sit down and tell me. I won’t bite.” Mary was crying but she sat down. A waitress noticed and came over, but Tommy waved her away. It took her a couple of minutes to calm down. “Now, what is the problem? I must have done something.”

Mary shook her head. “It’s not you, Tommy. It’s me. I was listening to you talking about your son and your wife and it hit me. It really hit me.”

“What?” he asked.

“You’re a good person, Tommy. You’re just a good person.”

“So?”

Mary sniffled and began crying again. “I’m not a good person. I shouldn’t be with you.”

“Mary, what in the world are you talking about?”

“I have a son, too. He’s seven months old.”

Tommy nodded. “Okay. So, what’s the problem? I am guessing your husband didn’t die since you would have mentioned that. Divorce?” That was unusual but not illegal.

Mary cried and shook her head. “We weren’t married,” she whispered.

Tommy’s eyes opened somewhat, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t heard of that happening. Usually, the child was given up for adoption, but some women got abortions. They were illegal, but you heard about such things. “Talk to me.”

***

1962

Mary Tomasino looked around the restaurant and wondered what being a waitress involved. It didn’t sound all that difficult, but she was smart enough to know that there was more to it than she imagined. She had just graduated from Saratoga Springs High School and needed a job. Her parents weren’t all that rich, so she would need to earn some money to go to college. At least her older brothers would get some help from Uncle Sam. Jake was four years older and was in Germany with the Army, and Billy was two years older and in the Coast Guard. Both would qualify under the GI Bill when they finished serving.

She had dressed nicely for the job interview and sat nervously when the manager looked over the job application. He looked up at her from time to time, but then just looked back at the application. After a bit he put the application down and looked at her again. He nodded. “Have you ever done anything like this before?”

“No sir. I mean, I’ve helped out at St. Elizabeth’s during church dinners and that sort of thing.”

The manager smiled. “This is a little different.” With that he explained the hours and the pay. There was a flat amount paid for the night, but the real money was in the tips, from which a cut was given to the busboys and dishwashers. The dress code was a nice white blouse and a black knee-length skirt, and dark shoes with low heels. Mary accepted and was turned over to an older woman. At least she seemed a lot older to Mary. In reality, she was in her late twenties. Her first shift would start the next night.

With that, Mary Tomasino entered the world of restaurant service. Mary had led a very sheltered life, with her father and older brothers watching over her like a hawk. A fancy restaurant like The Aspen Grove was very different from the parish hall at St. Elizabeth’s. Mary had a sunny disposition and meshed well with the other waitresses. They had a tiny bathroom-slash-changing room in the back. The older girls passed along the secrets of waitressing.

There was decent enough money to be made, but it was in the tips, so she needed to try to maximize that. Make sure to push desserts and drinks, anything that would keep customers in their seats and spending; tips were usually a percentage of the final bill, so anything to make the bill go up would result in bigger tips. “Wear low heels. High heels will rip up your feet,” said Sue.

Kelly added, “The only time you look good in heels is when you’re on your back and they’re pointed at the ceiling.” That got laughs from the other waitresses; Mary’s eyes popped open as she realized what they meant.

“Buy a pushup bra and pop an extra button or two on the blouse, though that might not be necessary with your figure,” said Tracy.

“Huh?”

“Show some cleavage. You’ve got big tits, so give the guys a little taste. Maybe wear your skirt a little short, too.”

“That’s only if it’s a guy or bunch of guys. If it’s a bunch of women, forget it,” said Patty.

“Yeah, women are shitty tippers. Flirt with the guys, though,” explained Shelly.

“The guys might get handsy. You want to watch that, though. Some guys think that being their waitress makes you their property. It’s up to you how much you want to put up with,” added Patty.

“Like what?” asked Mary.

“Like if he grabs your ass. I don’t mind if he makes a comment or two, but nobody but my boyfriend grabs my ass.”

“And don’t date these guys. Fucking bunch of perverts, if you ask me!” she was warned.

Mary felt like she had been thrown into the deep end of the pool but managed to make it through her first shift without spilling dinner on anybody. At the end of the night, a couple of the girls took her down the street to a bar. “I don’t have a lot of money,” said Mary.

That got a laugh from the others. “Honey, pretty girls with big tits don’t need money in a bar. Guys buy you drinks, not the other way around,” said Tracy.

“Unless he’s licking his eyebrows. Then I’d buy him a drink,” finished Shelly. The others all laughed uproariously.

Mary didn’t understand, but just smiled and nodded.

Mary did well as a waitress but wasn’t sure how long she would last at it. She didn’t mind teasing the male customers and she didn’t mind when they were a bit rude or crude. She went home alone and tended to her feet. The other girls were right. The job was tough on her feet!

By mid-July, Mary was enjoying the job a lot more. She had figured out the job, and now that the racing season had started, traffic was up, as were the prices. She was able to bank a lot of money, mostly under the table, and was contemplating going to Albany State next year, at least part-time. She also learned how to gently assuage the egos of the men she had to turn down, the ones who offered to buy her a drink after work. She couldn’t believe how many of them wore wedding rings or were old enough to be her father (or grandfather) and should have known better.

Then she met Roberto Andressini. Near the end of July, a group of men came in on a Monday night, normally a slow evening when some restaurants closed. He was very handsome, and she noticed he was getting out of a large Mercedes in front of the restaurant. He ushered in about half a dozen other men, all several years older, and all dressed in expensive suits. The hostess put them at a large table near the bar and assigned Mary to the table.

It was obviously some sort of business dinner and the younger guy with the fancy Mercedes was hosting it. The group was drinking a lot of top shelf liquor and eating surf and turf, and not just the steak and shrimp special. No, they were eating filet mignon and lobster, with foie gras appetizers and some wine bottles that were very expensive. Mary was looking forward to a nice tip, even if she had to share it with the busboy and bartender.

Then it got bad. As the group kept drinking, a couple of the men were getting loud and obnoxious. The manager and the hostess were getting nervous and directed several groups to other parts of the restaurant. The younger guy, who had a fascinating foreign accent, tried to keep things under control but was only partially successful. Mary was setting drinks down between the worst of the drunks when the one on her right began rubbing her ass through her skirt. “Thanks, but no thanks,” she laughed, twisting away. Better not to escalate things - that could screw up the tip!

Unfortunately, twisting away only made things worse. The guy on the left put his right hand on her legs and slipped it up and under her skirt. That was way worse than having her ass grabbed! Mary squawked and fell forward onto the drunk on her right, who laughed and began pawing her tits through her blouse. Mary screamed and people started running. The drunks kept groping her and a few others were laughing, even as the young guy organizing things was trying to get them to shut up and leave her alone. The hostess was calling for help, a pair of busboys who looked to be in their teens showed up, and the manager ordered everybody out.

Eventually it was sorted out before the police had to be called. The drunken group was shoved out the door, protesting their innocence. The young guy was grabbed before he could leave with them and was presented with a very large bill. He paid with a wad of hundreds, and then turned to Mary, who was sitting at a nearby table calming down. “Signorina, I am so sorry! Mi dispiace molto!”

“Uh, thanks.” Mary wanted to tell him where to head in but decided that wouldn’t reflect well on The Aspen Grove. There were still a few people there and yelling ‘GO FUCK YOURSELF!’ wouldn’t be good.

“Please, signorina, allow me to make this right.” He looked at the manager and said, “Scusa, per favore.” He came over to Mary and pulled out his wallet. “I know you deserve more, but I’m not allowed to bring them back and make them castrati. Here, please, take this for our boorishness. Per favore!” He pulled two more hundreds from the wallet, glanced at her, then added a third, and passed the cash to her.

Mary stared. Three hundred dollars was a huge amount. Her regular paycheck was five bucks a night and about a net ten percent cut of the bill. This was months’ worth of pay, maybe more, and all untaxed. “Ummm…yeah, okay.” She took the proffered cash and slipped it into her pocket before he thought longer about it.

Then he put another hundred-dollar bill on the table. “Per favore, mancia, a tip for all the others.”

“Thank you very much,” said the hostess, who pocketed the hundred. Several of the other waitresses noticed, so they knew it would be split properly.

