In Love With An Older Man 12

"Come on, Jonny, open up so the airplane can fly in," Cindy encouraged her son, who had decided very early on that he definitely didn't like pureed peas.

"Zoom!" Cindy moved the spoon around, imitating an airplane's flight. Jonathan watched with interest but wouldn't open his mouth. Cindy made a funny face and he gave a big grin, opening his mouth just far enough for Cindy to quickly insert the spoonful of peas, which he promptly spat right back out again. Cindy sighed and wiped the mess from the high chair tray.

Just then, Cindy heard a car pull up into the driveway and a door open and shut.

"Guess what! Your big sister's here!" Cindy lifted Jonathan from the high chair, scooped up Rebecca, and went to greet Carly, who had just arrived home for winter break from the university.

Cindy sat the twins in their playpen and went to open the door for Carly, who struggled with a suitcase and a couple of bags.

"Hi, sweetheart! How was your journey?"

"Tiring!" Carly smiled and rolled he eyes as Cindy gave her a quick hug.

"I'll bet," Cindy sympathized, remembering her own college days. "Let me help you with that."

"Becky! Jonny!" Carly sat her bags down to say hello to the twins. "I can't believe how much you've both grown!"

She lifted first Rebecca, who cooed and gurgled, and then Jonathan, who grinned at her.

"I was just finishing their lunch and was about to settle them down for a nap," Cindy said.

"How are Dad and Jake?"

"They're both doing fine. Jake's school lets out for winter break next Friday."

Cindy helped Carly take her suitcase and bags into her bedroom. Carly saw the bed and sprawled out on it.

"Ooh, all I want to do is sleep," she groaned. Carly napped while Cindy took care of the twins, and a couple of hours later, Jake was home from school.

"Hi Cindy, hi Carly." He breezed past both of them on his way to his room.

"Is that all you're going to say to your sister, when you haven't even seen her in four months?" Cindy asked.

"Most beloved sister, I am so deeply honored to be in your presence once again." Jake bowed deeply before Carly.

"Knock it off, Jake." Carly stuck her tongue out at him and giggled.

Cindy laughed and headed for the kitchen. She began to prepare dinner, and after a little while Gary was home from the radio station.

"Hi, sweetie," he said, hugging and kissing Cindy. "Where's my princess?" He had seen Carly's car in the driveway.

"Here I am, Dad!" Carly rushed to greet him, and they hugged and kissed.

"It feels like ages since the last time I saw you! How are things at the university?"

"Great, Dad! All my classes are going well, and guess what! I've met someone!"

"I want to hear all about him over dinner," Gary said.

"His name is Max, and he plays guitar for a band. They perform every weekend at the on-campus club," Carly said proudly.

"How did you meet him?" Cindy asked.

"In the cafeteria at the university. He said that he had seen my in the club before but never got the chance to go over and say hello."

"How did you do on your finals?" Gary wanted to know.

"Whew! Soo glad those are over with." Carly laughed. "I won't know the actual scores until I go back in January, but I think I did pretty good on most of them."

"Most?" Gary asked.

"Well, the math test was pretty tough," Carly admitted. "I think it's dumb that I have to have a math credit anyway, since math has nothing to do with my major."

"Some day you'll be glad you took it," Gary predicted.

"Ha! Not likely."

"You never know," Gary said.

After dinner, Gary helped Cindy with the dishes while Carly went to her bedroom to finish unpacking.

"She looks more like her mother every time I see her." Cindy heard the sadness in Gary's voice and laid a comforting hand on his arm.

That weekend Carly asked to speak to Cindy in private. "I just don't feel comfortable talking to Dad about it," she explained.

"Sure, honey. What's going on?"

Carly looked at her class ring which she was fiddling with. "I wanted to ask you what kind of birth control you think would be best for me," she mumbled.

"Why do you want to know? Are you and Max already having sex?"

Carly shook her head. "No, but he wants to. He said he doesn't like to use condoms. He told me that as long as he pulled out in time I wouldn't get pregnant, but I'm still scared. There's nobody at the university that I feel comfortable talking about this with. I'm not even sure if I'm doing the right thing by talking to you about it. But it's driving me crazy, so I had to ask someone."

Cindy's brain was still reeling. She had been so used to thinking of Carly as a young teenager that is was hard for her to realize how quickly the girl was becoming a woman.

