I met my wife Judy when both of us were attending the local college. We started out as lab partners in a physics class, and by the end of the semester, we were dating pretty regularly. By the end of the school year, we were a couple, and by the time we graduated, we were engaged.
With both of us going to a local college, there were plenty of times and occasions for me to meet her family. I got along pretty well with all of them — even her Dad, much to my surprise. Judy's sister, Teresa (who was two years younger), sometimes made less-than-flattering comments about Judy, but I simply chalked it up as a sibling rivalry thing. Also, Teresa wasn't able to go to college the way she wanted because she'd gotten married right out of high school; her husband, Doug, worked in an insurance office and didn't make enough to pay for her to go to school. In fact, Teresa had to get a job, too, to help support them when she started having kids — three of them, all daughters, all born within a couple of weeks of the same date in successive years.
Donna, the oldest, was a cute little pixie of a blond; the next oldest, Karen, had coal-black hair and looked somewhat elfin. The youngest was Wendy, who was stunningly beautiful, even as a child. All three of them thought their Uncle Ted was the greatest thing since peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and were always delighted to see me; their Aunt Judy, not so much — something that annoyed her.
Judy and I didn't have any kids of our own (despite frequent and enthusiastic efforts on both our parts), so I was more than happy to have Teresa's three even as part-time family. When Teresa's husband got transferred to a distant city, all three of the girls were heartbroken and all but inconsolable. Only by my promising that I'd come and see them "soon" were they willing to be relocated with their mom and dad.
I didn't get the opportunity to do as I'd promised, due to a sudden and dramatic increase in business for the electronics company I worked for. That lasted several years before a sudden downturn in the economy resulted in my losing my job. I was a good engineer, but not senior enough to survive the staff reduction.
While we were married, Judy and I had the usual assortment of marriage problems. One of them was her tendency to buy things that she not only didn't need, but had no use for. I mean, we lived in a city, so why would she need a horseback riding outfit?
Another issue was the lack of kids. I tried to talk her into the two of us going in and being checked out to see if there was anything medical going on, but she was adamant that she was fine. As the years passed, things progressed from her being fine to there must be something wrong with me. I dutifully went in for a variety of tests, and they all came back saying that there wasn't anything wrong — which only aggravated Judy even more.
So when I got laid off from my job, our relationship took a sudden and dramatic downturn. Not only was Judy continuing to spend money we couldn't afford, but she started bitching at me about my inability to father children — or support them, for that matter. I tried to deal with it as best I could, and even tried to get her to agree to marriage counseling, but she wasn't having any of that. Instead, she would denigrate and berate me on a daily basis, even while I was trying to keep myself together so I'd be able to present myself well in job interviews. Unfortunately, there finally came the point where the two of us had an argument that ran damn near an entire weekend, off and on. The following Monday afternoon, I got a call from her telling me that she wanted a divorce — something I agreed to, just to put an end to all the fussing and fighting.
Her family knew what was going on, of course, and uniformly supported ME during all the hubbub — even to the point of refusing to give Judy the money she wanted to hire a divorce lawyer. The little bit she was able to get from the friend she was staying with limited her to hiring someone that would only file the paperwork for a "no-fault" divorce; each of us was allowed to keep a limited amount of personal and professional property (such as my laptop I used as an engineer), the rest was to be sold, and the money equally divided. Judy literally signed off on the agreement, only to be horrified to learn that it meant almost all of the clothes and other things she'd bought would be sold, too. By that time, I was so sick of all the bullshit that I actually laughed when the auction company hauled off the solid oak dining table and chairs she'd been adamant we "needed", among other things.
With the sale of our house, and the money I got from the property auction, I was able to find a smallish one-bedroom apartment I could afford while I continued my job search; Judy not only managed to spend all of her share in a matter of a couple of months, but got herself kicked out of her friend's home for all her shenanigans — something that I considered eminently fair and appropriate.
Things were starting to turn around in the economy when I heard from Teresa that her husband had stolen several thousands of dollars from the insurance company he worked for, and disappeared — leaving her to try and take care of herself and three kids. It took a while, but she finally found a better-paying job and was able to rent a house for herself and the kids after she had to move out of the one she and her absent husband had been buying.