“Now, per favore, let me go and take care of the others,” he said, nodding towards the door.

“That would be best,” agreed the manager.

“Wait!” said Mary. Everybody looked at her. “That word you used, castor oil or whatever. What does it mean?”

A couple of people smirked, and the young foreign guy blushed, but he answered her. “Castrati. It means…they would become sopranos.”

She still didn’t understand, but one of the other waitresses said, “I’ll explain it later.”

The young guy smiled and made a European sort of bow and then left. Mary turned to the others and asked, “Just who was that guy?” Nobody knew, but they all agreed he was Italian. Then she was told what castrati meant, and she blushed beet red. She was given the rest of the night off.

She didn’t tell her parents what had happened because they would go nuts and make her quit. Instead, she just put the money in her dresser and went about her life as normal. She had Tuesday and Wednesday off, and then was scheduled Thursday through Saturday. After work Friday, she and a couple of the waitresses headed up Broadway to a bar called The Devil’s Advocate. Their work outfits of tight skirts and low-cut blouses would fit in nicely, and they switched to high heels before leaving the restaurant.

They had moved to the bar and were ordering drinks when Mary heard an Italian accent. “Signorine! It is so good to see you again! Per favore, allow me!” The three young women turned to face the young speaker from the other night. “Grazie mille for the other night. A thousand pardons. Allow me to make up for it.” He waved down the bartender, attracting his attention with a fifty-dollar bill. “Per mi amiche, for my friends. They pay no bills tonight.”

The bartender nodded and made their drinks, and the three waitresses thanked him. When they heard his voice, they had decided to tell him to go screw, but the free drinks and Italian accent changed their minds. “Who are you?” asked Tracy.

“Roberto Andressini, at your service, and allow me to provide that service all evening long. I was mortified Monday night. Things got totally pazzo, insane.”

“What happened? What was going on?” asked Shelly.

Andressini explained that he had been asked to host a meeting with members of a German chemical company and some researchers at Skidmore College. The Germans got hammered and out of control. “I sent them back to Munich this morning, and not a moment too soon. This entire week has been an exercise in sobrietà…uh, sobriety,” he commented.

Mary found Roberto very charming and intriguing. She had never met anybody from Italy before, despite the last name of Tomasino. He was charismatic and very attractive. When Shelly and Tracy left to go back to the apartment they shared, Mary let Roberto buy her another drink. Her parents were spending the weekend in Boston, visiting Billy at his Coast Guard station. As long as she got home before they came back on Sunday, they would never need to know she’d been out drinking late. Then she left with him, to go to the Adelphi Hotel, further along on Broadway, where he offered her a very late supper.

Mary was young and naïve and had never met anybody like Roberto. The late supper became a nightcap in his suite, the nightcap became a seduction. Almost before she knew what was happening, Mary found herself in Roberto’s bedroom returning his kisses hungrily and allowing his hands to roam over her body. He slowly but surely undressed her and then she was on her back, her arms wrapped around him as he moved above her and slipped inside her. It felt so much better than when she touched herself, and her body responded eagerly. She had never truly understood her mother’s romance novels until that moment.

Roberto made love to Mary three times that night, finishing after dawn. She fell asleep in his arms, and when she woke shortly before noon, she found him watching her. He began touching her again, running his fingers across her body, and Mary gasped. She orgasmed loudly as he fingered her. Then it got even better, when he crawled between her legs and inserted himself again. Mary wrapped herself around him as he fucked her silly. Afterwards, he ordered champagne and caviar from room service, and then took a shower with her; she had never imagined making love while standing up! The champagne and caviar were already on a table when they came out of the shower, wrapped in bathrobes and giggling. Then it was back to bed.

Mary called in sick to work and stayed with her new lover. She spent another night with him, and he drove her back to the restaurant parking lot after lunch. She left him her address and phone number, since he had promised to come and meet her parents on Monday.

Monday came and went, without Roberto calling or coming. Tuesday morning, she drove to the Adelphi Hotel. She went up to the suite and knocked on the door. An elegant woman opened the door. She was in her late forties, wearing an expensive silk dress, high heels, and what Mary recognized as some very expensive jewelry. “Can I help you?” she asked haughtily.

“Uh…Is Roberto here?”

“Roberto? There is nobody here named Roberto.”

Mary looked around the room. “Are you sure? He was here Sunday.”

“Sorry. We checked in yesterday. Now, if you don’t mind…”

“Who is it, dear?” asked a man coming from the direction of the bedroom. He was in his early fifties, with graying temples and a patrician air, and was pulling on a suit coat.

“Just some cheap town girl who lost her client. Nothing to worry about.” She closed the door in Mary’s face.

Mary sank to the floor and began crying. That was where a maid found her. A manager helped her to her feet and walked her out of the hotel. So much for her first love.

By October Mary Tomasino had missed her period twice. Her OB/GYN confirmed what she already knew. She was in ‘the family way’.

***

1964

Tommy Caparelli listened to Mary’s story without commenting. She finished by saying, “Don’t you see. You’re a good guy. Good guys don’t go out with sluts.”

“Okay, first, you’re not a slut. You’re a nice girl who made a mistake. That’s all. Nothing more.”

“You don’t know what I’ve done…”

“Sssshhh. I don’t care what you’ve done,” he told her.

“But…”

“Sssshhh. Let me see if I understand this. You were a good girl your entire life until some Italian guy got you drunk, seduced you, and took your virginity. Do I have that right?” Mary nodded as she cried. “And then you found out you were pregnant.”

“Yes,” she whispered.

“Then you decided not to have an illegal abortion or give the baby away for adoption but raise him yourself. Do I still have that right?” Tommy asked.

“Isn’t that bad enough? I’ve heard what people have said.”

“And I’m the first guy you’ve gone out with since then?”

“I’m so sorry. This must be so embarrassing.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. “Aren’t you embarrassed to be with me?” he asked.

Mary looked confused. “What do you mean?”

“My wife died less than a year ago and here I am going out on a date before even a year has passed. I’m not mourning her properly. Maybe I’m the person who isn’t very good.”

“Tommy, that’s different.”

He smiled. “You sure about that? Maybe we’re both not very good people. Listen, Mary, I don’t think you’re a bad person. I think you’re just a person. There’s good and bad in all of us. Making a mistake doesn’t make you bad. It makes you human.”

“I don’t know.”

“Mary, do you know the purpose of a first date?”

Mary gave him a confused look. “To get to know one another.”

Tommy shook his head. “The purpose of a first date is to find out if you want to have a second date. It worked. I want to go out with you on a second date.”

“Really? After what I just told you?”

“Just what have you told me? That a man lied to you and now you’re a good mom to a little boy? I’ll take my chances.” He smiled and reached out to take her hand. “Now, let’s have dinner and you can decide if you want to take a chance on me.”

“Okay.”

***

Chapter 2 - Dating and Meeting

1964

“So, how did the date go?” asked Angela Tomasino.

“Okay, I guess,” replied Mary.

“Did you have fun?”

“I guess so.”

“This is like pulling teeth! Was he nice? Was he polite? Where’d you go?” Angela asked a bunch of questions.

“Mom!” protested her daughter. “Yes, okay, he was very nice, and the restaurant was nice and all that.” Then she became quiet. “I told him about Herschel and, well, you know.”

“And what did he do? Did he leave you there at the table while waving a cross in your direction?”

“No! My God, of course not!”

Angela asked, “So, it didn’t bother him?”

“I guess not. He asked me out on a second date. I guess that’s good.”

Angela rolled her eyes. “Of course, it’s good. It’s better than not asking you out again. What did you say to him?”

Mary answered, “I said I would think about it, and he said he would call me.”

Her mother sighed. “Mary, you need to start dating again. If you don’t like this guy, fine, but you can’t stay in the house and hide the rest of your life.”

“I don’t know, Mom. I mean, I like him, but still…he’s a really nice guy. He isn’t the type of guy who wants to date a girl like me.”

Angela was on the verge of answering when the phone rang. She went into the kitchen and pulled it off the wall. “Hello.”

