June said, “Okay, Anna. Just don’t be a stranger.”
I reached up, cupped June’s cheek, and said, “There’s no chance of that happening, dear.”
June blinked rapidly, and I saw her eyes get shiny when I said that. She put her hand over mine and leaned into it. I saw April was blinking too, so I raised my other hand to her cheek and said, “You, either, dear,” not wanting to show any favoritism.
We held our positions for a beat, and then I smiled and said, “Who’s driving?”
April and June shared a look, and they immediately “Rock, Paper, Scissored,” with June’s Rock smashing April’s Scissors. June turned to me and said, “I’m driving.”
I had to laugh at their antics, and they quickly explained how they always used that method to decide who gets to do something if there was no obvious preference in who does it. June grabbed the car keys, and we headed out. April handed me into the back seat before they got in the front seats. I had noticed they were similarly dressed this morning, so I surmised that they wore different outfits only when they dressed up to socialize.
They took me back to the Embassy Suites to change, pack, and check out before the 11 AM deadline. When I came out to the car, April put my bag in the trunk and handed me back in the car. Fifteen minutes later, I was at the terminal for my flight. Again, April jumped out and got my bag out of the trunk for me. I gave her a quick hug before April exchanged places with June, and June gave me a quick hug.
I headed into the terminal, pulling my bag behind me. I felt the twins’ eyes on me until the door closed behind me. I’ll admit that my eyes burned from unshed tears as I found my way to the counter to get my boarding pass and check my bag in. I vowed to come back again as soon as possible.
***
“They’re adopted, Sinéad,” I blurted out, unable to contain myself any longer. I still had my coat on, not even stopping to remove it before I called Sinéad.
“Wait, Anna, who is adopted?” Sinéad asked, bringing me back down to the ground.
“The twins,” I said. “I went to their apartment, and they had a family portrait. It was obvious from looking at the picture that they were not related to their parents, so I didn’t even need to ask. They told me they had been adopted at birth.”
The long silence made me worry that Sinéad wasn’t happy to hear that. Finally, I heard her say, “Anna, that doesn’t mean they’re your babies. I was there with you, and nobody told us anything about the babies, whether they were girls, boys, or both.”
I could hear the fear in her voice that I was getting obsessive about the twins. I tried to placate her by saying, “I know, Sinéad. God, if they are my babies, I’m having an incestuous relationship with them.”
After saying that, I briefly reflected on Bonnie and her fantasy about having a sexual relationship with her daughter Michelle. Did I really want the twins to be my babies? Would I be willing to give up the incredible sex with them and only treat them as my daughters if they were, in fact, my babies?
Sinéad said, “Well, there is that. Just be careful, mo mhuirnín. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
“Oh, mo mhuirnín, I’ll be careful,” I said. “Please don’t worry about me, Sinéad. I promise to keep my head screwed on straight.”
“Okay,” said Sinéad. “Sionainn says don’t be a stranger. Besides,” Sinéad husked, “I think you need a good spanking.”
When I heard that, my heart clenched, and all thoughts of my babies flew out of my head. I practically moaned, “Oh, God, Sinéad, I do. Can I come over tomorrow…?”
December 1986
I needed to see April and June again. Despite Sinéad’s warning not to get too invested in thinking that they were my babies, it was all I could think about since finding out they were adopted. I couldn’t justify a business trip this time of year, so I decided to take some time off. I asked George if he wanted to come along and meet the twins. I knew he was worried that I was fretting about the possibility they were my babies and could be taken advantage of by them, so he agreed. I wanted him to know they were sweet girls who weren’t like that.
I booked a suite at Embassy Suites for two nights. It was mainly for George since I’d be staying with the twins. We flew out on Friday, planning to fly back Sunday. We planned to meet the twins for dinner on Friday night, and then I’d go back to their apartment with them. George planned to visit the Cock and Bull afterward, a gay nightclub he had heard about through the grapevine. He’d have the suite if he got lucky, and we’d meet up Sunday and catch our flight back to Washington National Airport.