I continued my job search, and it was just a couple of days after I got notice from the courts and my lawyer that the divorce was final that I got an offer for a new job — in a different city.
When I found out where they wanted to send me, I knew that my life had started to turn around, too — it was the same place that Teresa had moved to. When I called her to give her the good news about the job, the first words out of her mouth were "Congratulations!", immediately followed by "So how soon can you get here?"
I thought that she meant she was looking forward to me being in the same town with her, but she soon set me straight; I was expected to move in with her and the girls, at least to start with. The basement of Teresa's place had been finished for occupancy, so there would be plenty of room for me to set up housekeeping there, and it would help both of us if I paid her a little bit of rent.
Not only would I be able to save some money toward my own place or anything else I needed or wanted, the additional income would obviously help her with her expenses. I was welcome to spend as much or little time with her and the girls as I wanted, and with the door between the house proper and the basement, I'd have however much privacy I wanted, as well. Teresa and I got along better than Judy and I ever had, and I adored the girls; so with the other assurances I'd gotten from her, I was happy to agree to her proposal.
Just over a week later saw me pulling into the driveway of Teresa's house. I'd barely shut the door on my car when I was all but knocked over by the sudden impact of a squealing young female. When I looked around, I saw Teresa coming toward me, with Donna close behind, and Karen at her side. That meant that the not-so-small body fused to me must be Wendy; when I got her arms peeled from around my waist and was able to push her back far enough to see her face, I saw that it was her — and that she was easily still as beautiful as she'd been.
How long it had been since I'd seen her last hit me when I didn't have to bend over as far to pick her up, and she was heavier than I remembered. It took me a few moments to work out that she must be 12 years old then — no wonder she was bigger!
I managed to give her a kiss on the cheek before she wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me again; it was when she did that that I realized what "12 years old" and "female"
meant together by the feel of a couple of small but distinct breasts pressing into my chest.
Feeling a bit guilty that I'd noticed, I quickly set her down again, and looked into her beautiful brown eyes as she told me "It's soooooo go to see you again, Uncle Ted! Even if you didn't come as soon as you said you would…", that last with an accusing tone, and look.
By that time, Teresa was close enough to remind the girl "Wendy, Ted had things he had to do, just like we have. Instead of making him feel bad, why don't you just be glad he's here now?"
Wendy quickly wrapped her arms around me and said "I'm sorry, Uncle Ted. I just missed you so much, is all."
Softly patting her back, I answered "That's okay, honey. I've missed you, too."
Finally satisfied that I really, truly was there with them, she released her hold on me and stepped back. That gave Karen, then Donna, the chance to come up and show me their broad smiles before hugging me tight and giving me a kiss on the cheek and telling me how much they'd missed me. I didn't try to pick either one of them up, and couldn't help noticing that both were even more developed than Wendy had been. Then it was Teresa's turn, and there was no mistaking the fact that I had a full-grown adult woman in my arms. The kiss I got was full on the lips, and went far enough beyond a simple welcome that it made me a little uncomfortable.
Teresa had never given me any indication that there was anything more than friendship between us, but that kiss from her started me wondering.
Teresa pulled one of my arms around her waist, and Wendy put one of hers around me, before the five of us started toward the house; Donna and Karen were walking ahead of us, and I felt guilty again when I caught myself watching the gentle swaying of their firm little butts.
Inside the house, the girls were adamant that I needed to sit in the middle of the couch — Karen and Donna were content to sit next to me, but Wendy insisted on taking station on my lap.
Clearly amused at my predicament, Teresa sat in a chair nearby. All four of them caught me up on all that had happened, and been happening, in their lives — the girls more so than Teresa.
When asked if I wanted anything to drink, I said a beer would be good, if they had any. Donna said they did, and jumped up to go get it for me. When she came back and handed it to me, I couldn't help but notice the way the shirt she was wearing pulled taut across her chest, revealing a couple of small bumps about where her nipples had to be. I could feel myself blush faintly as I thanked her, and she just just gave me a smile before sitting next to me again.
