Treasure Hunt, Part 6 - Joy Girls

 

Continued from Part 5

 

The coffee could have helped, but Beth never drank it. Instead she burst into tears as soon as she sat down, her words gargling through snorts and sniffles. "I'm just no good. I'm... why, why did I have to do that? He's right. I don't deserve them. I'm..."

Angela sat down next to her aunt and put her arm around her. "Beth," she said softly, "it doesn't matter. You're here. Safe. The boys are fine. We'll look after them, Mum will come home and..." But she didn't have an idea of what followed. Beth seemed to not be aware of the sudden silence or the strangeness of a nearly fifteen year old comforting a nearly thirty five year old, but instead yawned, and gave a long, exhausted sigh.

"God, I'm tired. I'm going to lie down. Look after them for me, won't you?"

"Sure, but what about your arm? Isn't that sore?"

"Nah. Not really. It got wrenched. The scratches? They'll heal. G'night." She began to stand.

Jasmine, as cute as ever, asked, "Wouldn't you like to get a bath first? You're so covered in dirt and all... I'd want to."

Bleary eyed, mascara running, hair like carrot ends, she smiled for the first time. "Oh, what a wonderful idea. Bless you."

No sooner said than started. Jas raced to the bathroom and began to fill the white porcelain tub. Some bath salts, a bit of foam, and she was back in the kitchen, helping her aunt to the waiting water. Beth slipped her arm out of the sling, tried to pull her top off, couldn't, and was assisted by her little helper. Shoes, bra, skirt, pants, wrist watch and she was ready. Jas checked the water temperature, nodded and said, "OK. That's fine. Can you get in?"

It took a couple of tries, but finally she managed to settle back with a grateful sigh, the water still rising, the scent relaxing. Jas found a clean face washer, wet it, added some liquid soap, and began to gently wash her aunt's face, avoiding the gauze patches. "Ummm... that feels so good." Another sigh and Beth closed her eyes. As Jas began to wash her shoulders and upper arms she murmured "You're such a darling.... I love you, you know... and Angela... think about you such a lot...". She opened her eyes, bloodshot and puffy, gave a smile and almost whispered, "would you give your aunty Beth a kiss?"

Jas lent over and put her lips on her aunts. There was a little gleam in her eyes, a secret smile inside her, because kissing Aunt Beth was not a duty but a pleasure, one that would not have been helped by her early bed time. Even so, the smell coming off her, now that she was so close, was disgusting - stale cigarettes and booze, uncleaned teeth and BO, and it took a real decision to give no hint of what she was feeling, but to press her lips harder and allow her hand to slide down her neck and fondle one of the luscious, round breasts of which she was so jealous. Beth opened her mouth, and Jasmine simply had to back off. Kisses, she thought, must taste nicer than that.

"Want to get in with me?" the words were soft, slurred, and tempting. She did want to, wanted to feel the warm, wet, slippery smoothness of this lovely body next to hers, wanted the magic her aunt could perform, but knew that this was not the time or place.

"Later, Auntie Beth, we have to get you washed and out, because those cops said the welfare would be coming. What's welfare?"

But Beth was asleep, deep breaths and tiny snores making her beyond response. Jas stood, looked longingly at the seductive body in the bath, stuck her hand down her pants and did a bit of rapid fingering. She wondered if she were becoming a sex fiend, someone whose thoughts were unable to go away from the subject, but the glow of arousal soon dulled that thought. Only for a moment, because the bathroom door opened and Angela walked in. Too preoccupied to notice the sudden withdrawal of the hand, she said, "the boys are up. And there's been a phone call." Looking down at her aunt, she added, "is she all right? She's asleep, isn't she. Better turn off the taps." She shook her head in wonder. "God, she's beautiful, isn't she?" She took a deep breath. "Jas, what do you think we should do? About the boys? " But her sister just looked blank and shook her head, saved from dredging up an answer because Angela's cell phone announced a call.

She looked at the screen, breaking into a big smile as she saw who it was. "Hi, Mum, sorry I haven't called you back, but things have been a bit hectic." She listened, then gave a very condensed version of events, and finished, "but we don't know what to do about the boys." Listened some more, then, "Yeah, that sounds good. But you don't have to come home, not fair for you to mess up your holiday. Aunty Beth'll be OK once she's had a sleep, although the police said she'd have to go and make a statement or something." She listened for several minutes more, then said "sure. As soon as anything happens, I'll text. Jas is fine... wonderful, if you know what I mean. Love you too. Bye." To Jas she said, "send them by taxi. Simple, eh?"

