Gwen realized that she had to look a mess. Her walk through the woods in the dark had disheveled her and Mort’s manhandling had torn her blouse. Somehow, Gwen knew that if she told Steve that Mort had harmed her in any way, Steve would do something drastic, and probably illegal. Steve must never learn the truth about her evening!
It was pushing eleven when Paula heard the door open. It was pretty late for a school night and Paula had expected Gwen home by nine. Paula heard Gwen speak to someone quietly and then she became louder.
“Steve, I am not inviting you in! Please go away! Leave me alone!”insisted Gwen loudly as Paula hurried into the living room to find Steve and Gwen in a heated exchange.
“I want some answers, Gwen! Somebody did this to you and I want to know who!” demanded Steve.
“Steve! Gwen! What’s going on? What happened to you, Gwen? Are you okay?” asked a perplexed Paula as Kate came rushing into the room followed by her father.
Ted took the scene in, and started for Steve. “Young man, I warned you what would happen if you mistreated my daughter!”
With that, Ted pulled a fist back and punched Steve on the jaw. For his part, Steve never even flinched. He slowly brought his hand up to his jaw and rubbed it. Gwen was horrified. This was exactly what she had been hoping to avoid. What a horrible ending to a horrible night. Her father had just struck Steve. Now there was no doubt that she and Steve would never be together again, not that she wanted him back after his cheating and lying.
Gwen suddenly burst into tears as Paula wrapped her arms around her and yelled at Ted. “Damn it, Ted! Steve didn’t do this to Gwen! Get your head straightened out and apologize to him! Men think every problem can be solved by fighting, and that’s without even knowing what the problem is. Steve, sit down and tell us what happened to Gwen while I put her to bed. She’s in no state to be questioned, or abused!”
“Sir, if I had done that to Gwen, you’d have been within your rights to beat me to a pulp. Charlotte called me and told me that Gwen needed help, so I went to help her,” offered Steve as he considered his actions of the past few minutes. “She wouldn’t tell me anything about how she wound up in that situation or what had happened to her. I thought the same thing you did, that some guy had tried to take advantage of her, and I was even angrier than you are, but she refuses to tell me what’s going on.”
“Son, I flew off the handle. I had no reason to strike you and I sincerely apologize. Imagine my feelings when I see you bring my daughter home in that condition. I heard you two arguing and I assumed that you had harmed her. It’s a good thing you didn’t strike back, Steve. My fist still hurts,” grinned Ted ruefully. “It must have been that damned…”.
“Dad!” Kate almost yelled at her father. “Gwen didn’t want to tell Steve what happened and it would be wrong for you to say anything. She probably has some very good reasons, Dad. Why don’t you go check on Gwen while I tell Steve good night?”
Kate was surprised at how quickly her father acquiesced to her suggestion. Over the years, Ted had learned to listen to the women in his family. He loved them dearly and hated to see any of them hurt in any way.
“Steve, things are a little screwed up tonight,” began Kate as she walked over and dropped into Steve’s lap. “At some point, Gwen will thank you, as will Mom and Dad. It’s pretty obvious to me that Gwen doesn’t want you to get into any trouble over this. She’s probably ashamed of herself and scared to death that you’ll go off half cocked and get into a bad situation. Then she’d feel even worse. Please, be patient and forgiving. Gwen’s worth it.”
As she finished speaking, Kate kissed Steve quickly on the lips and jumped off his lap and laughed. “I really, really wanted to do that forever! You were so serious and quiet, so I took advantage of the situation. Now go home. This’ll all shake out before too long, but it’s best if everyone has the opportunity to calm down. Gwen really likes you and so do I. You’re the best big brother a girl could have!”
After Steve left and Kate locked the door, she turned to find her mother standing in the doorway. “Young lady, I heard everything you told Steve just now, and I’m proud of you. That was wisdom beyond your years. If Steve knew that Gwen left here with Mort Governs, he’d probably be over there right now and it wouldn’t end well for either of them. You called Steve your big brother, Kate. How did that start?”
“He pretty much told me that he’d never be able to be romantically interested in me. I blame that on Gwen, by the way. He has it bad for her. He added that he likes me like a sister and could love me like a sister. You know what, Mom? That’s a pretty good way to be loved and I’m going to be very content to have his love that way. It’s uncomplicated and it feels great,” added Kate.
Gwen had taken that moment to descend the stairs and heard the end of Kate’s comments. “You think Steve loves you, Kate? How could you be so foolish? He doesn’t even know what love is. He’s like all men; he loves pretty faces and big tits!”
“You owe your sister an apology, Gwen!” insisted Paula firmly. “She was telling me that Steve likes her like a sister and if things progressed with you, he could love her like a sister. Kate is NOT trying to steal your boyfriend. Now tell me why you have such a low opinion of men in general and Steve in particular. What actually happened tonight? Are you angry at Mort Governs and blaming the whole gender for his actions?”
“Oh, Kate, I’m so sorry,” cried Gwen. “You’re a great sister. I know that. I’ve had a really bad night. Mort was a total ass at dinner. His ideas for fund raising involved girls in swimsuits and girls being auctioned off for an evening of dance. The way he described it gave me the creeps. Then, when I wasn’t paying attention on the drive home, he pulled off the road, parked, and started groping me. I’m ashamed to say that he got his hand down my bra and squeezed me till it hurt!”
“Wow, Sis! It’s a good thing no one told Steve about that! He’d be over there right now breaking Mort into little pieces. He’d be in jail by morning. How did you wind up with Steve if he didn’t know that you were with Mort Governs?” questioned Kate as she hugged her distressed sister.