"How do you feel about Max? Do you love him?"

"Well, he's a really great guy, and he's a lot of fun to be with."

"Do you feel that you' re ready to have sex with him?"

Carly shrugged. "Well, I guess so."

"Carly, before you even start worrying about what method of birth control you should use, I think that you should think long and hard about whether or not a sexual relationship with Max is really what you want."

"He's a really great guy, Cindy. I don't want to lose him."

"You could lose him anyway, Carly. Having sex with him isn't the way to hang on to him. Did he threaten to leave you if you wouldn't?"

"Well, no, but I know that there are plenty of girls who would be happy to sleep with him."

"It doesn't sound to me like you want to do this for the right reason."

"What is the right reason?"

"The right reason is that you truly love the person and want to express that love, that neither of you is under any kind of pressure or feeling that it's something you have to do or are expected to do."

"Was that the way it was for you?"

"Yes, it was."

"How old were you when you lost your virginity?"

"That's personal, but I was a lot older than eighteen."

"You were?" Carly looked at her in disbelief.

"Yes, I was. I know to you it must seem like everyone your age is doing it, but that's not true. Let me tell you something else. If you do wait until the right man and the right situation come along, then when it finally does, you'll be so glad you waited."

Carly looked thoughtful. "I never actually thought of it that way before. Thanks, Cindy."

"Any time, Carly. I'm so glad we had this talk."

"Please promise me you won't say anything about this to Dad. He'd go totally ballistic."

"I'm not sure at all that that would be the case, but I promise I won't say anything about it to him."

Cindy had never in her life felt more as if she were between a rock and a hard place.

Several days later, Cindy was cleaning in Jake's bedroom when she noticed something sticking out from under his bed. Curious, she knelt to see what it was. It turned out to be a magazine, and Cindy gasped when she saw what kind of magazine it was. Instinctively she pushed it back under the bed, wondering how Jake had acquired it, since he was under eighteen. An older friend must have bought it for him, she reasoned. Jake wouldn't steal.

Cindy puzzled for the rest of that day what to do about it. She knew that if she confronted Jake herself, he would be angry and would accuse her of snooping. She knew that Gary should know about her discovery, since Jake was a minor. She had to find a way to let him know without making either of them upset. She didn't want Gary to think that she had been snooping in his son's room.

"You seem quieter than usual today, Cindy," Gary remarked after dinner. "Is something wrong?"

Cindy sighed. "I don't know how to tell you this, Gary, but...today I was cleaning in Jake's room, and I saw something sticking out from under his bed. It was...a magazine."

Gary looked at her expectantly.

"A pornographic magazine, Gary. With photos of naked men and women doing sexual things."

Gary looked thoughtful. "What did you do with it?"

"I just stuck it back under his bed. I didn't know what else to do."

Gary stood up. "I'll go talk to him."

Cindy grabbed his arm. "Please, Gary, don't tell him that I told you about it. He'll think I was snooping in his room and get mad at me."

"It's not important who found it, or how it was found. What's important is that it's illegal for him to have it in his possession." Gary strode toward Jake's bedroom, and Cindy quickly found something to do in another part of the house.

That night, as they were getting ready for bed, Cindy asked about the outcome of his confrontation with Jake.

"It's all worked out," he assured her.

"Did my name come up?"

"No, it didn't. I told him that it's perfectly normal for him to be curious, but that it isn't legal for someone his age to own that kind of magazine, and so they're not permitted in my house."

"How did he take it?"

"He was terribly embarrassed. I felt really bad for him. I told him that looking at that kind of magazine didn't make him a bad person, but that at his age he needs to concentrate on other things like finishing school, learning to drive, getting ready for college. I told him that there will be plenty of time for all that other stuff later."

"So what happened in the end?"

"In the end he voluntarily gave me the magazine. I could tell that he didn't really want to give it up, but he'll get over it."

"You are so good with your kids," Cindy told him.

"Our kids," he corrected her. "Thank you. I think you're doing a pretty good job as well."

"Do you really think so?"

"Yes, I do." He hugged and kissed her. "You're a wonderful mom, Cyn."

"Thank you," Cindy said shyly, feeling herself blush with pleasure.

Gary looked at her with desire in his eyes. "You're simply irresistible when you do that."