After
their misunderstanding, Luke and Dollie make up.
"And
I love you, Lucius Henry. Dorothea Henry," she mused. "That's
pretty. I'll be so proud to have your name and your babies."
They
started walking down the hill back to the girls' dorm.
"How
many kids you want?"
Dollie
shrugged. "We'll figure it out when it happens."
"Reckon
we will. I best say goodnight, Dollie."
As
there were others around, he kissed her hand before seeing her
inside. Will waited for him, Patty already having gone inside. He
wished Dollie a good night as well. They waited until she was inside
before heading back to the Henry cabin.
Inside,
Dollie was confronted by her sister. Patty was fixing tea. Pointing
to Dollie's chair, she insisted that the younger Belloit take a seat.
"We've
got some things to discuss," Patty said as she poured tea.
"About
the wedding?"
"Kind
of. Dollie, I know you're completely ignorant of the ways of men and
women. I was too till Rachel told me."
"That
must have been embarrassing."
"Extremely.
But when she saw things getting serious between Will and me, she told
me what I needed to know so it wouldn't be a shock."
"Is
it that bad?"
Patty's
face softened. "Oh, no, honey. It's beautiful! It's just a bit
startling if you don't know what to expect."
Dollie
leaned forward, blushing a deep red. "Patty, what is it that
grows in their pants?"
Patty
burst out laughing. "Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. Let's start at the
beginning."
She
had a very frank conversation with her sister. Patty told Dollie even
more than Rachel had told her, surprised at how much knowledge she
had. She and Will hadn't been together more than half a dozen times,
but she'd learned a great deal about men in the meantime. Coupled
with what Rachel had said, she was able to give Dollie a very clear
picture indeed. Her younger sister didn't know whether to be
disgusted or interested. She tried to hide her curiosity, but
couldn't. Frankly, she was intrigued by the entire process.
"Does
it hurt?" she asked quietly, about an hour later.
"A
little the first time, but you soon forget. Mostly it feels grand!"
Her eyes sparkled and she sighed happily. "When you love each
other, there's no better way to show it."
"Lucius
said the same thing. But people do this even when they aren't in
love."
"Yes,
they do. The human body needs certain things, Dollie. Especially men.
They go plumb crazy when they don't."
"But
why?"
"That
I don't know, except that's how God made 'em. So when Lucius gets a
little fresh, and he will, it's not because he's trying to hurt you,
it's cause he honest to God can't help it. So don't get mad. If you
aren't comfortable with it, you tell him so and he'll try. But you
can't make a man wait forever, Dollie. Not when he loves as hard as
Luke."
"Patty,
thank you. I feel a lot better now. It was the not knowing."
"I
know, honey. I was terrified and relieved all at once when Rachel
talked to me. She said more women should tell their daughters.
There'd be a lot less trouble in a marriage if women know about it."
"But
it's wonderful?"
Patty
took her sister's hands, face glowing. "Oh, Dollie, it is.
You'll see. It'll get so you can't get enough of each other. I tell
you, my wedding can't come fast enough. I can hardly stand to be
around Will without wanting to rip his clothing off!" She
giggled, covering her mouth as she blushed. "You'll think I'm a
wanton!"
Dollie
hugged her sister. "No, I think you're the luckiest woman
alive."
Setting
that matter aside, they talked about the wedding as they got ready
for bed. Far later than they usually went to bed, the finally turned
out their lights and fell asleep. Dollie could feel Lucius' strong
arms around her as she lay in her bed. She knew he was thinking about
her.
"I
love you," she said in her mind, feeling the words as she spoke
them.
A
warm thrill came back and the arms around her tightened in a hug.
Rolling on her side, she snuggled into Lucius' embrace, content.
Luke
lay in his bed thinking of Dollie. He couldn't sleep for a long time,
his body craving hers. Thumping his pillow, he rolled on his side,
shifting to get more comfortable. He hadn't shared with Will in a
couple years and he wasn't used to having his brother in the bed. It
was wide enough for two, but he'd grown accustomed to sprawling.
A
fist punched him in the ribs. "Settle down over there,"
Will grumbled, half asleep. "Yee Gods, Luke. You got ants in
your britches?"
©
2019 Dellani Oakes
No comments:
Post a Comment