It was a pleasant baritone. “Hello. Is Mary Tomasino available?”

“Can I say who’s calling?”

“This is Thomas Caparelli. Can I speak to her?”

“Of course. Let me get her.” Mary set the phone on the counter and went into the living room. “Okay, Juliet. Romeo is on the line.”

Mary got a sudden look of fear in her eyes. “What do I say?”

“Start with hello.” She took her daughter’s hand and pulled her upright. “Go!” She nudged her towards the kitchen and then sat down on the couch. She didn’t even fake any sense of privacy; she listened intently to Mary’s side of the conversation.

Half an hour later, Mary came back into the living room, smiling. “Well?” asked her mother.

“He asked me out again.”

“I thought as much. And?”

“He wanted to know what I wanted to do?”

Angela nodded. “Smart guy. Put it on you. What did you say?”

Mary shrugged. “I said I didn’t know. I’d have to think about it.”

“Lord, save me! Well, if nothing else, this gives you a chance to call him back.” She thought for a second. “Listen, you need to introduce him to Herschel.” Mary looked nervous and began to protest, but Angela overrode her. “No, I’m serious. You’ve met his son, and you’ve told him you have a son. He needs to meet Hersch. Face it, the two of you are a package deal. Buy one, get one free.”

“Mom! Well, maybe, but I don’t want him coming here to pick me up,” answered Mary.

“Why not?”

“Because when Tommy shows up Daddy’s going to give him the third degree! I won’t be the one scaring him off! It will be Daddy!”

Angela laughed. “You let me worry about your father. Maybe the weather will be nice this weekend. Go on a picnic. See how the boys get along.”

It was Mary’s turn to roll her eyes. “They’re not even a year old yet. What are they going to say?”

“Hey, I raised two boys before you came along, and Herschel is number three. They can be very different!”

“I’ll call him back.

“Tomorrow. Build up the anticipation.”

“Mom!”

***

If their first date was scary and tentative, their second was an unqualified success. Tommy quickly agreed to a picnic date with the boys, and they divvied up the tasks. Mary would prepare a picnic basket, and he would bring a cooler of Cokes. They would both drive, since they each had only one car seat, and that way they wouldn’t have to try moving them around. Tommy would bring some blankets to lay on the ground, and each would bring the appropriate food for their individual son. Herschel was still on formula, but Joey had graduated to Gerber gruel.

The picnic was at Saratoga Spa State Park, a large and sprawling complex a few minutes west of the racetrack. They met at one of the entrances and then Mary followed Tommy to a picnic area. When she parked next to his truck and got out, he smiled and gave her a hug, and then kissed her warmly. He had kissed her at the end of their first date, but this seemed much more tender and unforced, and she returned the kiss happily.

Then it was time to have a picnic. The weather was perfect for a lovely fall day. It was warm, dry, and sunny, but not too breezy. It was mid-September, but unless they stayed after dark, it wouldn’t cool off unreasonably.

They got the boys out of their car seats, which were nothing like what they would evolve into. They were nothing more than lightly padded metal frames that hung over the back of the car seat and kept a baby upright after you tucked him in with some blankets. Tommy had a stroller in the back of the truck and they put the boys in the stroller together, where they were pushed towards a grassy meadow with a scenic view. A blanket was laid out, the boys were deposited on the blanket, and then Tommy was sent back for everything else while Mary supervised a pair of pre-toddlers.

When he returned after the second trip, Tommy asked, “Whose idea was a picnic? Remind me!”

Mary just laughed. Then she whirled around. “Hold on, buster!” Joey at eleven months wasn’t quite walking, but he had mastered crawling, and he had taken off, moving at high speed into the far distance. She scooted after him and picked him up, depositing him back on the blanket. He laughed and flapped his arms and looked around for another horizon to conquer, which led his father to grab a few blankets and pile them up around the edge of the blanket.

“We are going to have to corral these two somehow,” he said.

“Maybe we can tie a rope around their ankles and tie them to a tree,” said Mary.

“You’re lucky. Herschel can’t move as fast.”

Mary smiled and shook her head. “He’s still working on rolling over.”

“Who did you name him after?” asked Tommy. “Or is that indelicate?”

Mary shrugged. “I certainly wasn’t going to name him after his father.” She paused and said, “I picked my grandfathers’ middle names. I forget which was which, but one was Herschel and the other was Walker.”

“Herschel Walker Tomasino.” He smiled. “It’s a good name. Did he ever meet them?”

“No, they died when I was a baby. What about Joey? Where did that come from?”

“It’s my father’s middle name. Joseph George Caparelli. George was my mother’s father’s middle name.” He looked over at little Herschel. “Does he get outside much? Joey often plays outside when he’s with my mother,” said Tommy.

Mary nodded. “I live with my parents, and they have a big old farmhouse out west of Saratoga. This is pretty normal for him, but I don’t know how much longer. November is only a couple of months away, and it will be snowing at some point.” Tommy snorted out a laugh at that. Saratoga was in the middle of the Adirondacks, which meant it snowed six months of the year.

Mary sat next to Tommy at one end of the blanket, and they watched their sons. Herschel found it all quite fascinating and kept looking around and squirming to face different directions and trying to roll over. Joey was more animated and kept trying to crawl to freedom, though the blanket barrier at the edge of his domain tended to slow him down. After a bit, Mary opened the picnic basket. She had raided the family refrigerator and had packed some cold fried chicken, egg salad, and homemade dill pickles. Tommy stood and went back to his pickup truck, retrieving a cooler of sodas, along with a large baby bag.

He reached into the baby bag and pulled out a big Thermos, along with an empty baby bottle and a little jar of Gerber mashed peas. “I liked your idea of making some warm formula and putting it in a Thermos bottle.” He opened the Thermos and poured some into the baby bottle and then grabbed his son. It was lunch time. Mary did the same a few seconds later with Herschel. Then he fed some of the green pea gruel to Joey.

“That stuff looks awful!” Mary commented.

“It smells even worse,” Tommy replied. “Let’s just say that when it hits his diaper later today, you won’t be able to tell the difference.”

“Yuck!”

Tommy nodded.

Once the boys had been fed, burped, and cleaned up, they were put down on the blanket to get into trouble while their parents had their own lunch. Tommy was very appreciative of their picnic lunch. “This is pretty good! Your cooking?”

“Some. Mom did the chicken, but I did the egg salad and the pickles.”

“I didn’t know you could make pickles, I mean, at home.”

Mary nodded. “It’s pretty easy, but they need to be refrigerated. They can’t be put on a shelf in the pantry. It’s just cucumbers in a brine solution with some garlic and dill. We don’t can them at high temperature.”

“I follow you, I think. Tell your mother I like her chicken.”

Once they finished eating, Tommy lay back on the blanket and held a hand out to Mary. She curled up next to him, kissing him gently and resting against him. She began dozing in his arms and Tommy kissed her forehead and watched as the boys fell asleep at the other end of the blanket. After a few minutes, his eyes closed as well.

An hour later Mary stirred awake and that roused Tommy. The two infants were just starting to wake, and Mary knew that her son needed a diaper change. The parents went through the routine of changing the boys and feeding them some more formula before letting them loose again. As before, Joey tried to head for parts unknown and Herschel concentrated on rolling over and squirming around.

Late in the afternoon, Mary said, “This has been a lot of fun. Thank you.”

“No, thank you. It was your idea to take the boys to the park for a picnic. I wasn’t too sure how they would get along.”

Mary shrugged. “I don’t think either of them is quite up to mischief or mayhem yet.”

Tommy smiled. “Give them time. Once they’re both walking, Joey might be the ringleader, and Herschel might be the loyal minion!”

“Yikes!”

“So, does this count as a successful second date?” he asked.

Mary pushed him back on the blanket and put her head on his chest. “Very.”

Tommy thoroughly enjoyed the kiss she gave him.

***

“How did your picnic go?” asked Angela.

Mary blushed. “It was very nice.” Angela gave her a look indicating she wanted more information, and her daughter added, “He wants to keep seeing me.”

“And do you want to keep seeing him?”

