“What?”
“Mom,” she said, “She doesn’t love you as much as you think.”
He felt the urge to strike her but stayed his hand, he wanted to hear her out.
“Why would you say that?”
Grace looked down and let her hair fall over her face so he couldn’t see her expression.
“Look at me!” he ordered.
“The baby,” she looked up at him and pulled her bangs to one side so she could see him, “It’s Mark’s.”
He fell back against the sink and gaped at her. His mother’s baby was his brother’s?
“He came home after his training … right after you left … and she made him feel better too,” she looked back down at her bare feet again.
John couldn’t think of anything to say – he was trying to absorb what his sister was telling him.
“That’s why he went away in the first place …”
“That’s not true, Grace,” he said. “Mark was drafted.”
“He only told Mom that so she’d let him go!” She took a step towards him and reached out as if to touch him but stopped herself, “Mom only wanted you ’cause Mark wasn’t here anymore.”
John felt a rage build inside him. He breathed deeply and tried to resist the urge to lose his temper. The problem was that he wasn’t sure who he should be mad at just yet.
“He tried to make me do it too but I wouldn’t let him.” She smiled up at him, “I wouldn’t let him put his thing in me because … because I love you – not him.”
He shoved her away from the door and stumbled into the hallway. Grace followed after him.
“I love you!” she cried. “She doesn’t love you the way I do!”
“Get away from me, Grace!”
“Mom’s a slut!” Grace spat, “You’ll see!”
She turned and rushed to her room and slammed the door shut behind her.
He looked around guiltily, praying no one had heard her little outburst, and noticed his parent’s bedroom door was slightly ajar.
********************************
His mother was sitting up on the bed her head in her hands, an open book on her lap.
“Is it true?” he asked her.
She looked up at him, tears streaming down her cheeks: “Now isn’t the time, John.”
“Is … it … true?” he asked again.
“Please!” she begged, “Your father will be up here any second!”
He crossed his arms and glared at her.
“I’ll tell you about it … about everything … later … I’ll come down to see you in a few hours … I’ll make everything okay.”
“You think fucking me fixes everything?”
She looked at him and wiped the tears from her cheeks.
“She’s crazy, John,” she said.
“And you’re not?” he asked before stalking out of her room.
********************************
He heard someone coming down the stairs.
He rolled out of his bed and opened the bedroom door.
She stopped and looked at him steadily, framed by the yellow rectangle of light from upstairs.
“Mom?” he asked although he knew exactly who it was.
She wore a sexy pink camisole, panties, and high heels combination, the kind of thing he’d only ever seen on women in X-rated movies.
The sheer pink panties matched the top; her bright pink nipples and the dark of her thick pubic hair were visible through the thin material of the garments. The heels made her tall.