The Author's Friends (12 page)

“Good girl.  Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Carla passed a full-length mirror on her way across the room.  Pausing for a moment, she turned at the waist to inspect her radiant bum.

“This ass is the only one I’m interested in.  It’s all mine.”  He bent down and softly bit her right cheek.

“All yours, indeed,” she whispered with a satisfied smile.

“Michael, where are you going so early on a Sunday morning?” Carla approached the kitchen counter with a full cup of coffee. 

“My parents want me to stop over for a little family get together.  I’m not sure why, but they seemed a bit anxious.  I shouldn’t be gone longer than an hour.  Would you like to go out for brunch when I get home?” He gently kissed her cheek.

“Why don’t I get changed and come with you?  I’m really nervous that I haven’t met them yet.”

He shook his head.  “They specifically asked me to come alone.”

“Uh-oh.  Why is this family meeting excluding me?  It sounds more like an intervention than a little get together.”

“I promise to be back soon, and we’ll go somewhere nice to eat.  They can be a ruthless as a group.  There’s no reason for both of us to endure this.”

“They are your family, so it needs to be your decision,” she said with a shake of her head.

From the window, Carla watched his car pull away and sighed. 

Gabe and Hannah Cohen were born in Poland and had lived the horrors of the Holocaust.  In their early teen years, they were taken from their beautiful homes and dragged from one concentration camp to another.  Right after the war they met in a displaced persons camp, were married in Germany and then immigrated to the United States to live with relatives that had settled in Pittsburgh a generation earlier.  It was common among Holocaust survivors to want to marry quickly and have children; most of them lost loved ones in the war and desperately wanted to reconstruct their family.

Gabe’s uncle owned a furniture factory and took him under his wing.  Even without a formal education, he had a great head for business and had become extremely successful.  Hannah was a stay at home mom, not uncommon in those days.  They had three children - Debbie, Ariel and Michael.  Hannah and Gabe were extremely protective of their kids, as most survivors had been due to their ongoing irrational fear of losing family members.  While it isn’t uncommon for many parents to want to hover over and control their children, they took it to the extreme.  It wasn’t much of a problem when the kids were younger, but as they grew older each of them seemed to resent the intrusion to a different degree.  Debbie, the oldest, didn’t care for her parent’s idiosyncrasies but was usually willing to play their game.  After all, her parents were in a concentration camp living in hideous conditions for most of their teenage years, and she couldn’t see giving them any more grief.  Ariel and Michael, however, rebelled and that frequently got them into trouble.  Eventually, all three kids married within the Jewish faith, and they were very proud parents.  It was extremely important for them to keep the generations of Judaism alive and many felt it would be a tragedy to break the chain. Naturally, when Michael and Lilly divorced, his parents were devastated.  They believed that once married you stayed together, no matter what the circumstances.  Even though they didn’t know the details of what caused the breakup, they seemed to hold their son responsible.  Being pragmatic, Michael accepted this fate and didn’t keep in touch much.  That’s why his antenna shot up when a family meeting was called.  He figured he was the subject of an intervention, and Carla was probably the target.

Michael’s parents still resided in the heavily populated Jewish community of Squirrel Hill in the same home that he grew up in.  As he walked toward the house from his car, he had flashbacks of his childhood.  He still experienced bouts of anxiety around his folks and couldn’t shake his desire to keep some distance between them.  On one hand, he admired them greatly given all that they had experienced in their lives.  But there was always a bitter taste in his mouth.  He saw his father as a control freak - a man without emotion.  His mother, depressed most of the time, was generally unapproachable.  They kept the children safe and put food on the table, but there was little demonstrative love.  Most of the time, his parents were wrapped up in self-pity.  As a child he could hear them crying and pacing in the middle of the night due to bad dreams.  He assumed their unusual parenting techniques were, in part, what made him who he was today.  It always brings him full circle to the interesting nature vs. nurture discussion that he likes to have with Jason.  As far back as he could remember, he’d enjoyed being a dominant man and hoped to find a woman who would cherish the security and devotion that came with his life choice.  It didn’t really matter why, but he always wondered if the same lifestyle would have been as enticing if he’d been raised differently.  He found it ironic that Lilly had shown up again wanting and missing what they once had.  He certainly couldn’t and wouldn’t explain the reason for their breakup to his parents.  His D/s lifestyle was private and he wanted to keep it that way.  Unfortunately, he didn’t know how much information Lilly had shared with his sister, who rarely kept her mouth closed.