Once George and I were checked into the Embassy Suites, I called the twins to find out where we would meet. April suggested the Marie Callender’s in Redondo Beach and gave me the address and directions. We’d meet there at 7 PM, so since it was only 2 PM, George and I went down to the hotel restaurant to get a light late lunch to tide us over. As we ate, we planned the evening.
One thing I had worked out with the twins ahead of time was for them to give us copies of their contracts and financial and business plans. George would review the contracts to see if their sponsors gave the twins good terms. I would review their business and financial documents and suggest improvements if needed. I knew George was humoring me by volunteering to look at their contracts, but I appreciated it anyway.
George and I dressed casually for dinner since I didn’t want to wear a scandalous outfit to a family restaurant. Finding the restaurant was pretty straightforward. We went south on Sepulveda Boulevard until we got to the cross-street April told me to look for and turned right. At the second light, we found the restaurant. The small parking lot was full, so we parked on the street. We entered the restaurant, and I saw April and June waiting for us. I noticed that they, too, were dressed casually and similarly. I walked up to April and June and chastely hugged each of them before introducing them to George.
George was his usual charming self, and I could tell that April and June were smitten by him. By the time we were seated, George had them in stitches with his storytelling ability. I could tell that George was impressed by the twins, and he looked at me and smiled, giving me his tacit endorsement.
As we sat down and the waitress handed us our menus, I looked around and saw how we looked like a regular family sitting down to dinner. As I looked around at the other customers, I saw another family where the mother and father were eating dinner with their two young daughters. I could tell that the man and woman were in love and loved their two girls as they looked like they were having a fun time and sharing their food with each other. The girls’ high-pitched squeals and giggles rang in my ears, and the mother’s sultry chuckle made impulses zing through my body.
I sighed at the thought that our lifestyles and sexual preferences meant we couldn’t express ourselves as we wanted to in public as they could. I looked up at George and briefly wondered that if I hadn’t been raped and had met George as my first love, we might have had a heterosexual relationship and ended up getting married and having our own children. George looked back at me, and I think he twigged at what I was thinking because he put his arm around my shoulders and gave me a smile and a quick squeeze.
I loved how April and June interacted with George, and I could tell that George enjoyed it, too. By the time we were finished, we were all comfortable with each other. We exited the restaurant, and the twins hugged George and put my bag in the trunk before we parted. All the way back to their apartment, April and June gushed about George, telling me how much they thought of him. I just smiled and enjoyed the fact that everyone had enjoyed dinner.
As April drove us back to the apartment, I was struck by seeing all of the Christmas decorations displayed, even though the day had been sunny and warm. I was used to it being cold and even the occasional snow on the ground for Christmas. I realized how that would never happen in LA, at least in the valleys and along the coast. A white Christmas would only exist on TV or in the movies.
I mentioned that to June, and she turned and said, “It took us a while to get used to it, too. The first year we were here was quite strange. When we flew back home for Christmas, we forgot to pack for the cold weather and were surprised by the difference in the weather when we got off the plane.”
I had to laugh at that since I had been guilty of doing that myself. I remembered how once I had flown out to Tucson, Arizona, for a conference, expecting it to be hot since it was in the middle of a desert. It was January, and when I exited the airport, I was surprised at how cool it was. I had to shop for a blazer to keep warm, unable to get out and see the sights as much as I had hoped. After that incident, I always checked the weather where I was going to see what clothes I needed to pack.
When we got to the twins’ apartment, I saw that they had a small Christmas tree set up in their living room. I noted there was only one present under it, but my attention was drawn to the decorations on the tree. I mentioned how lovely the tree looked, and April proudly explained how their mother handmade all the ornaments. When I heard that, I felt momentarily sad, thinking that I would have loved to have had that kind of experience with my babies. I quickly set those thoughts aside, hoping the twins hadn’t noticed. I spent a minute inspecting the ornaments, impressed with the detail and precision that they had been made.
When I turned to April and June, I could see the pride on their faces, and my heart clenched. I told them how beautiful the decorations were and praised their mother for the attention to detail evident in them. I could tell that I had gained another notch of respect from them by doing that, although that hadn’t been why I did it. Again, I felt a touch of sadness at the thought that my babies would never feel that way toward me.
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