Jas was soon in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal, chatting to the boys, full of cheer. "Yes, you can go and see your mum, course you can, it's just that she's in the bath, and... you know? D'you normally go in when that's happening?" They both shook their heads. "She's really great, but when she gets out she's going to bed for a while -- didn't get much sleep last night -- so then you could. I know she wants to see you both." They nodded again, tentative smiles agreeing with their cousin, the guru, who phoned the taxi company they used and where they ran an account.

"But now, you two," said Angela with a big grin, "I want you to finish up your breakfast and get dressed for school -- and guess what? Mum's not going to drive you, you are going by taxi, and back here after school the same way. How about that!" She thought there might have been rebellion, but they seemed totally dispirited, looking up at her with an acceptance that might have caused her concern if she had been older.

They finished a quite enormous breakfast of cereal, eggs, toast, and milk before dragging themselves off. Terry, the youngest, hesitated in the doorway and looked at the girls, anxiety lining his young face. "Is my dad going to come back?" There was despair and yearning in the quavering voice, and Angela suddenly realized the source of their despondency, but had no answer -- no truthful one, anyway.

"I think so," she said, a positive smile hiding her feelings. "Let's hope so. Anyway, you've got us for now, haven't you!" A nod of the head and he was off, ready to accept any reassurance.

Jas appeared from the direction of the bathroom. "You'll have to come and help, she can hardly stand. Just wants to lie there." The ringing phone forestalled that.

Ange said hello and listened without saying more than 'yes,' 'OK', then "well, I suppose that's alright, but she's in Venice at the film festival, and I have no idea what time it is there." Another time of listening, and she said, "OK, here it is," and she recited her mother's cell phone number, listened again and said 'see you then. Bye'

"The police. They're coming about three this afternoon. They going to ring Mum, and they want to see us as well as Aunty Beth."

"I didn't think today would be like this," muttered Jas. "Hey -- have you rung the school to tell them we wont be there?"

"Oh shit." She picked up the phone, looked at the number on the wall pad and did her duty. It was nearly nine, and they had work to do -- but again there was an interruption. The doorbell, a voice calling 'taxi', and they both went to make sure the boys were ready. No lunch had been prepared, and they didn't know what the usual arrangement was, but Ange had been given enough money to cope with emergencies, and this sure was one of those. They said thanks, smiled and appeared to be pretty used to this mode of transport and lunch.

"OK," Ange said, "Beth and bath. Don't think I'll take up nursing." They both still had their dressing gowns on with only panties beneath, not at all worried that this was inappropriate. It was, after all, their mother's favorite early morning attire. Knowing the difficulty they were facing in removing a pretty heavy comatose body from a bath full of water, they removed the gowns and hung them on pegs on the outside of the door -- there were some inside as well, but their father had found these were never available due to the ever present female garments there, and had added these. When they opened the door, however, they found the person in the bath to be standing drying her back with a towel, another wrapped around her head and hair, and such a transformed visage that they wondered if it was the same aunt they'd left there. No white gauze patches, no obvious scratches, no smeared makeup, just glowing health.

As soon as she saw them an enormous smile broke out on her face, and without missing a beat said, "Well, darlings, I knew you'd be waiting. Already prepared, like good girl scouts. I like that."

"But... but..." they both stammered, Jas adding, "you were asleep, and I didn't have time to come back..."

"...I'm not asleep now, sweeties, washed, shampooed, deodorized, and I'm raring to go. All I need is coffee and you." She winked at them. "The bath was lovely. I could let my libido have free reign."

Their mouths hung open in disbelief. How could this hung over and traumatized thirty-four year old woman recover so quickly? But Angela, ever the more down-to-earth, nodded her head and said with small smile, "Right. Both of those coming up, but you'd better ring your sister first. She's worried sick. Doesn't know what happened -- we don't either -- and I promised we'd ring her as soon as possible. Here - " she opened her cell and pressed the right button, handed it to her aunt -- "sit down in the kitchen while we make coffee. And breakfast. I'm starving."