Mary blushed again and nodded. “Uh huh.”

“Enough to incur the wrath of your father for taking the last jar of pickles?” Angela teased.

Mary laughed. “I’ll have to take my chances.”

“You are going to have to bring him over, you know. Your father is going to want to talk to him at some point.”

“Talk? Or torture and interrogate?”

It was Angela’s turn to blush. She shrugged and said, “That’s his job.”

Mary smiled. “Great. Listen, give me another week or two. I still don’t know what is going to happen, but I want to wait before I subject Tommy to Daddy.”

“Your father’s not that bad. He just worries about you.”

“Did he worry about Jake or Billy, too?”

“Maybe not.”

Mary nodded and smiled. “I’ll warn him. Well, eventually. Maybe after our next date. We’re going out to dinner Wednesday night.”

“Just let me know.”

The third date was relatively mild. It was basically dinner at a small family place off Broadway, so the rents and subsequent prices were much more reasonable. Mary enjoyed being with Tommy and told him that a ‘command performance’ was in his future. That got them both laughing, and he said he would put on his armor before arriving. They didn’t dawdle over coffee, though, since they both had to work the next day. Instead, they spent quite a bit of time hugging and kissing while standing between their cars. Mary was more than a little flustered when they broke apart.

Her father was in the living room when she came in. “How was your date?” he asked.

“It was very nice. We went to Angelo’s for dinner.”

“Honey, I think we need to talk.”

“No, we don’t,” said Angela, coming in from the kitchen.

“Angela…”

“Go to bed, Harry. Your daughter and I need to talk about sex.” Angela winked at her daughter.

“WHAT!” he protested.

“Go to bed, dear. It’s time for some girl talk.”

Mary giggled and kissed her father on the cheek, standing on her tiptoes to reach. “Bye, Daddy.”

Harry Tomasino harrumphed and headed up the stairs. The two women smiled at each other, and Angela pointed at the couch. They sat down.

“How’s Hersch?” asked Mary.

“He’s fine. I gave him a bottle of formula right after you left and another just before you came home. He’ll be out till morning,” said Angela. “So, how was the date. The truth, not what you said to your father.”

Mary smiled at that. “Actually, that was the truth. It was very nice. We went to Angelo’s and shared a pepperoni pizza and a couple of beers.”

“And?”

“And not much more. We kissed some in the parking lot and then split. He asked me out Friday night and…”, she paused at that.

“And?” repeated Angela.

“And I think Tommy wants to move things forward. He didn’t say anything, not specifically, but I got the idea that he wanted to move ahead.”

“You mean sex.”

Mary nodded. “I think so. I mean it wasn’t like he told me he was expecting it, but he wanted it. I think, anyway. Maybe I’m wrong.”

Her mother made a wry face. “No, you’re probably not wrong. Things move faster these days than when I was your age. You girls have more choices than I did when I was dating.”

“You mean, the pill.”

“I do. If you’re smart and responsible, a girl won’t get pregnant. That doesn’t mean you can’t still get a reputation, but that’s not really an issue anymore for you, is it?”

Mary gasped. “Mom!”

“Honey, I’m not trying to be mean or rude. It’s just that the damage has already been done, so to speak. I know you’re not the kind of girl who hops from bed to bed. It’s just that some girls will do that and get a reputation. Now, let me ask you a question,” Angela said.

Mary wasn’t smiling at the reminder of what had happened to her, but she said, “What?”

“If Tommy is expecting something more than just kissing in the parking lot, what are you thinking. Do you want more than that, too?”

Mary looked down but silently nodded. “Is that bad? When he puts his arms around me, it just drives me nuts! Am I wrong to feel like that?”

“No. It’s sort of the way biology works, I guess.” Then she smiled and said, “I still feel like that when your father puts his arms around me.”

“Daddy?”

Angela laughed. “What? You kids think you invented sex? Where do you think you and your brothers came from? Hah!”

“Oh my God!”

“Give me a break! Listen, when you go out on Friday, pack a little bag with a change of clothes, makeup, whatever. Something casual, so if anybody sees you the next morning, they won’t think you’ve been spending the night with a hunky guy. He is hunky, isn’t he?”

Mary smiled. “So hunky! He’s big and strong and muscular and so good looking! He looks like a cowboy in an ad for cigarettes, though without the cowboy hat. Or the cigarettes.”

“Well, if you don’t want him, maybe I’ll trade your father in.” Mary giggled at that, and Angela continued. “Seriously, if this is what you want, don’t play coy with him. Again, not to be rude, but it’s not like you have to protect your virginity. And don’t do it in the back seat of his car. You’re both grownups. Get a motel room and a real bed.”

Mary blushed at her mother’s comments but nodded in understanding. Now she simply needed to figure out how to let Tommy know she wanted to move forward, too.

***

“I don’t like this,” said Harry after his daughter left the house. She had dressed in a very pretty blouse and skirt combo, was wearing high heels and her mother’s good coat, and was carrying a small bag along with her purse. “It’s not right.”

“Sit down, Harry,” ordered his wife. She was sitting on one end of the couch and was patting the seat next to her.

He grumbled and repeated, “It’s just not right. He should at least meet us first, and she shouldn’t be running out to…well, you know.” He came around and sat on the couch.

“You mean, like I used to run out to see you after we were engaged?”

“That was different!”

Angela laughed loudly at that. “Things were a lot different then, Harry. For one thing, my father would have been chasing after you with a shotgun! I promised Mary, I would keep yours locked up.”

“Hmmmphhh! Still…”

“Harry, it’s not like we have to protect her from some man who wants to steal her virtue. That’s the phrase my mother used, anyway. She knew what we were doing, she just didn’t tell my father. Anyway, some damn bastard already stole her virtue. I put her on the pill after Hersch was born, too.”

Harry stared at his wife like she had grown a second head. “You what?”

“Oh, settle down. Mary needs to get out and have some fun. Yes, that damn Italian stole her virtue, but more importantly, he broke her heart! He broke her spirit! What happened to that happy and cheerful girl we used to have? Mary doesn’t live in this house. No, she hides here. That’s wrong. This is the first time in almost a year-and-a-half that she’s been happy. I won’t take that from her, and you shouldn’t either.”

Angela’s husband slumped down. “I know. Still, it doesn’t seem right.”

Angela rolled her eyes. “Okay. It’s time for Plan B.” Harry looked at her and she said, “I promised Mary, I would keep you under control.”

“What do you mean?”

She sat upright and began unbuttoning her blouse. Her husband stared as she exposed one of her nicer bras, small, lacy, and sheer. It also had the clasp between her breasts. That popped open and she spread the cups apart. Angela had the same busty hourglass figure her daughter had, though after three children she’d put on a few pounds. Still, it looked awfully good to Harry. Then she moved closer to him. She undid his belt and unzipped his trousers. “Lift up,” she ordered. Harry lifted his butt off the couch, and she pulled his pants and boxers below his knees. Then she bent down and put her face in his lap.

Angela had first sucked her husband’s cock on their honeymoon. She was afraid to before that, because of the fear he wouldn’t want to marry a woman who was so low that she went down. It wasn’t until they were in the hotel room overlooking Niagara Falls that he asked her. He was so embarrassed when he explained that he had seen a woman doing that in a blue movie that had been shown at his stag party. He would understand if she didn’t, but Angela never thought twice about it. Her mother had never told her about that sort of thing, but she did say that a wife’s job was taking care of her husband’s needs, and if that was what Harry needed, Angela would do it.

Since then, Angela had given more than a few blowjobs to Harry and had gotten very proficient at it. She knew it was going well when she felt his fingers caressing her face and hair. “Don’t stop, oh God, don’t stop,” he begged. “Don’t stop!”

Angela could tell when he was getting closer. Harry began lifting off the couch, trying to force himself into her mouth. She was rewarded by his excited gasps of completion and his begging for more. She licked him clean and then sat upright.

“That was…amazing,” he told her.

