“We’re both adults,” I answer. “We knew they wouldn’t approve. This is just a little more intense than I expected.”
“Me too,” she says quietly. “Brandon, I don’t want to stop being with you guys.”
“Me either, Kristina,” I answer.
“Okay, then let’s ignore them for now,” she says decisively.
“Let’s!” I agree. We hang up and I fall back on my bed, wondering about my dad’s motivations.
I keep seeing Kristina, and the three of us keep getting together at my apartment for some amazing sex. I keep remembering how Lauren played with Kristina’s nipples when I first took her virginity and I’m waiting to see if she makes any further moves. So far it has all been two girls fucking one guy, which of course, I’m not complaining about at all.
Right after Lauren and Kristina leave one evening and I’m lying exhausted on my bed, my mom calls.
“Mrs. Andrews and I want to talk with you and Kristina tomorrow night,” she says without much preamble. “Can you come over after dinner?”
“Sure mom, but I think Lauren should be there, too.” I know what they want to discuss with us and I’d feel better if my sister was part of it. I think she would too.
“This doesn’t concern Lauren,” she says, rather abruptly.
“Kristina is Lauren’s best friend, she hangs out with us a lot, I think we’d both like her there, Mom,” I answer. “Is that a problem?” Mom hesitates.
“No, I guess not,” she sighs. “I’ll see you tomorrow, honey.”
“See you, Mom.” As soon as she hangs up, I call Lauren. They’re still en route to Kristina’s house. I fill them in on the very brief conversation I had with mom.
“Thanks for including me, Brandon,” Lauren says.
“I just want to outnumber them,” I joke. They laugh, but I can sense the tension about tomorrow. “It’ll be fine,” I reassure them.
“This isn’t an easy discussion,” Mom starts after we’re all seated around the dining room table. It’s about 7 o’clock and dad is gone out somewhere with Mr. Andrews. “I wouldn’t have included Lauren, but Brandon insisted and I guess you should probably hear this from us rather than second handed from your brother or your friend.”
We all look at each other. This seems more ominous than a cautionary concern about a difference in ages. I immediately wonder if they are sending Kristina away to school or something to split us up.
“We tried to avoid this conversation by asking you two to stop seeing each other but…” Mrs. Andrews interjects, shrugging her shoulders rather than completing her sentence.
“If you’re going to say he’s too old again…” Kristina says, impatiently but mom cuts her off.
“Just a second,” Mom holds up a finger for emphasis. “Please hear us out and then we can discuss it again.” The three of us nod, waiting for mom to take a drink of coffee.
“You know our families have been friends for a long time,” mom says, soliciting nods from her captive audience. “Since before you girls were born,” she adds, unnecessarily. “We moved into this neighborhood about the same time, when Brandon was just a toddler.
“What you don’t know,” Mrs. Andrews says, looking at Kristina. “Is that your dad and I had been trying to have kids for a long time.” From the looks on the girls’ faces, none of us knew that. “We went through all kinds of tests and procedures and finally it was determined that your father had low sperm count.” No one says a word as Mrs. Andrews takes a breath. “The chances were very low that we would ever conceive. But we wanted kids so badly. It looked like the only alternative was artificial insemination.”
“We were all best friends by then,” mom picks up the story as I wonder what this has to do with anything. “The Andrews wanted your father to donate the sperm.” Now I get it.
“Is that what this is about?” I ask. “Because dad donated some sperm, Kristina and I can’t date?” Ignoring my question, Mrs. Andrews jumps back in, speaking faster than before.
“It was all very expensive,” she says. “We weren’t sure we could afford it. That’s when your mother had the idea to do it the old fashioned way, without all the doctors.” She pauses and no one says a word while her words sink in.
“You fucked our dad to get pregnant?” Lauren asks.
“Please, Lauren, watch your language,” mom admonishes her. “But yes, that’s what the old fashioned way means.”
“You were okay with this?” Lauren asks mom, incredulously.
“Your mother is brilliant,” Mrs. Andrews exclaims. “She was concerned that the potential for jealousy could ruin our wonderful friendship so we made a reciprocal agreement.”
“You swapped?” Lauren is the first one to get it. “At the cabin, right?” Mom and Mrs. Andrews nod. “And you got pregnant with Kristina?”
“That’s why we’ve been so against you two dating,” mom says. “It isn’t that we don’t think you make a cute couple. It’s because Kristina is your sister!”
“Half-sister,” I answer for lack of anything better to say.
“So you can see that before you two get too intimate, we thought…” mom’s voice trails off as she notices the looks between the three of us. “Too late, huh?”
“Damn! We were afraid of that,” Mrs. Andrews says.
“OHMYGOD! You’ve been fucking your sister!” Lauren shrieks, dramatically covering her mouth with her hands, presumably to keep from laughing. It takes everything I have not to bust out laughing, as well. I catch Kristina’s eye and see that she’s had the same reaction to my sister’s fanciful outburst.
“Language!” mom says, sharply and then turns back to me. “So you can see why this can’t go on.” No one speaks for several minutes.
“We can’t just ignore our feelings for each other,” Kristina says quietly. “It’s not like we’re getting married,” she adds, using the very same argument I used with dad. “And we’re not making babies.”
“Kristina,” Mrs. Andrews says, “I know this is upsetting and I wish we didn’t have to…” Kristina interrupts her before she can continue.