Beth just nodded her head like an automaton, struck dumb by the bossiness of her niece, put the phone to her ear and walked slowly to the kitchen. They were curious about the events of the night before, but didn't really hear anything that had a lot of meaning, apart from the fact that the weepy scene of the early morning had given way to angry resolve. She must have talked for nearly 30 minutes, during which three cups of coffee were drunk, toast heaped with butter and honey devoured, all without the slightest sense that anything was unusual. The kitchen was warm, although it had turned cold and dark outside, and neither girl had put their dressing gowns back on. What was the point? They slipped their cotton panties off, throwing them into a basket with other things to be washed and watched each other as they moved back and forth, the little wiggle of a bum or the beauty of moving limbs seeming like an intimate ballet with a natural, erotic element. Their exchange of small smiles and raised eyebrows said they knew what each other was feeling, and the odd 'accidental' touch was turning their minds into capacitors, storing a sensory charge that was waiting to be discharged with a bang.

They had also noticed that Beth had hardly given them a glance during the phone call, merely signaling for more food or coffee, but that they both had been unable to take their eyes off her luscious breasts, rounded curves, full pink lips and skin so smooth and pale. They both wanted to look like that when they were her age, to be full of her strength and exuberance. They knew they probably wouldn't, but there was no harm in dreaming.

As soon as she put the phone down both girls went and stood, one each side of the chair and pressed their bodies as close as possible to her, their hands beginning to gently run up and down her neck, shoulders and breasts, noticing that the nipples became long and erect almost straight away . Beth looked up, smiling, a sparkle in her eyes. "Been waiting, have we?" They bent and kissed her neck. "Hot little girls, aren't we?" She inclined her head toward the family room. "Let's go over there. Plenty of room." She stood and they each put an arm around her, looking at each other with mounting anticipation. "By the way," she said, "where's the boys?"

"At school," said Angela, "aren't we clever?" Beth nodded her head suggestively.

Jas remembered something she needed an answer to and asked her sister, "Where's welfare, whatever that is?"

"Oh, that was the earlier call. They can't come till tomorrow." She licked her lips and made little kissing sounds. Jas didn't care what welfare was. Her heart was beating wildly in anticipation of the pleasures to come. Tomorrow, whatever problems that might bring, could wait.

Beth spread towels on the carpet, as her sister had done before. The two girls were standing, hand in hand, waiting for the starter's signal, picture perfect young sex pupils. "OK. Lie yourselves down there, next to each other." No sooner said than done, hands no longer clasped but running gently up and down each other's body, faces turned toward one another, watching with delight the joy exhibited. They sensed that their aunt had disappeared, but the thrill of feeling her mouth, hand and tongue run lightly up each leg in turn before stopping at the groin and moving back was the utmost in tingles. The girls got their mouths close enough to begin kissing, their tongues tip-touching, a tiny line of saliva joining them. Jas could feel a moan of pleasure deep within, Ange's breathing speeded up, and when The Tongue went up to their navels, then to their breasts, circling each in turn, then sliding down so close to the apex but no further, their gasps could not be silenced.

When it breached the top of Jas's lips and began to slide down in search of its prey she instinctively opened her legs wide as her blood pressure climbed. Flick, flick, flick it went, her moans keeping pace, and when it was replaced by a finger tip as well as what felt like another finger probing deep inside her she began to tremble and gasp, knowing her orgasm would soon be overflowing.

But, when all that wonderful stimulation suddenly stopped, a feeling like none she had ever experienced took its place. She wondered if somehow someone had put a mask over her face, or had levitated her body, because the urge, the climax was still there but without the fire, almost as if a tiger had retreated to its cave. She opened her eyes and saw Ange was panting, twitching, tossing her head from side to side, and at the same point she had been, maybe still was. Her hand crept out to her sister's breast without conscious thought and began to caress the engorged nipple, only to have it gently pulled away.

A moment later Angela opened her eyes, a look of wild disbelief in them. Her gaze was unseeing, so when a soft, close, seductive voice said, "Hi, kids... time for my treat now," it could have come from another planet.

"Um?"

"Ahh?"

They could not speak, so great was their hiatus, but when soft lips were pressed to theirs, each in turn, a hand went beneath their heads to lift them, and they saw their aunt with so much love and lust in her face that they were able to return just the bit needed for reality to return.

"Why did you stop?" asked one as the other said "I was so nearly there. Please, please..."