Angela smiled and grabbed his beer, to wash him down. The flavor wasn’t the greatest, but she didn’t mind, and it was just temporary anyway. Then she stood up and lifted her tits up for his inspection. “Now, I am going upstairs. I’m going to take a nice long bubble bath and clean up. Then I’m going to rub some lotion on and maybe some perfume and then put on one of those little nightgowns you like, you know, the ones that are cut down to here…” She put her fingers down near her belly button. “…And so short they barely cover anything. Then I’ll probably get on the bed and start touching myself, you know, in all the places you like to touch me.” Then she smiled and added, “If you’d like to watch and help, I’d probably enjoy that.” With that she turned and headed for the stairs, peeling off her blouse and bra and dropping them on the floor. She wiggled her ass invitingly.

Harry Tomasino stood and pulled his pants up. This wasn’t an invitation he would turn down!

***

Mary Tomasino knew that tonight was going to be the big night for her and Tommy. He had made reservations at a restaurant on Wolf Road in Albany, half an hour south of Saratoga. Even more, the restaurant was on the first floor of a hotel. He had explained that the northern end of Wolf Road was near the Albany airport and that a lot of travelers stayed in the hotels and ate in the restaurants, but that had seemed a little flimsy to her.

No, Tommy was hoping to get lucky after dinner. She was still young but no longer naïve. The last eighteen months had driven the naiveté from her. On the other hand, she was looking forward to her seduction this time. She hadn’t understood what was happening that first time. Now she eagerly anticipated it.

Dinner was very nice, with Tommy having a large steak and a baked potato, and Mary having a small steak and a lobster tail. They were dawdling over coffee when Tommy gave her a guilty look and said, “Uh…I hope you’re not offended but…uh…I made a room reservation at the same time as I made dinner reservations. I mean, I don’t expect…uh, I don’t think you’re that kind of…I mean…”

Mary reached across the table and took his hand. She smiled and said, “I think I’d have been offended if you hadn’t made the reservation. I don’t think we need dessert. Do you?”

Tommy looked incredibly relieved. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Now, would you be offended if I asked you to go out to my car and bring in the bag in the back seat. I’ll order one last round of drinks while you’re out. Please?”

“Absolutely!” Tommy hopped to his feet and headed towards the door but then turned around and ran back to their table. He leaned down and gave her a big kiss and then headed back out.

Mary laughed and caught the eye of their waitress. “One more round and the check please.” The waitress smiled and went to the bar; a busboy was sent to take away the dishes.

Tommy returned five minutes later wearing his trench coat and carrying Mary’s coat and bag. “I had to get the keys out of your coat, and now it’s just pouring, and anyway, it just seemed simpler to grab everything. Is this the right bag?”

Mary nodded and said, “Thank you. Now, sit down. We can finish our drinks and go. I asked for the check if that’s all right.”

“It’s fine.” He dropped their coats on a spare chair and sat down next to her. “I know I said it earlier, but you are absolutely beautiful tonight.”

“Thank you.” Mary smiled. Tommy had indeed said that, but she loved hearing it from him again.

They dawdled over the drinks, but when the waitress appeared Tommy paid and left a tip. He saw Mary eyeing him and asked, “Not enough?”

“I just used to be a waitress and know how difficult it can be. They don’t make beans for pay, so everything comes from tips.”

“Really?” She shook her head and explained how waitressing paid, and Tommy put some more cash on the table. “I will remember that in the future.”

Then he stood and held his hand out to her. They grabbed their coats and Mary picked up her bag and they walked hand in hand to the front desk. She stood back while he got a key to their room and then joined him on the elevator. They were silent as they went to their room. Tommy let them in and followed Mary into the room.

Mary looked around. It wasn’t the fancy suite at the Adelphi, but it somehow seemed nicer. Maybe that was because it had completely different associations involved; she wasn’t so innocent anymore.

Tommy took her coat and hung it in the closet. He hung up his as well and then came back to her. She stopped him, though. “Tommy, I want this, I really do, but…It’s been so long. I don’t want to disappoint you. Please…”

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. “Ssshhhh. It’s been a long time for me, too. Maybe I’m worried about disappointing you.” Then he laughed. “I’ve heard it’s like riding a bike. Once you learn, you never forget.”

“Oh, Tommy!” Mary stepped into his arms, and they kissed hungrily. It felt wonderful and so intimate. It was like they were the only two people in the world. Tommy maneuvered her over to the bed and they sank down together. Then it became magical.

Tommy slowly undressed her, starting with her blouse, which he slowly unbuttoned. His lips left hers and began kissing her neck, and then worked down her torso. As each button came undone, he kissed the exposed flesh, and Mary writhed under his kisses. Her blouse came off, and she barely noticed when his hands went around her body to undo her bra and pull it off, and then his tongue was on her breasts. He kissed her nipples, and she gasped and orgasmed, but he didn’t stop there. He continued kissing and licking her tits and she wrapped her arms around him and held him in place.

Then it got truly intense. Tommy kept kissing her but moved his lips lower. Mary gasped when he began licking around her belly button. She had never even heard of such a thing, and Roberto had certainly never done that, and she began moving under Tommy’s kisses, begging him to continue. It was beyond her wildest, or most decadent, dreams.

She almost laughed when he stopped and began fumbling to take off her skirt. Pushing him away, she sat upright and undid the catch and zipper on the side of her skirt. She slipped it off and Tommy helped by pulling her pantyhose and panties off. Then he pushed her back on the bed. If she thought that his licking her navel was wild, she was completely unprepared for when he kept moving down her body. She couldn’t believe anybody would do it, but his tongue moved lower, and she totally lost it. Whining and whimpering, she surrendered to the sensations raging through her body. Roberto had certainly never licked her there, and she had never even heard of it!

After a few more minutes, Tommy reversed course and kissed his way back up her body. She had been so preoccupied that she hadn’t noticed that he had managed to undress. He was moving into position above her when she realized he had stopped and was fumbling a condom open. “No, you don’t need that,” she told him.

“But…”

“I’m on the pill. Mom helped me get on the pill after Hersch was born,” she admitted.

“So…”

Mary smiled at him. “So, please, make love to me. Please!”

Tommy maneuvered to place his cock at the entrance to her pussy and slipped the tip inside. Mary gasped as he pushed inside, but it only got better from there. She thought she remembered every moment she had spent with Roberto, but this was so much better. Even more, Tommy seemed to take much longer to slip inside her. He felt so much bigger than Roberto, longer and thicker. He began pushing in and pulling out, and Mary whimpered as her body went into orgasmic overload. It was too much. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and succumbed to the sensations she was feeling. All she could say was, “Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Oh God! Oh God!” She felt every pulse as he jetted into her, and every single one felt marvelous.

“Oh, Jesus!” he gasped.

“Oh, Tommy! That was…amazing!” she told him.

He smiled down on her and kissed her. “Sounds like you want me to keep going.”

“Oh, God!”

Tommy began moving again. Mary couldn’t count the orgasms she had before she felt Tommy groaning and filling her a second time. He collapsed on her, his breath raspy and labored. “That was…”

She pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. “Yes, it was. I don’t know who taught you but remind me to thank her!” Then she saw the look in his eyes, and she realized what she had just said. “Oh, shit! I am so sorry! I never meant…I mean, oh shit!”

“No, don’t worry. You’re right. Karen taught me a lot.”

“I say the stupidest shit at time. I am so sorry!”

Tommy kissed her and said, “Calm down.”

“What was she like? Do I look like her or anything?”

Tommy rolled onto his back and Mary rolled with him, to rest her head on his chest. “Yes and no. She was taller than you, and slimmer. Not skinny, but slimmer. She had brown hair too, but lighter and less red, and hers was straighter and went down to the middle of her back. Yours is wavier. And her eyes were greenish, hazel they call it. Yours are brown.”

“Huh.”

“Karen was a very smart and practical person. It was something that Karen said shortly after we were married. She said that since I liked having sex with her, and she liked having sex with me, we would be having a lot of sex, and we should try and do it the best way possible.”

“Meaning? I mean, that makes sense, but what did she mean by that?” Mary asked.

“It means we should try to make it good, both for the other person and for yourself. She would ask me what I wanted her to do, and she would tell me to ask her to do anything I wanted her to do. We taught each other all sorts of things.”

