This all happened on a Friday. On Saturday morning everyone contributed to a lavish breakfast to celebrate Wallace's reunion with Vera. The two of them sat like blushing newlyweds as they were fĂŞted by the others. Vera had forgiven Damon for being so bold in bringing them together, admiring his shrewdness in detecting how much she had missed her ex. They spent the rest of the day getting to know each other all over again. But after dinner, Nan came up to her mother with a delicate inquiry.
"Um, Mom," she said hesitantly, "are you willing toâyou know, share?"
"I don't know what you mean," Vera said in an utterly faux-naĂŻf way.
"Oh, Mom, you know exactly what I mean," Nan said with a scowl. "I think you should let Daddy be with Iris tonight." Nan glanced over at the older woman, sitting on the couch; and even though she couldn't hear the exact words Nan had said, Iris had a sense of themâand turned crimson at once.
"Why tonight?" Vera said.
"Why not tonight?" Nan answered.
"Well, you know, maybe your daddy isn't quite up to any further . . ." She trailed off.
"I guess we should let him decide that."
"Oh, all right!" Vera burst out. "I guess it's going to happen anyway."
Nan explained the situation to both Wallace and his future bedmateâand that's how it was.
On Sunday, Vera and Wallace continued to spend a lot of time together, both of them striving valiantly not to say anything regarding the previous night's activities. But of course, as Sunday night approached, Sylvia came forth expressing her desire to cuddle up with the big new man in their midst.
On Monday, Wallace of course had to go to work, as did Vera (everyone else was off for summer vacation, although the young men had baseball practice later in the day). It was, however, expected that Wallace would return to the house that evening and spend the night there. But after dinner, as Nan blandly assumed that it was now her turn to be with her father that night, Vera came up to her.
"Nan, dear, you really don't want to . . ." she said with a worried look on her face.
"Don't want to what?" Nan said, being deliberately obtuse.
"You know!"
Vera said in a frantic whisper. "Be with your father tonight."
"Why on earth not?" Nan said as if offended. Taking in her mother's appalled expression: "Oh, Mom, I'm not going to
do
anything with him. We'll just cuddle and then go to sleep."
Vera stared long and hard at her daughter. Then she shrugged her shoulders.
"All right, whatever," she said, turning on her heel and leaving the room.
It seemed that she wasn't the only one who was unnerved at the prospect of father and daughter sharing a bed. As Nan drifted into one of the guest bedrooms, where Wallace had decided to remain for the night, he gaped at her. It wasn't merely that she was wearing a baby-doll nightgown that came only to the middle of her thighs; it was her mere presence in the room that disturbed him.
"Um, dear," he said haltingly, "do you think this is wise?"
"Oh, Daddy, what's the big deal? It's our turn to be together."
"Butâbutâ" he stammered. He couldn't quite get out what he was thinking (
Good God, you're my daughter!
), instead saying, "I'm only in my underwear."
"Yeah, so what? All the guys here sleep in their underwear."
That thought itself jarred him, making him recall that Nanâjust like Vera and Iris and Sylviaâshared both Damon's and Brad's favors in turn. Gaping at his daughter, he said:
"Maybe you shouldn't be wearing that."
"This?" she said, looking down at herself. "What about it? It's still hot in this house." She kept to herself the thought that coursed through her mind:
Maybe it won't stay on for very long.
In truth, at the outset she had no real thought of actual intimacy with her own father. As she flung herself into bed, landing almost on top of Wallace, she wrapped her arms around his neck and said chidingly:
"You've been a bad daddy! What's the idea of being so silent these past two years or more? You don't write to me, you don't answer my calls or texts. What gives?"
"Oh, darling," he said miserably, "I'm so sorry about that! IâI guess I felt a little embarrassed when I left your mom. I thought you might be mad at me."
"Daddy," she said severely, "I told you before: no matter what you feel about Mom, I'm still your daughterâI'll always
be
your daughter. You could have stayed in touch."
"I know, dear. I'm really sorry."
"Well," she said, snuggling closer to him, "that's all over now. You're back with us."
He was not entirely sure who exactly was meant by that ambiguous pronoun. But he didn't have time to think about it, for his daughter, letting out a giggle, went on:
"So . . . how did you like Iris and Sylvia?"
He flushed and had trouble speaking. "Theyâthey were very nice."
"Nice?"
she cried. "Is that all you have to say?"
"What do you want me to say?" he exclaimed desperately.
That they were fabulous in bed? That they made me perform as I never have in my whole life? That they are so different from, yet so similar to, your mother? That I am half in love with them alreadyâand yet, they make me love Vera even more?
"So what did you do with them?" she asked impishly.
"I'm not telling you. It's private."
"Oh, come onâyou gotta give me something." In fact, Nan had interrogated Sylvia on this very point, but all she had said was, "Man, your dad is quite a tiger."