"Tell you later," was the soft reply as Beth lay on the carpet, raised her knees and opened her legs. "Come on, my lovelies, eat me. Lick me, suck me, fuck me. I need you. I want you. Pleeease."

They look at one another, mouths agape. What on earth was this? So close, yet now being asked to pleasure their aunt. "Ohhh..." sighed Jas, "I was so nearly there. I want to come. I want..."

"Same here," whispered her sister.

She started to slide a hand between her legs, but Beth said, one eye on them, "Unh huh. Later. It'll be good, I guarantee it. Come on, sweet ones, come to Aunty Beth now. Ooo... how I love young girls..."

And, slightly mesmerized, they did. Jas, who was closer to her aunt's waist fell to her knees between the open legs and bent to begin her ministrations. Ange, remembering the opening style she had experienced, knelt next to her side and began to lick, running her tongue up and around every place she could find while her hand and fingers massaged, teased and tugged her wonderful breasts. Jas had never seen her aunt's cunt up this close before, and was amazed at how big it was, how puffy the lips, how easy it was to part them, how warm and wet it was inside, and how simple it was to find her clitoris. This was, in fact, so engorged that she wasn't sure at first, but when she put her mouth to it and heard the sudden intake of breath she knew exactly. And It tasted different to Angela's. She didn't know, maybe it was musky, but it was totally sexy and so easy to suck. She also knew how much she herself enjoyed a finger inside her, so she inserted one, only to hear, "More, more, more fingers. More fist. More... oh fuck me...."

More fist? Another finger went in, then another, but sliding her whole hand in soon seemed easier, if it could be done. Gentle pressure, curled fingers. It could be done. Past the opening tightness. Up past her wrist. And then the scream. It seemed so loud, but the next words were more so."Yes. Yes. Fuck me. Suck me. Uh Uh Uh..." And Jasmine began to pump her hand in and out, slowly at first then with increasing speed as Beth's body began to shake, her breathing became short and gasping, and a hand reached down to pull at her hair, urging her mouth to be faster and deeper.

Ange put her open mouth to her aunt's, not just to kiss her but to quiet those cries. 'Jeez,' she thought, 'we have neighbours. They'll think it's a murder.' But the head squirmed free, and although the volume diminished it was not very long before an orgasm of such intensity erupted that Ange found herself punched, wrenched, and squeezed like a rag doll.

Jas was licking up the cum as fast as she could, not wanting to miss a drop of that elixir. Thicker than Ange's, with a stronger smell and so different in taste, she finally had to stop and get some air. Beth had half sat up, propping her head against the couch so she and Angela could have their arms around each other and kiss like there was no tomorrow. But they too had to stop for breath and look around.

Angela looked as though she had been in a boxing ring. Her mouth hung open, her eye were unfocussed, her hair was everywhere, and red marks circled her arms. She collapsed on the couch, unable to move. Beth, however, was far from comatose. "That, my dear ones, was the best orgasm I have ever had. It seemed to last for hours. I tell you, you're the best joy-girls I've ever known. Hope we can make this a lasting and loving relationship. 'Course, I'm not surprised, knowing who your mother is... " She paused and grinned at them, then went serious. "But now I want to explain something. I stopped just when you were getting to the top. Cruel, eh? Not really. Because I'm going to get you up where you've never been before. Your hormones are circling, waiting to pounce and eat you up. Ready?" They both nodded, a tentative agreement because it sounded as though they were going into the unknown, not like the spontaneous times before. But as it was their aunt, who seemed to know more about sex than anyone they'd ever met -- all one other person, their mother -- they lay on the floor as they'd done earlier, but clasping their hands tightly.

The gentle licking began, the butterfly kisses, the warm breath on their skin, the fingers and hands doing the sensuous circling. They could not help responding. So highly sensitized from their earlier arousal, then the wild uninhibited fucking and slurping of their aunt, what she was doing was adding fizz to their blood and setting their nerve endings on fire. Their fingers unclasped and began stroking each other, both soon losing all sense of time and place.

It became a kind of nirvana, a palace of all pleasures, so when a small buzzing sound began they took no notice. But when they felt the vibrations on their groin, a large finger enter their vagina, and their clitoris being pulsed a million times a second it was as though they'd put their fingers into an electric socket with the power on.

They screamed in unison.