Debbie opened the front door.  “Michael, you’re on time as usual.”

“I have a bone to pick with you, but we’ll talk about that later.  What’s up with the folks and their cryptic meeting?”

“They’re in the living room waiting for us.”

Michael and Debbie rounded the corner to find Gabe and Hannah sitting on the couch holding hands.  They looked a bit more fragile since he’d last seen them.  They politely arose and each gave him an obligatory hug. 

“Michael we’re so happy you could find some time to visit,” Gabe said with a hint of sarcasm. 

“To be honest, I’m extremely curious to hear what this is all about.”

Gabe regained the touch of Hannah’s hand and cleared his throat.  “Michael, Debbie told us that Lilly is back in Pittsburgh, and we were hoping that there was a chance for some type of reconciliation.  You know how your mother and I feel about the way things ended between you two.  Isn’t it time you made things right again?”

Michael stood there stunned.  “Okay, let me understand this.  You called me over here to suggest that I consider taking Lilly back?”

“Michael, Lilly is still part of our family. She was your wife for better or worse.  Do you remember the vows you took in front of family, friends and God?  It’s not too late to make things right. This is a golden opportunity.” 

Hannah nodded in agreement. 

“You had a couple of rough patches, but nothing that can’t be overcome with a little willingness on both your parts.  It’s as simple as this. Lilly made a mistake, and now she wants you back.” Debbie walked over to their parents, physically presenting a united stand.

“I didn’t realize you were all experts on marital relationships,” Michael said.  “For God’s sake, Lilly and I are divorced, and your support should be with
me
.  I’m in love with someone else. Do any of you care how I feel?”

“I’m really not impressed with your ‘someone else’,” Debbie snapped.

“None of you have even met her.  And as for you, Debbie, it seems to me that your friendship with Lilly has clouded your opinion of Carla and that’s unfair!”  Michael’s gentle demeanor was being challenged.

“Enough.” Gabe angrily put one finger in the air.

“Carla isn’t Jewish, so she can’t be part of this family?  Is that what this is about?” Michael asked challenging his father.

“You’re engaged?” 

“We are.”  Michael’s tone was stern as he sat down in a large wingtip chair while trying to maintain his composure.  Bias and prejudice were ugly traits and, unfortunately, were alive and well in his family.  He didn’t condone it, but after all they’d been through  he understood why his parents were like this.  Debbie, on the other hand, was just a product of spending too much time with them.  Ariel might have been on his side, but she lived in New York and also didn’t keep in touch with them much.  It was obvious why they didn’t involve her.

Michael took a cleansing breath before he spoke.  “I can appreciate how you feel.  As adults, you have the right to either accept my choice or not.  Naturally, you will all be invited to the wedding.  I hope you decide to come and meet Carla and her family.  They are all warm, wonderful people.”  He didn’t wait for a reaction and got up from his chair.

“Would she consider conversion?” Hannah whined as she grabbed Michael’s arm.

He shook his head sadly and walked out the door.

Michael arrived home shortly thereafter.  Carla and Wally were at the door to meet him.  “How bad was it?”

Michael leaned over and patted Wally on the head.  “There’s nothing for you to worry about, I have it all under control.” 

“I’m not stupid, you know.  This was part two in a plot to get me out of the picture.  What’s next – are they planning to mug your blonde
shiksa
girlfriend on a dark street corner?” Her arms were crossed defensively.

