Chapter 50
Gwen's Tales -- Part 1
Gwen Van Winkle sat in her favorite wicker glide-rocker overlooking the marina and much of Regal Bay proper from the height of her home's third-floor balcony. The old town, the bay-front village that her husband and his brothers had taken, remolded, and grown into a thriving young city, stretched out to the left and right of her. Whereas Jonas and Hugo, Oskar's brothers, had built large mansion-like homes among the foothills of the Majestic Mountains to the east of town, Oskar had taken one of the older buildings in town, had it remodeled, and settled his family there.
Oskar had always felt that to truly know a town and its people one must live amongst them, work with them, eat with them, and enjoy life with them. So it was that Oskar, Gwen, and their children, twin daughters Sophia and Olivia, and sons Garrett and Graham, grew with the town at its heart. Sophia and Olivia no longer lived in the big, renovated house. Neither did Oskar, who passed away many years ago. But Gwen did not live alone in the three-story building. Her youngest son Graham, along with his boy-friend Nathan, occupied the third floor, below what Gwen referred to as her apartments on the third floor. The second-floor bedrooms that had once belonged to her daughters had been converted to a small library/office that Graham had taken upon himself to stock, and a sewing room, where Gwen had started spending more of her free time following her retirement. The first floor was the communal area, with kitchen, dining, living, and a music room where Gwen relaxed at the grand piano Oskar had sent over from Germany for their fifth anniversary. Gwen was an accomplished player, and in her retirement, she spent many hours playing, often alone but on occasion she would have an audience.
Since her husband's passing, and her retirement shortly thereafter, Gwen had slowly become more and more of a home-body. As she rocked, looking out across the sparkling bay waters, she couldn't recall the last time she'd driven a car. The last time she'd ridden in one was when Olivia had taken her out to the mall shopping for new clothes, back in the spring. When Gwen wanted to go out, she usually walked. She enjoyed walking the old streets of downtown, and along the boardwalk. She didn't venture out onto the beaches often, as the years had taken its toll on her ankles and they easily twisted in the soft sands. Gwen did enjoy going out onto the bay, riding along with one of her long-time friends as they sailed or motored along the coastal waters. Even those day-trips were becoming fewer and farther between, though.
On this evening, Gwen had played piano alone for a while, and after a quiet dinner with Graham and Nathan, she now sat on the balcony outside her bedroom, a pot of fresh tea on the table at her elbow and a cup in her hand. She often sat outside watching the bay and the boats coming and going. The fishing trade was still thriving and with darkness falling, the trawlers were headed out. Their honks of greeting echoed across the calm bay waters, as did the thrumming of their diesel engines. All in all, it was a very peaceful and calming night. It was the last night of July and Gwen often spent this night alone with her memories. It was on this night, twelve years ago now, that she lost Oskar to a heart attack at just 65 years of age.
Gwen was now 63, having celebrated her birthday earlier in the summer. As she always did on this evening each year, she reminisced about her life in Regal Bay, reflecting on the life she'd made for herself and her children. There had been many good times, and a few bad. She had married into a family that took very seriously the concept of love in a tight knit family. She had learned very early on that she was to enjoy the sexual attentions of all her in-laws, and for the young woman from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, her first year as Oskar Van Winkle's wife had been eye-opening to say the least. She had married Oskar when she was only 22, and he was a seasoned 36. They didn't begin their family for nearly six years, during which time Gwen had delighted in the attention all three Van Winkle brothers gave her, as well as various other men, and a few women, in the extended family. She had been taken by Oskar's father on their wedding night, something of a family ritual she was to learn, as a way of officially being brought into the family fold. Jonas, the middle brother, had been the first to marry, and Gwen soon became not only tight friends with her sister-in-law Greta, but Greta became Gwen's first female lover. Gwen and Greta made love nearly as often as Gwen made love to her husband during those first few years. To this day, they still enjoyed each other's company, after more than four decades.
Gwen turned her thoughts to her daughters; Olivia and Sophia. Olivia still lived in Regal Bay, with her husband Vincent and twin daughters Emily and Amy. Olivia had recently taken soul ownership of Glorious Gowns and Nobel Tuxedos, a business she'd begun working at as a novice seamstress right out of college, and after six years as manager, Olivia was offered ownership by Kathy Gates, the original owner and one-time mistress of Oskar. Olivia's husband, Vincent, was now the Chief Fire Investigator for the Regal Bay Fire Department. He had taken a job in the fire department after he and Olivia had married, shortly after she had graduated from Gonzaga University in Spokane. They already had twin daughters, who Gwen and Oskar had taken in for the first two years of their life, until Olivia had finished school and Vincent had settled on a career.
Sophia, Olivia's twin sister, had also married shortly after graduating from college. She and her husband, Isaac Barrett, now lived in Sacramento, where Isaac was a junior partner in a law firm. Sophia worked at the California State Capitol as an Information and Records Clerk. Unfortunately, soon after they were married Sophia learned that she would be unable to have children, something that would bother her for many years, to the point where Sophia had been in therapy for depression much of her married life. Sophia and Isaac would visit Gwen in Regal Bay several times during the year, and Gwen would make the drive to Sacramento as well, usually with her single older son Garrett.
Garrett, her third child, was two years younger than his twin sisters. He had married young, and divorced just as young, with no children. Since, he put his full attention to his work at Regal Bay University, where he sat on the Board of Directors as well as acted as the school's legal team's head lawyer. Gwen suspected that her handsome son had enjoyed time with many of the beautiful young female students through the years, though he was careful not to get too involved. Gwen didn't mind his side hobby, so long as he found time to pay her a visit, and take care of his mother's needs. Garrett knew his mother well, and treated her well, just as his father had.
Gwen's youngest son Graham had been gay all his life, as far as Gwen could tell. She never feared for him, not within a family that was so very open and honest, and politically powerful within the community. Graham lived with her, along with his companion Nathan, and took care of her and her home. Both young men worked for the city, with Graham in the City Planners Office and Nathan in the Parks and Beaches Department. They respected her and her life-style, as she respected theirs. Gwen was fond of Nathan, and was growing to love him as she loved her sons-in-law Vincent and Isaac, though she may never bed Nathan as she did her daughter's husbands.
***
Isaac Barrett first came to Gwen's attention when her daughter Sophia returned home from college on spring break. With her she brought along Isaac, a fellow student who was five years older that Sophia. Isaac was working through graduate school towards a law degree, and Sophia was very much in love with him. In Gwen's eyes, Isaac was a very plain looking young man, with a high hairline that was already running towards a balding spot at the crown. He wore glasses, was slightly chubby around the waist as well as the neck, and had a voice that tended to grate on one's nerves when he got excited. He was maybe an inch taller than Sophia, who was still very slim although her breasts had finally begun to fill out. She'd only just started wearing d-cup brassieres and now was looking to go shopping wither mother to look for dd-cup, or maybe even e-cups.
"I really can't go with you this afternoon, darling," Gwen told her daughter. "I have a plumber coming by to fix that toilet on the second floor. I can't use mine until that one's fixed, and I'm getting tired of rushing all the way down here to go to the bathroom."
"That's okay, Mom," Sophia shrugged. "I'll call up Denise Masters and see if she wants to hang out."
"What about Isaac? Will you be taking him with you?" Gwen asked.