The finger began pulsing in and out, and an express train came roaring out of the tunnel into full orgasmic glory. Time stopped. Everything disappeared. Only their senses were present, consuming all else... for ever and ever... until forever faded and a slow awareness returned. Like automatons they turned to look at each other, mouths open, breathing labored, faces covered in perspiration, pupils dilated, skin red and flushed.

Their hands met in midair. They smiled at each other. "Oh boy," they breathed together. Then they looked toward the couch where Beth was watching them with a smile so knowing and wonderful that they began to remember the forever past. They struggled to sit up, Beth saying, "Hi there. Welcome home."

"Oh my god," whispered Ange. "What did... you... do...?" Jas was still too overcome to speak.

"Like it?"

"Oh my god. Yes! Yes! That was... " she shook her head slowly... "amazing. I'm all sweaty and... won..der..ful... "

Jasmine's head was thrown back, her mouth open, deep breaths slowing her racing pulse. "Sweet Jesus..." she finally gasped. "What happened?" She groaned softly. "Am I in heaven? Everything's pink. I'm floating...." She put her arm around her sister's neck and pulled her close. "Kiss me."

Ange brushed her lips across her sister's, stroked her forehead, gently pushed her long golden hair off her sweat-streaked face, kissed her eyes, licked her nose, and put her own arm round her to draw her as close as possible. "We're one," she whispered, "forever."

"Want to see my toys?" Beth was being arch.

They were not sure what she meant, and wondered if these were what has been used on them, because 'toys' were things they'd had as kids, so what kind could they be? They nodded.

Beth held up two white plastic cylinders, one in each hand. About nine inches long and one across, they tapered to a blunt, round point at the top. About three inches from the end was something that looked like a wide plastic band going around the shaft, and attached to that was something that looked like a small plastic protrusion, about an half an inch long. One was pink, one was black. "Ever seen one of these before?" she asked.

They both slowly shook their heads. Beth got up, squatted next to them, and handed one to each. "They're called special vibrators -- well, they're really called orgasmatic super stimulators, but who cares, and you can adjust the clitoral stimulator up and down to get maximum effect." Pointing to the end she'd held in her hand, she went on, "Turn that clockwise, see what happens." The buzzing started as soon as they did, and she said, "put your finger on that." pointing to the end of the protrusion, which they now saw was made of some kind of soft plastic and looked like an enormous clitoris. They did, their eyes opening wide as they felt the vibrations.

"Wow," said Jas as she felt the vibrations. "So that's what...?"

"Uh huh. Let me show you. Open your legs." She turned it off as Jas did so, then gently slid the end of into her vagina. "See how I can get the little head to come close to your clitoris? And when I turn it on..."

And she did so, Jas immediately letting out a squeal of pain. "Stop, stop, it's hurting. Ahhh."

"Oh, fuck. Jas, I forgot how sensitive you'd be. Your clit is so swollen, it can't take any more at the moment. Oh, I'm so sorry, darling. Let me kiss it and make it better."

"Uh. No thanks, Aunty Beth, I think I'll recover myself. Oh, god, it's sore." And she hunched over and rocked back and forth, tears running down her face.

Ange cradled her head, putting it on her chest and kissing her cheek. "Maybe we should have a shower, eh? Get dressed and clean the place up?" Jas nodded and allowed herself to be helped up.

"Sorry, Aunty Beth, what you did was great, I loved it, but..."

"Me too," was the reply, "but there's one thing you learn from this, my dears." They looked at her suspiciously. "There is such a thing as too much. Too much stimulation, too much of a good time, too much selfishness. Believe me, I know. So, be careful. Be thoughtful. Don't become like me, too involved in my own needs and pleasures. See?"

"Oh," they said. "Yeah... Thanks."

"I'm going to bed. That OK?" asked Beth. They agreed, then walked slowly toward their bedroom and the shower. It was nearly eleven o'clock.

*

Jasmine had recovered by the time they'd finished their shower -- together, as that was not something they were never going to forgo if they could -- the gentle ministrations of Ange so soothing that she forgot the pain in her groin almost immediately. They loved washing each other, gazing into each other's eyes, sliding wet skins together, flick-kissing, even musing on the things that had happened, or on their futures. Angela, the ever practical, was the first to turn off the water, open the shower door and propel her sister out so they could get dried.

As they were doing that, Angela said "Did you hear what Beth said? We're her ' joy-girls'?" She was not smiling.