“Huh. Yeah, that makes sense. I never thought about it that way,” she told him.

Tommy asked, “So, what would you like me to do?”

Mary smiled and rolled onto her back. “Everything!”

***

“So, how was your date?” asked Angela. She had heard her daughter coming in at dawn and went downstairs to meet her.

Mary smiled and replied, “It was wonderful. It was so much better than, well, you know.”

“That’s because there was love involved. Sex is fun, but sex with love is so much better.”

“Yeah,” Mary said dreamily.

“How are you feeling. I mean, you know.”

“A little sore, but a good sore.”

Angela smiled at her daughter. “Like you’ve been exercising muscles you haven’t used in a while? Go upstairs and take a warm bubble bath.” Mary nodded and Angela laughed. “Okay, fun and games are over. You need to bring him over.”

Her daughter nodded. “He’s coming over for Sunday dinner, and he’s bringing Joey with him.”

“Joey?”

“His son.”

“That should be interesting.”

***

Chapter 3 - Moving Along

1964

Mary asked, “By the way, what did Daddy do after I left? He seemed kind of upset.”

Angela laughed. “Like I told you, I took care of your father. I calmed him down.”

“You said that, but how? Is it something I can learn?”

Angela laughed loud and long. “You can learn, but don’t try it on your father! You’ll need to calm your own husband down someday.”

“What…”

Angela kept laughing. “Simple! I showed him my tits and gave him a blowjob! Then I took him upstairs and gave him a workout. He’s still sleeping!”

Mary stared at her mother in disbelief. “Whaaa…Oh my God! You gave Daddy a…a…”

“Darn right I did! It is the most powerful invention ever created to keep a man under control. Learn how to do it right and it will pay off for you in spades!” Angela laughed.

“MOM!”

Angela laughed. “Remember in the Bible, how Samson was the strongest man in Israel, but Delilah was able to drain his strength by giving him a haircut? Give me a break! She was draining something else!”

“You put his thing in your mouth?” her daughter asked incredulously.

“It’s not a thing. It’s a penis, a cock, a dick. And why not? He puts it in my pussy all the time.”

Mary thought she and her mother had an open relationship, but this was the craziest conversation they had ever had. “Isn’t it…dirty?”

“Are you dirty down there? I’m not, neither is your father, and I would bet that your boyfriend isn’t either.”

“Oh my God!” Mary’s mind was whirling at the thought. Then she looked at Angela and asked, “How…”

Angela smiled. “Oh, no, I am not about to give you lessons. Ask Tommy. Trust me, he would love to teach you how. He will be putty in your hands afterwards!” She laughed some more. “Oh, and when are you bringing him over? Did you ask?”

That was something Mary could answer. “He’s coming over for Sunday dinner.”

“Then this afternoon and tomorrow we are cleaning this house from top to bottom!”

***

Harry Tomasino happened to be the closest person to the front door on Sunday afternoon when the doorbell rang. Mary was on the floor changing Hersch’s diaper and Angela was in the kitchen. Mary’s head turned at the sound and said, “You get Hersch, and I’ll get the door.”

“Forget it!” replied her father. “I can handle a door, and you can handle chemical waste.” He went to the door as Mary hurriedly worked on her son’s diaper. He opened the door to find a young man standing there with a child in his arms. “Can I help you?”

“Uh, is Mary Tomasino here?”

Mary yelled out, “Give me a minute!”

Angela came out of the kitchen and went to the front door. “You must be Tommy. Come in, come in! Who’s this?” She reached out and the little boy smiled and held out his arms. She took him and said, “Harry, get out of the doorway!”

Mary finished with the diaper and stood up with Herschel. “You made it!”

“Give me a minute!” Tommy turned and went back down to the pickup truck and returned with a couple of bags, one larger than the other. He stepped inside and looked at Harry and Angela. “I’m Thomas Caparelli. Thank you for inviting us.”

“You’re welcome. Who’s the little guy?” asked Harry. He hadn’t been aware that his daughter was dating a package deal.

“That’s Joey, Dad,” said Mary. She came to the door and handed her son to her father. Then she wrapped her arms around Tommy and kissed him. “Mom, Dad, this is Tommy and Joey. Tommy, these are my parents, Harrison and Angela Tomasino.”

Tommy stuck his hand out and Harry automatically shook it. “Thank you for having me.”

“You’re welcome. Come on in.” He turned to the women in the house and asked, “Am I the only one surprised by the short guy? Or are you two pranking me?”

Angela laughed. “Welcome, Tommy. Mary told me about your son, but it was too good a joke not to play on my husband. Please, come in.”

Tommy gave Mary’s parents a confused look. To Mary’s father he said, “I’m a widower. Joey is our son. Karen died when he was three months old.” To her mother, he said, “Now I know where Mary gets her great looks.”

Angela laughed and looked at her daughter. “I like him. He’s a keeper! If you two don’t work out, I’m trading in your father!”

Harry rolled his eyes. “I might go along with that. Anyway, welcome. Come on in. Can I get you a drink?”

Tommy glanced at Mary and said, “Absolutely!” Harry just laughed and handed Herschel back to his daughter. “Here.” Tommy passed over the small bag he had brought. “I wasn’t sure what would be best, red or white, so I brought one of each.”

Harry looked in the bag and found two bottles of wine. He snorted out a laugh and answered, “The best choice would be a bottle of bourbon and a bottle of Scotch. Come into the kitchen and we can get started. My guess, we are going to need both!”

With that Harry began a low level but polite interrogation of the man dating his daughter. It wasn’t the third degree predicted by Mary and Angela but was certainly the second degree. Tommy took it good-naturedly.

“So, you’re part of Caparelli Construction?” asked Harry.

“That’s us. You know us?”

Harry nodded. “I know a Bob Caparelli, anyway. I run Tomasino’s Building Supply. You guys have an account with us.”

“He’s my dad. I’m the oldest. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. My brothers and I work for him,” answered Tommy. “I do carpentry. Jack, he’s twenty-two, works for us part-time and goes to Albany State part-time; he does plumbing. Andy is twenty and is learning to be an electrician. Sarah is only sixteen and is still in high school.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, I know your father, maybe just through business, but I’ve run across him.”

“Is Sarah going to work for your company, too?” asked Angela.

Tommy laughed. “Only if she manages to kill Mom or Dad off. They say she is going to college or else.” He smiled and shrugged. “That wouldn’t be a bad thing. She’s really smart, like Harvard smart.”

“Have you met the family?” Angela asked her daughter.

Mary shook her head. “Not yet. We’ll do the parent thing with them next week.”

Tommy shook his head at that. “Next weekend is out. They’re going up to Lake George for the weekend, something about getting away from all us kids. That’s what Mom said, anyway. Dad just grumbled and grunted and agreed with her. We can see them the following weekend.”

“So, Tommy, tell us about your marriage,” asked Harry.

“Yeah.” Tommy nodded and explained. He had met Karen their senior year at Ballston Spa Senior High; though they had both been there for several years, it was the first time they had been in a class together and they were seated next to each other in English 12. “I guess it was love at first sight,” he said. “I asked her out that weekend and she said yes. That was it for me. We dated all through senior year. I just knew she was the one.”

After graduation Karen started taking classes part-time at Albany State and working as a receptionist in Rock City Falls. Tommy began working for his father. They kept dating and a year later they got engaged. They got married at twenty, moved into an apartment in Saratoga, got pregnant at twenty-two, had a baby at twenty-three, and he was widowed three months later.

“That’s terrible,” said Angela.

“Yes, it was, but some things worked out. Joey, for one. He’s a little piece of Karen.” Tommy looked over at Mary. “It’s strange. I loved Karen with all my heart, and if she hadn’t died, we’d have never met. She was the one who did the grocery shopping. Since then, though, I’ve met you, and that’s such a change for me. I feel guilty for missing her and happy for meeting you. Does that make sense?”

“And I’m happier now than I have been in over a year. Things happen. That’s all I know.”. she answered.