“Your Yiddish is impressive, Peanut.  So where should we go for brunch?” Michael smiled nervously and tried to change the subject as he met her eyes.

“Michael, it didn’t work out the last time you tried to shield me.  I want to be included.  Please tell me what happened.”

“They’re upset that you aren’t Jewish, Carla.  Truthfully, I don’t think this is really about Lilly at all.  It would just be convenient for them to put us back together because she’s one of the clan.  Believe it or not, it’s a really big issue for them and I don’t like to talk about it because it’s hurtful.  We’re getting married, for God’s sake. This should be a happy time.” 

“You told them we’re getting married?”

Michael nodded.

“I’m stronger than you give me credit for.  Let’s do this together, okay?  Yes, in a perfect world it would be wonderful if your family loved me.  But we love
each other
, and that’s enough for me.  Besides, we always have my family, and they adore you!”

“I figured they would meddle when Lilly came back to town.  I thought I could be the hero and take care of things on my own.  It was important for me to be strong for both of us.  I’m so sorry this happened; I never meant to shut you out.  I wanted to protect you from them.”  He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

“You’re the strongest man I know, Dr. Cohen.  But together, we’re a force to be reckoned with.”

“I originally thought we’d go out to eat, but you look a little flushed.  Are you feeling okay?”

“Your family is emotionally exhausting.  I’m probably just tired.”

“Why don’t we stay in?  I’m certainly capable of preparing a couple of omelets, and we have some fresh fruit.  It might be a good idea for you to go upstairs and lie down for a while.”

“I don’t know what’s come over me.” Carla palmed her rosy cheeks and headed for the stairs.

Michael stood in the living room alone with his thoughts for a moment and then joined her upstairs in the bedroom.

“As much as I believe my family is capable of bringing on physical symptoms of anxiety, I want to make sure that you aren’t coming down with a virus, sweetie.  Maybe I should take your temperature.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary.  It’s probably just a hot flash.” She sat up on the bed quickly, a worried smile on her face.

“Carla, we both know you’re too young for hormonal imbalance symptoms.”  He shook his head, reached into the closet and pulled out a plastic box.  Turning around, he rotated his finger.  “Slide down those panties and roll over onto your side, please.”

“Really Michael, after all that went on with your family today, you want to play anal games?”

Ignoring her comment, he sat down on the side of the bed and coated the thermometer with lube.  “If I have to ask you to turn over one more time, the insertion will take place over my knee.  Is that position more appealing to you?”

“Not when there’s a mean looking flat-backed hairbrush on the dresser.”  She immediately pulled her panties down to her knees and rolled over onto her side.

“Good girl,” he said as he slowly lifted her skirt to reveal her naked backside.  “Bend your knees for me, please.”  He tenderly patted her fleshy buttocks with his hand.

“Would this be the wrong time to remind you that you’re not a medical doctor?  Although you constantly seem to be worried about my …. ahh!  Jesus, you could have warned me it was going in.”

“What? And take all the fun out of it?” He smiled and slowly moved the slick bulbous tip further into her anus. 

“It only needs to be in for three minutes,” she advised looking over her shoulder.

“As your doctor, I will decide how long to keep the thermometer in your bottom,” he retorted, gently pulling it out to the tip and gliding it all the way back in.

“Gaah!  Stop playing games!  You are a pervert, Dr. Cohen.”

“You’d better hope you are running a temperature, Ms. Campbell, because if you aren’t sick, the next thing to enter your lovely behind will be hard, but not so thin.” Michael grinned as he twisted and twirled the thermometer in her bum.

“Do you think this will divert my attention from your family’s antics, or are you really just amusing yourself on a Sunday afternoon?”

Michael removed and checked the thermometer.  “Your temperature is normal, so you might as well get comfortable while I prepare for a rectal exam,” he whispered in her ear as he pulled a latex glove from the plastic box.

Carla closed her eyes as Michael separated her cheeks and gently blew a breath of cool air on and around her shivering back entrance.