"Hmm...? Yes, I do remember that. Don't know what it means, though."

"Yeah. Well, I think I do. I think we were there to bring her joy. You know, satisfaction. And we surely did. But..."

"...but we got so much pleasure ourselves, what's bad about that?"

"Nothing, of course, but I'm feeling used. Like set up. And nothing special, because we're her new joy-girls. Sure, she gave us astonishing orgasms, but it was all for her benefit... Jas, I'm not very happy about that. I really thought she loved us, but I reckon she loves herself more."

"Oh." Jas paused to consider what her sister had said. "Gee, I hadn't thought like that, but now you say it, what she did to you, with all those bruises and scratches was awful, and what she did to me at the end was horrible. I really thought she'd broken it or something. God! Wouldn't that be terrible?"

Ange grinned. "A disaster. I'll check it out later for you. But I think we should be a bit careful. I know she's our aunty, but dad gets quiet when she's around, and her husband walked out, so there's something. Let's cool it, eh?"

"Yeah. I see what you mean. I've just realized the difference between two people being in love and one person being in love with themselves. You know, it's on TV all the time." Ange nodded.

As they were dressing, Jas said, "what about those vibrators? I suppose if you only had your fingers they'd be better. I mean, no one else to do it for you."

"Some kind of toys, eh? One of the girls at school had one, showed it to us in the locker room. Like an enormous pink penis. I took one look and nearly puked. Who'd want a thing like that when they've got you?"

"So I'm better than a penis? Wow! I'm so honored. Wait till I tell my friends at school. Bet they'll want some too." She giggled.

"Don't you even think that. You're mine, all mine, and I'll never let you out of my lair." And she gave her lioness growl. It was enough. They had to kiss and cuddle, laughing and teasing each other. Who could be happier?

By two they had tidied, done the dishes, put the washing machine on and clothes away, checked on Beth, had lunch and called their mother -- who had her phone go to message -- and spring cleaned the family room. The towels were soaked and there was still the smell of sex in the air, so that by the time they finished it was, as Ange said, as good as Mum. Apart from Jas' room, which Angela said they were not going into until the guests had departed. "Look, they're OK," she told her sister, "but they're boys, with boy smells and attitudes. It'd be different if we had to, but we don't. So."

They also prepared their dinner for that evening, something, Ange guessed, their aunt would be reluctant to do. Roast beef with four vegetables and gravy was something they really enjoyed, and Jasmine had already shown her ability to get good food prepared and cooked. Angela wasn't bad, but lacked the flair of her sister, which she didn't mind in the least. Each to their own, another of their mother's mottos.

Assuming the police would be there about three, they woke Beth at 2.30. She was in a radiant mood, looked as fresh and healthy as someone half her age - and as hungry. Quickly showered and dressed in her florist work clothes, she was devouring a bowl of minestrone with thick bread when the door bell rang. Ten past three, not the police, but the taxi with her two sons. Ange signed the slip the driver proffered, the boys walked in without saying a word, dropped their schoolbags in the hallway and walked to the kitchen. Their joy at seeing their mother was less than total, more matter of fact, but dutiful kisses and an immediate raiding of the refrigerator and food cupboard was as excited as they got.

Beth, on the other hand, was so over the top with them that Ange could see their struggles to escape the embraces, kisses and hugs. She told them how much she loved them and so on, but got no like response, and in the end had to let them alone. She produced her cell and began making calls.

It was three thirty before the police arrived. Not only them but someone the girls recognized but never expected to see again. The boys knew by hearing only one sentence: "Hi, Ange, Hi, Jas."

"Dad!"

"Daddy!"

And they were all over him, smiles, laughs, tears, screams of joy non-stop. Beth was stopped in her tracks, speechless, as she saw this man, her husband, pick them both up, squeeze and cuddle them, kiss them and laugh with total delight. When he caught sight of her, however, the smile slowly faded and the boys were lowered to the floor.

One of the two cops, who had come in behind him was a tall, dark skinned lady who looked at Beth and the two girls with the trace of a smile. "Ms Perendetti?" she asked. Beth could only nod her head. "We wish to talk with you, there are some serious matters to resolve. Your husband will be part of that." She looked at the two girls, Angela with narrowed eyes assessing, Jasmine with a wide grin welcoming. "You're Angela and Jasmine?" They inclined their heads. "Would you be able to take the boys somewhere for a short while? Please? Perhaps a, ice cream or something?"

