Two years ago...
"Hey, Mrs. Crane!"
Startled, Nicole turned to see the dark-haired youngster loping toward her down the nearly deserted main hallway of Greenleaf High School. She recognized Luke Gable, one of Brandon's twelve-grade classmates and also a member of her son's soccer team.
He stopped before her, looked down into her eyes and flashed an open smile. "You look lost. Can I help?"
At half past four on a Tuesday afternoon in the spring, the main school building was mostly empty, with even most of the extracurricular activities winding down. She was alone in the corridor with Luke and unsure why that made her uncomfortable.
"I'm looking for the music room," Nicole said. "I'm picking up Brandon from small ensemble practice."
"Oh, that's one of the temporary buildings out back," Luke replied. "I'll show you." He turned and strode off. Nicole struggled to keep pace; the boy towered over her and his long legs ate up the distance. "Brandon's been in school here since sophopmore year," he said at one point. "I'm kinda surprised you don't know your way around."
"Music is a sudden new interest of Brandon's this semester," Nicole explained. "Honestly, between sports and his clubs and this I'm afraid he's overextending himself."
"Oh don't worry," Luke said, shooting her a sideways glance. His smile this time held a little mystery, as if concealing a private joke. "There's not much my man Brando can't handle."
Nicole had to smile to herself at the nickname. It was appropriate though, as her son's brooding good looks and powerful young frame reminded her of the young actor as he'd appeared in Streetcar Named Desire. Luke was undoubtedly right. Brandon was full of the vitality and energy of adolescence and seemed able to bounce back from anything.
Anything including what had to be a challenging home life. Nicole tried automatically to push the thought away, but it was becoming harder and harder as the years passed.
In fact Brandon had become the only bright spot in her eighteen year marriage to George Crane.
The odds had been stacked against the couple since the beginning, or so Nicole believed now. After her first amazing session of fucking with her father, Lou Foster had shocked her by insisting that she keep her date with the popular star school athlete. "I want you to have a normal life and prospects for the future," her dad had said simply. "Whatever normal can mean, now." She remembered how he'd added, with a twinkle in his eye, "and we need to keep up appearances."
Keep up appearances Nicole did, as she would for decades after. Anxious for more fucking she'd bedded Crane immediately on their first date, which might have earned her a "reputation" save for the fact that even George, not the brightest tack in the box, realized his good fortune to be with the most beautiful girl in school and have her turn out to be the hottest fuck a fellow could imagine. He kept mum about her unbridled, whorish lovemaking and instead they became a couple.
With George on her arm Nicole was the envy of the other girls in school, which held a secret bitterness for her. What they didn't know was that the "big man on campus" was nothing of the sort in the trousers. His dick was disappointingly small to a girl who'd recently been initiated into fucking by her heavy-hung father, and he was clumsy and too fast between the sheets. Nor did he improve with time.
For Nicole the saving grace which made it all bearable was that her father kept on fucking her at every opportunity.
Though her mother's long business trips to Chicago became regular occurrences after making partner in her firm they were never frequent enough for Nicole. While mom was away dad and daughter would play, sometimes not leaving the bedroom for days. Even when Doris Foster called home to say she'd be late at the office her daughter took to announcing the fact to Lou by greeting him at the front door naked and leading him into the den for an afternoon session of sixty-nine.
Everything had come crashing down with Nicole's unplanned pregnancy right after high school. George had proposed, Nicole had debated what to do and was heartbroken when her father had urged her to marry Crane.