Angela looked over at the boys, napping on a baby blanket. “They get along well.”

Tommy and Mary smiled at each other. “They do,” he said.

“At least we only have to chase one of them around,” added Mary.

That got her parents laughing. Harry said, “Yeah? Six months from now, that one…” He pointed at Hersch. “…will be crawling…” Then he pointed at Joey. “…and that one will be walking, and probably in the complete opposite direction.”

“Have you told your parents about Mary’s…situation?” asked Angela.

Tommy nodded. “A week ago, when we started getting more serious. I figured they would start asking inconvenient questions at some point and I didn’t need my brothers saying something that might get them punched out.”

“And?”

He shrugged. “They were curious about what you’ve told people. My parents figure the topic has probably come up at some point.”

Harry sighed and nodded. “Not specifically, but something similar happened to a supplier I know. He told me it was bad enough what some people said about his daughter, but he was amazed by the guilt by association. Some people wanted to know why he and his wife hadn’t raised their daughter better, that sort of thing.”

Mary looked shocked at that. “Daddy?”

“This is many things, honey, but we know how we raised you and it’s not your fault. There is a difference between a mistake and something sinful.” He turned to Thomas and said, “We’ve resorted to a little white lie. Mary was married right out of high school, but when he learned she was pregnant, he chickened out and ran off to Las Vegas for a quickie divorce. They’re supposed to be easy out there. To be sure, it mostly doesn’t come up, but it beats telling people to go screw themselves.” He shrugged.

“Let us know how that conversation goes,” added Angela.

***

Mary arrived at Tommy’s apartment shortly after six Friday evening.

“Did your parents say anything when you said you were visiting this weekend?” he asked.

Mary looked at her boyfriend and shook her head. She handed him the baby and pulled a suitcase and the jumbo baby bag from the Beetle. They juggled possessions and she retrieved her son and Tommy took the bags. He led the way inside. “It’s not like they don’t know we’ve been…uh…”

“Intimate. I think that’s the best word.”

“Intimate.” Mary set her son down on the couch and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend. “Intimate! Like we haven’t been for a week! I need some…intimate!”

Tommy laughed. “Not until we have dealt with Batman and Robin and had some dinner.”

“Speaking of which, what am I cooking tonight?” Mary asked.

“What makes you think you’re cooking?”

“Last week, when you said your wife did all the grocery shopping, it made me think that she did all the domestic stuff. She took care of the cave while the caveman went out and battled the sabretooth tigers.”

Tommy tried to look affronted at that but conceded and gave her an embarrassed smile. “Uh, I don’t have a lot of groceries.”

Mary looked at Herschel for a moment, but he didn’t seem in any danger of rolling off the couch. She went into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. It was almost empty except for a six-pack of beer, a few leftovers, and some orange juice. “Is the pantry in the same condition?” Tommy rolled his eyes but sheepishly opened a small pantry. It was almost as barren. “Tommy, a caveman would have more stuff in the cave!”

“Well, it’s just me and Joey, and all he eats is Gerber and formula. I do a lot of takeout and Mom brings over a casserole every now and then,” he admitted.

“I am going to make you a list and you can go shopping. Tonight is going to be takeout. Do you even have any pots and pans?”

“Yes,” he answered peevishly. “We got a full set after we got married.”

“Well, you’re not completely hopeless,” Mary replied. “Call and order a pizza. We’ll figure out something for tomorrow.”

Tommy grabbed the kitchen telephone and Mary returned to the living room. Herschel was trying to roll over on the couch and Joey was crawling around the living room floor. Tommy came out to join her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. “Care to see the place?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not big, but it was good for us.” Aside from the living room there was a combination kitchen and dining room, two bedrooms, and a single bath between them. “We liked the two bedrooms because we were already thinking about kids. This was a good stop before we could buy a house.” He led her into Joey’s bedroom.

Mary looked around. It was a lot like her son’s room, with a crib against one wall and a dresser full of baby clothes. There were a number of pictures on the wall and Mary stepped closer to look at them. There was a slim brunette in most of them, often holding a newborn. In a few of the pictures there were all three Caparellis together. “That’s your wife, isn’t it? She’s beautiful.” Karen Caparelli was slimmer and taller than Mary, but still had some nice curves. Her hair was long and straight, hanging down to the middle of her back. In a few pictures she was wearing a dress and in others she wore jeans and a nice top.

“Yes, she was.”

Mary turned and looked at Tommy. “That must have been very difficult.”

“I put a lot of the pictures in here. Some I put in a photo album for Tommy. Still, I couldn’t do it, not really. I couldn’t pack up her things. After a couple of months, my mother brought Sarah over and packed up all her clothing and cleaned out the closet and dresser. Some was given to the Salvation Army and some was just thrown away, because the Salvation Army doesn’t accept underwear or lingerie. They didn’t even ask; they just came over one day while I was at work and cleaned things out.”

“I am so sorry, Tommy.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. I need to go out and get a pizza. Watch the boys?”

“Unless we get a two for one deal on them. Drive safely.”

Tommy gave her a quick kiss and left the apartment. Fifteen minutes later he returned with a pizza and a six-pack of beer. “Who says we need groceries. We have the staples of life right here.”

“I still say you’re a caveman, Tommy.” She led the way into the kitchen and began making formula for the boys.

Tommy set out some plates and opened a couple of beers. He waited for Mary to finish with the formula before setting some slices of pepperoni and sausage on the plates, and they alternated eating pizza with feeding the boys. When they finished, the boys were taken to the bathroom and given a joint bath.

Dressed in fresh diapers and clean onesies, Tommy and Mary took their sons into Joey’s bedroom. Joey was put in his crib, but Mary wasn’t sure where to put her son. Tommy sorted it out by taking Herschel and putting him in the crib with Joey, but at the other end. Mary was delighted when the two boys almost immediately fell asleep. They were tucked in under blankets and they crept out of the bedroom.

Tommy sat down in an armchair and patted his knee; Mary came over and sat down sideways on his lap. “Now, you were saying something earlier about wanting some intimate time,” he said.

Mary smiled and kissed him warmly. “Yes, I need some intimate time.”

“Just how intimate were you planning? Did you pack anything you wanted to be intimate in?”

Mary scrunched up her face. “I don’t really have anything all that…intimate. I never really did before, well, you know, and since then it just wasn’t something I felt like doing. For one thing, I wasn’t in the mood after Roberto ran out on me, and besides, I got just so big I didn’t feel very pretty.”

“Well, that part is just plain silly. Karen got pretty big while she was growing Joey, but she liked dressing in nice things at night, and she liked getting intimate, too.”

“Really? Even when she got so…” She held her hands out like she was cradling a beach ball.

Tommy laughed. “She got horny, very horny, when she was pregnant and was always looking for me to take care of her. I mean, like two or three times a day, at least! And if an outfit didn’t fit her, she’d just put it on anyway and have me remove it. Talk about pressure!”

“You poor baby. So, you can still do it when you’re pregnant? Even when you’re…” She held the beach ball again.

“Absolutely. Positions change, but not the desire.”

“What do you mean, the positions?” she asked.

Tommy’s eyes widened at the question, but he realized that their one night together they had only had sex in the missionary position. It was great sex, but that was it. “How about I teach you some of that tonight. In fact, feel free to bring in a pen and pad and take notes. I want to make sure the lessons take.”

“Tommy!”

“Oh, yeah! This is like what we were talking about that night, about asking questions.”

“You are such a caveman, Tommy! I am not taking notes in bed!”

He kissed her cheek and whispered, “Don’t blame me if you fail the tests.”

Mary elbowed him and stood up. “Okay, school has started.”

Her boyfriend laughed. “Go clean up and put on whatever you want. I’ll meet you in the bedroom. I’ll bring the lesson plan, paper, and pencils. That way you can change the answer if you get one wrong.”

Saturday morning, Mary was woken by a pair of very little boys stirring in their bedroom. She was naked, covered with dried fluids, and reeking of sex and sweat. Tommy was in the same condition and smiling in his sleep. She shook herself awake and grabbed the oversized t-shirt she had initially worn to bed. It was on the floor within thirty seconds of going to bed. She went into the second bedroom and changed diapers and found some clothing for the boys, and turned around to find Tommy watching her, dressed in boxers and smiling. “Good morning,” she said.