"Sure," they said together. "Hey, you two," Ange said, calling to the boys who were now watching with great anxiety, "Come on, we're going to leave Mum and dad for a while so they can talk. Lets go get some Maccas."

The magic word did the trick.

They came back to find to find Beth and Al -- short for Alessandro -- sitting in the kitchen, not speaking, looking glum, even apprehensive. The boys, of course, wanted to climb all over him, but he held them back and said quietly, "Listen you guys, I want you to go and sit down -- you too, girls, please, and listen to a story. It concerns everyone, so be patient and try not to ask too many questions. OK?"

They did as asked, all looking a bit uneasy.

"Your mum and I have had a fight." The boys nodded their heads. They knew. "I got very upset and left. But that was not the right thing to do, and what I did after that was even worse. You see, your mother likes to do things that I find difficult to cope with. I tried to find a way to stop her doing those things, but couldn't, and told her things that weren't really true. But we've had a long talk earlier, and we think everything is alright now. So here's what we're hoping will happen. OK?" Slow nods. "I'm going to come and live at home again, your mum is going to stop doing the things I don't like, and we'll all be together from here on in."

Allan, the eldest, got the drift straight away. "You're coming back to stay? Not go away again?"

"Never. You two are more important than anything your mum and I might disagree about. We love you too much for that."

"Oh, dad, I love you, I've missed you so much." He began to cry. Then a muffled "I'm happy now."

Al leant across the table and lifted Terry up and across the table, then sat with him on his knee before hugging him tightly. Terry burst into tears. The stress had been quite enormous for a nine year old.

Eventually the snivels ceased and the room became quiet, both girls somehow feeling uplifted by this scene of responsible parenthood. They'd never experienced more than flaming arguments and prolonged silences before, and although they realized that separations and divorces happened and that children suffered, they had not had a close encounter with them. They'd not forget.

Beth now said, "But there's a problem." The boys took no notice. No room for anything other than their father being back. She look at the girls. "That's true, what Al has said. He found me with another woman." She saw Al raise his head and glare, "OK. Girl. He knew about Muriel and I, but that was OK, but not..."

"I thought she might be seducing the boys," Al muttered.

"...a girl. Girls."

"... so I got mad and walked out. Stupid. Then I told her I'd got a court order to have them removed into my care. More stupid. And..."

"...and we had a fight." They looked at each other and smiled. "But the police broke that up, and that one who came today is a counselor, she went through it all with us, and we're back together. Somehow I'm going to change." She reached a hand out to the girls who took it in theirs and squeezed. "And it's going to be hard. But it's an obsession, I've allowed it to get that way, and with Al's help -- and yours -- I'll be right. The boys are more important than my... thing." She looked embarrassed, but then brightened. " But he didn't know our house is closed up for repairs, so we have nowhere to stay except here for another week or so. I've tried to ring Muriel, but the phone goes to message, so I'm laying this on you two. Can Al join me and the boys here?"

No one spoke. "Tough decision, eh?" Beth was smiling tentatively.

Al looked at them with pleading. "Girls, I love my sons so much, and I've missed them so much these past weeks. I want to be with them. But, it's your family home, and I can't just impose myself any old how. I could wait until Muriel answers, but the boys need some certainty, no more wondering. I know it's a big decision; I'm in your hands."

Ange looked at Jas who had a tiny smile on her lips, but said nothing. She turned to her aunt and whispered, wide eyed, "no more joy girls?" Beth looked ready to cry, but slowly shook her head. She looked at Al, who looked away, but not before a flash of shock registered in his eyes. Jas put her hand on her sister's arm, who turned to look at her, saw a small nod and that elfin grin, turned to the two adults and said, "OK. Done deal. Uncle Al, over to you. We've been so worried about those two," nodding at the boys, "and I'd say Mum and Dad both would never decide anything else. It'll be nice, having you here, because the kitchen door is stuck." And she gave a big snort of merriment. Everyone burst out laughing. The tension had been pretty fierce.

It was a big decision, they all knew, and it not going to be the last or the hardest both girls would have to make, and it would not be the worst, but they had clear minds and kind hearts. They'd get through, and with bonds as strong as theirs, what could go wrong?

To be continued