Then it was my turn to tell them about my new job, and what I'd be doing. Engineering isn't what you could call a real exciting subject for most people, so I kept it brief in the interest of not putting them to sleep. By the time I was done, Teresa informed me that I was the guest of honor at supper that night. I thanked her, admitting that I'd gotten tired of either eating prepackaged stuff and my own cooking long before, which made her laugh. She detailed the girls to go out and get my stuff from my car and down into the basement, and only had to insist just once in response to their mild protests. When they were gone, she told me "It really is good to have you here, Ted. Not just because you're family, or the added income, but because ALL of us have missed you — even me. Hell, maybe me most of all; that rat bastard I was married to always came in a pretty distant second, compared to you. But you were married to my spoiled older sister, and I know that I did the best I could to make MY life and family happy."
I couldn't help giving her a wry grin before I answered "When I started looking back on it, I realized how many times you tried to let me know what Judy was really like. But I never paid you the attention I should have; I just figured you were jealous, or something. I never said anything about Doug to you because I didn't want to interfere, but he always struck me as being kind of… dense, and like he was always trying to find a corner to cut. I just have to look at the girls to see that you were doing what you were supposed to; they're too healthy and happy for anything else."
Teresa snorted before she told me "Yeah, Doug was dense. When we graduated high school, he'd had to study long and hard to finish up with a solid 'C' average; and that insurance job was the best thing he could have gotten. Otherwise, he'd have been selling furniture or cars or SOME
damn thing or other. All he really had going for him was the ability to schmooze with people and get them to like him. He was useless about working with his hands because he'd end up hurting himself too much — hammering his thumb, or busting his knuckles with a wrench; that kind of thing. And that cutting corners thing is just what he was like; he didn't have the balls to do anything outright crooked or criminal, but he wasn't the least bit reluctant to try anything he thought he might actually get away with. That money he took from the insurance company before he disappeared? It wasn't a big check or wad of cash that he'd taken. He'd been hanging on to dinky little refunds that he was supposed to be giving people when they overpaid their premiums; the company figured out that there were a couple hundred people that hadn't gotten anywhere between ten and twenty dollars apiece. He was supposed to cut them checks after the company told him when it happened, but he never did — he just withdrew whatever the amount was from his 'draw' account. It wasn't until some guys widow was going over his insurance that she figured out that they'd been overpaying twenty a year for the last ten years and called to ask about getting a refund that anybody noticed what was going on. The manager where he worked called him into the office to ask him about it, and Doug claimed not to know what they were talking about. After that, he called here to say he was going to have to work late; then he left work early, and just… disappeared. I don't doubt that he'll turn up sooner or later — he's just too fucking stupid not to get caught!"
I'd never heard Teresa swear before, so that last bit told me better than anything else just what she thought of her absent spouse.
Still, I had to smile at her description of him, and she smiled, too, before telling me "The only good thing about it is that because the money came out of an account that HE had to sign for, the insurance company isn't trying to come after ME to recover it. And because he took off the way he did, the lawyer I got when I filed for a divorce tells me that it's not going to take anywhere near as long for it to be granted, once the judge gets a chance to see it. He thinks a couple more months, maybe a little longer, and I'll be free again!", obviously pleased at the prospect.
Our conversation was put on hold by the reappearance of the girls. All of them insisted that since I was going to be staying with them, I simply had to see their rooms. By the time I'd gotten the tour and made all the appropriate remarks, it was close to time for supper. Teresa sent them in to get the table ready, giving her and I the chance to chat a little more before she got up to finish supper. I offered to help, and was politely informed that I was a guest that night, and that I'd have plenty of chances to help later if I wanted — so I'd better enjoy the break I was getting. I laughed, and gave in. Several minutes later, Karen came in to let me know that it was time to eat.
When I sat down at the table, I realized just how glad Teresa was to see me. She'd apparently gone all-out by preparing a roast beef dinner with all the trimmings. By the time supper ended, I was disappointed to see that we hadn't put much of a dent in the roast, despite the fact that I felt stuffed to the gills. When I looked at the girls, I could see that they'd had their fill, as well. My offer to help clear the table was rebuffed when Teresa told me that that was the girls job each evening. When Teresa and I had finished our iced tea, she suggested that she show me where I'd be staying while the girls took care of things. I agreed, and she led the way to the stairs that led to the basement. Along the way, she pointed out where I'd be able to get in and out of "my" place without having to go through the rest of the house, and the latch on "my" side of the door to the basement.