“Good morning. I am loving the view,” he replied.

She looked at him curiously but then blushed. She realized that from behind, with her bending over, he could see everything she had to offer. “Thank you…I think. You are a dirty old man!”

“I’m a dirty young man. Big difference. You want to take care of these two or come back to bed for an encore performance?”

Mary grinned. Last night had been an amazing experience. While they had started out with a vigorous round of missionary position sex, for the second round Tommy had rolled onto his back and pulled Mary on top of him. He told her she had control and then began licking and sucking her. Mary had cum nonstop as she rode him. A third bout had started out later, with him spooned up behind her; he had inserted himself into her from behind and then rolled atop her. Mary couldn’t believe it, but every orgasm seemed longer and better than the one before. Later, after resting, Mary found herself awake and Tommy’s hand rubbing her naked bottom. Round Four was another missionary position bout, but somehow different, and extremely enjoyable.

“As interesting as that might be, these guys might disagree. Clean up quickly and then come back so we can switch. It’s time to be parents again.”

“Ever wonder if our parents still have fun in the morning?” he asked.

“No! I’m still trying to get used to the idea they had sex to begin with!” she said. “Go! We have to be adults for the day.”

“You’re no fun. You’re like a…a…grownup!” Tommy laughed and headed back to the bathroom.

The weather was cold and rainy, so Mary played housewife to Tommy the rest of the day. They watched some television, played with the boys, and Mary made a lengthy list of staples for Tommy to buy at the Grand Union. After lunch, though, they put the boys down for a nap, and she settled onto his lap. “You said Karen told you that a couple should ask each other questions in the bedroom.”

“Yes, she did. Did you want to go into the bedroom and ask me a question?” he laughed.

Mary blushed. “Maybe. Anyway, somebody told me that guys would do anything for…for…”

“For what?” Tommy asked.

She blushed even redder. “A…a blowjob.”

Tommy laughed loudly. He had licked Mary to orgasm twice last night using the skills his wife had taught him. “Well, maybe not anything. I mean, I wouldn’t rob a bank for a blowjob. Well, maybe I would, but it’d have to be really great, or a really small bank. I wouldn’t kill for one, though. At least not murder. Maybe just manslaughter…”

“Will you get serious! Do you know how embarrassing this is?”

“So, I am guessing you didn’t do that with Roberto?” Mary hadn’t done it with him, either.

Mary shook her head. Roberto hadn’t done what Tommy had done with his tongue, either. “No.”

“And I am guessing you want a lesson or two?”

“Please?” It sounded so ridiculous to ask like that.

Tommy grinned and lifted Mary to her feet. “I love education. To the classroom!”

***

Chapter 4 - Matrimony

1965

The fall and winter proved very educational to Mary Tomasino. Tommy Caparelli took her instructions to heart and proceeded to teach her everything he and his wife Karen had taught each other. He also made sure she knew that she was to tell him whenever he was doing something right and when she was enjoying an orgasm. There was nothing quite as exciting to Tommy as hearing Mary telling him, “I’m cumming! I’m cumming! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Fuck me! Fuck me!” That just spurred him to ever greater efforts.

Mary loved the lessons. When Roberto seduced her and ended up between her legs, the only thing she learned was that she enjoyed sex. He didn’t teach her about positions or pleasuring herself or another person. The only reason she enjoyed what was happening was that she was inherently easily aroused and highly orgasmic. When Tommy began teaching her, she just went crazy. It also didn’t hurt that Tommy seemed to be significantly more masculine than Roberto. It wasn’t something she had ever measured with her first lover, but Tommy seemed to reach places Roberto never got to.

Tommy taught her how to go down on him; the lesson was so successful she gave him a second immediately afterwards. That led to sixty-nine, and with Tommy’s talent at cunnilingus, that proved a definite favorite. He also taught her almost every position possible, and Mary enjoyed them all. She began collecting a few nightgowns, first given to her by Tommy for Christmas and New Year’s, and then more for Valentine’s Day.

Mary began spending as much time as possible with her boyfriend. Most weekends were spent at his apartment, usually with Herschel and Joey. Sundays were usually at one of their parents’ homes, and their parents began quietly wondering when Tommy would pop the question.

That occurred at the end of March. Herschel was a year old, and like her parents had joked, now the two boys were walking and usually in different directions. Still the last Saturday of the month, the boys had been put into the crib, and Tommy and Mary were lazing in bed, resting after a vigorous doggy-style fuck that had left them both panting and smiling.

Tommy was lying on his back, and Mary was curled up next to him, her head on his chest. “I love you,” she told him. It wasn’t the first time she had said that.

“I love you, too,” he said. Mary squirmed against him, hugging him and looking forward to a second round. She had lost track of her orgasms during their first session. He leaned towards her and kissed her. “Mary, I want to ask you a question.”

“The answer is yes. I will suck off our juices and get you ready for whatever position you want.”

Tommy laughed loudly. “No! This is a real question!”

She looked up at him. “What?”

“Will you marry me?”

It took her a second to realize what he was asking. “What?”

“Will you marry me?”

“What? Yes…I mean…really? You want to marry me?”

He smiled. “You just said it. You love me and I love you. Let’s make it official. I want to marry you and make you my wife. Please.”

“Even with my…history?”

“Oh, Christ, that again? I don’t care about that! I love you and want to be with you all the time. I want you here every day and every night! Will you marry me?”

“Oh my God! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Conversation ended at that point, with Mary crawling on top of Tommy, kissing him repeatedly, and mounting her now-fiancé for another spirited session. They would see their parents the next day to go for approvals and blessings. Amusingly, both mothers said the same thing. “This is wonderful! Now I have two grandsons!”

Tommy also said the same thing each time. “God help them both!”

Things got sticky when Angela asked her daughter what kind of wedding she wanted. Mary got very nervous and ducked the question, saying she hadn’t thought about it.

Tommy noticed her hesitation and asked her about it before he left to go home. “What’s up, honey?”

“We’re probably going to have to get married at the courthouse.”

“Why? You don’t want a church wedding?” Both the Caparelli and the Tomasino families were Catholic. A church wedding was a must!

“I can’t get married in a church,” she said.

“Why not?” This sounded crazy.

“I’ve been excommunicated.”

“What?”

It took Mary several minutes to explain it to him, and Tommy said, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s talk about this later, but I am sure we can work this out. Give me a few days to sort it out.”

Sorting it out involved both Mary and Tommy taking the day off on Thursday. He drove over to the Tomasino home just after lunch and dropped Joey off with Mary’s mother, and then he and Mary drove over to Rock City Falls. Mary was nervous as they pulled into the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“Trust me. I have it on good authority that lightning won’t come down until after we see Father Frank.”

“Tommy!”

“Trust me.” He parked and got out, and waited until Mary joined him. She was holding his hand so tightly he was sure a few fingers would fall off.

Tommy didn’t lead Mary into the church but into the parish office, which was attached to the side. They went down a hallway and turned left into a small office area. A secretary was sitting at a desk typing and looking up at them. “We have an appointment with Father Frank.”

She glanced at a calendar book on her desk. “He’s with somebody right now but I’m sure he’ll be free in a few minutes. Please have a seat.”

“Thank you.” Tommy sat on an old couch and Mary sat next to him. She was very nervous.

Five minutes later an inner door opened, and a woman came out, followed by a man in clerical garb. He was in his mid-thirties, in a black suit with a clerical collar. He smiled at the woman, and she left the office. Then he looked at the secretary. “Your one o’clock is here, Father.”

“So I see. Welcome, Thomas. Come in, please.”

Tommy got to his feet and held his hand out to Mary. She nervously followed her fiancé into the office.

The priest smiled and motioned Tommy and Mary to chairs in front of a desk, and then settled into a swivel chair behind the desk. “Thomas, it is good to see you again. You’ve missed a few Sundays lately. Could this lovely young lady be the cause of that?” he asked, smiling.