My home (for the next few months, anyway) was decently finished, though sparsely furnished or decorated — I had a bed, dresser, a small dining table and couple of chairs, microwave, two-burner stove/oven combo, single basic kitchen sink with some cabinets, small couch, some rough but sturdy shelving on one wall, an old but serviceable recliner, and bathroom with sink, commode, and (small) shower. When she showed me the bathroom, Teresa didn't hesitate to tell me that if I ever wanted to take an actual bath, I was more than welcome to use the one upstairs
— then teasing me about being on my own to find someone to scrub my back.
The place wasn't a fancy hotel room, but it wasn't anywhere near as expensive, either; and I had the benefit of having what I thought of as "family" (my own parents had died in a car accident the winter after I started college) nearby. All in all, I was perfectly satisfied with it, and told Teresa so. She was visibly relieved at hearing that, and moved close to give me another hug before releasing me and saying "I'm glad you're okay with this. I know it's rough, but the rest of us hardly ever came down here, so there wasn't any reason before now for us to think about doing anything with it before. I expect you'll want to fix it up a little; I'm willing to split the cost of materials with you, and I know any or all of the girls would be happy to help."
"Don't worry about the cost. Any fixing up there is, I'll do a little at a time so it doesn't cost too much. If the girls want to, I'd be glad to have the help — I don't know diddly about matching colors and patterns and all that. If I'm not busy with work, any of you is welcome to come down for whatever reason."
Smiling, she warned me "If you say that where the girls can hear you, you may never get rid of them. They've all missed you sooooooo much" — imitating the greeting I'd gotten from Wendy
— "that I can't begin to tell you. And all I've heard since you called has been 'Is Uncle Ted really coming to stay with us?', and they've all been happier than I've seen them for months. They know you aren't going to spoil them or anything, since you didn't do that when they were little; they just like you because you're such a nice guy, and are willing to pay attention to them the way you do."
She hesitated a moment, then told me " I'm glad you're here, too, Ted. Really glad." before giving me another kiss on the lips that quickly matched the last one she'd given me. I put my hands on her hips, but nothing more. Technically, she was still married, and that whole marriage vows thing was always something real important to me. The other thing that occupied my mind was the knowledge that she had only recently gotten out on her own. Sure, she had three kids and a job and all that, but up until just a few months before, she'd also had whatever support there was to be had from Doug; I figured that she'd need (or want) some time to decide for herself what she wanted for herself and the girls, and who she wanted to share her life with. So rather than try to follow up on the offer implicit in the way she was kissing me, I chickened out and played dumb as I kissed her back. After several seconds, Teresa pulled back from me again, and looked into my face before turning and leading the way back upstairs. When we got to the landing between the basement and the door to utility room at the back of the house, she took a key off a hook on the wall and told me "That's to the back door of the house, here. I always keep the door between the rest of the house and here closed, so you don't have to worry about leaving the door open if you have to carry things in, or whatever."
I thanked her, and followed her back to the living room — noticing along the way that she had a nice-looking ass in her own right.
The girls had finished their chores, and were (mostly) patiently waiting for us to get back. I was instructed to resume my position between Donna and Karen, then Wendy parked herself in my lap and pulled my arms around her. Teresa occupied the chair again, and we spent the evening watching television. When it got close to their respective bedtimes, the girls simply went back and got changed before coming in and giving (and getting) a kiss good night. When it was just Teresa and me, she shut the TV off and the two of us sat there talking until it was time for us to go to our respective beds.
That pretty much set the tone for the weeks that followed.
If I had the time and inclination, I was more than welcome to join them for the evening; but they didn't have any problems with it if I needed to work in "my place", or just wanted to be alone for an evening. Some evenings one or two of the girls would come down; sometimes it was to ask for help with homework (usually math or science), which I would patiently provide. Other times, it was just to spend a quiet evening with just the two of us.
It didn't take long for us to get into a routine where I would join them for breakfast, and usually supper — which prompted the only conflict that Teresa and I had. I wanted to help pay for the groceries I was eating, and she was adamant that I was family, and didn't have to. After a LOT of patient negotiation, I finally got her to accept a small increase in my "rent". It wasn't as much as I was willing to give her, but more than she wanted to take.