The Hardest Part is the Night

Chapter 25

Leaving the kitchen and walking up the stairway back to the guest room, I grabbed a knapsack from the den to put my dirty laundry and other clothes in that I had found lying around. They didn't quite fit me yet, but would.
Before heading back to see Mara I needed to head back home and grab a few things and make reservations at a local motel to cut the travelling time.  I figured I could ask Jessie to surf the net and get me the best place, knowing my mind and computers, urghhh I just didn't get the hype! I had no urge or desire to search the so called world wide web. Why the fuck did technology have to change. I was happy with vinyl and newspapers, and  video's, what the fuck are DVD's anyway, bad enough vinyl was dead and had been replaced by CD..... my mind continued to wonder as I carried on collecting my clothes, down stairs, the sounds of Dottie sobbing, could still be heard.

Questioning myself, what the fuck had I done to make her think I wanted to try with her again?.
Was the reason because I had agreed to stop over?, can't be, I took the guest room, was it because I got the take out for us all, and we sat together eating as a family?, nope, racking my brains I kept searching for the answer but came up blank, while packing in a world of my own, my thoughts were interrupted by a gentle knocking on my door. As the door opened, I turned to see Jessie standing before me.
"Hey pop, you sleep well?"
Yeah, you know I did, what's up?"
"Yeah, sorry, ..... Pop there's something I think you need to know.... I've been thinking about it all morning...well all night... . "
I watched Jessie trying to talk, he was really struggling to explain what he wanted to say. Sitting on the bed I patted beside me for him to sit with me. Jessie, walked across the room and sat.
"What is it?"
"Pop,..... last night......"
"Yeah,"
"Well, ...... god this is hard,.... it's embarrassing...... shit...."
"What is? Jess if ya don't tell ya ol man, I can't help ya?, c'mon take a deep breath and just say it?"
Putting my arm on Jessie's back, I encouraged  him to say what was troubling him.
"Ok, dad, I'm guessing hearing Mom crying she has told you right?,"
"your mom has told me, she wants us to try again; but Jess, I can't do that. I have moved on, and this is hard to say, especially to you son, but I love your Mom, but I am in love with someone else. I told yer Mom as gently as I could and that's why she is crying. I am sorry, the last thing I wanted was to upset your Mom..."
"Dad, stop, that's not it...it's not you, it's Mom, that's what I am trying to tell you."
confused, I had no idea what my eldest son was trying to tell me, when he did, I was not prepared for what I heard.
"Pop, last night, after we carried you to bed, mom and me that is, we laid you on the bed and mom said she would get you ready for bed and meet us back downstairs for the movie. Steph, Jake and me headed back off back to the theatre room and left mom with you. She was with you for about an hour, I'm guessing. Some time later I headed to the kitchen and was fixing to get some juice for Steph, me and jakey. I thought I'd just check on Mom as she had been gone so long. I called up to see if she was ok and needed a drink too. She didn't  answer, so I walked back upstairs, back to the guest room.
when I got there the door was slightly open, and as I went to walk in I saw Mom....."
"Saw mom?"
"Yeah, I saw mom, she was...."
"She was what?"
"Mom, she was.... jeez, how can I say this...."
"Just say it Jess"
"ok, she had her hand in your shorts, she was masturbating you..... while you slept.....pop, I'm sorry, I aint slept, I kept thinking I should have shouted at her, done something, but I was stunned. I,I,I really did not know what to do."
I sat shocked, and looking at my son  and digesting what he had just told me.
Jessie, was sitting with his leg under his butt, his head down in shame, looking at his hands resting on his thighs. lifting his chin I got him to look at me.
"Jess, its ok really, thanks bud, that couldn't have been easy for you. I will have a word with ya Mom and don't worry ok, Just promise me, you won't tell Steph and Jakey about any of this ok?"
"Sure pop."
Getting off the bed Jess walked to the door and turned to look at me, "Pop, can we spend some time with you today?"
"Sure, I was gonna do some shopping, you and the guys wanna join me?"
"Yeah great, I'll let um know to get ready."
Leaving my room, I  just sat thinking on what my son had told me. Shock ran through my body. Could Jess have been mistaken?, Could Dot really have stooped so low?, Had I encouraged her to have behaved in that way? had dot lost all sense of reason? Was she paying me back for all the hurt in the past? What the fuck.... the more I thought the madder I was getting. I had to talk to Dot.
Leaving the guest room I headed back down stairs to the kitchen. Dot was stood at the sink. Still the tears were falling.
"Dot?"
She jumped and turned around to look at me. "Jon" Her eye's were red and swollen from crying.
"We need to talk"
wiping her eye's with a paper tissue,
"Sure, what is it?"
"Dot last night, what happened?"
"what do you mean?"
"I mean what happened, one minute I am sat with you guy's, this morning I wake up in the guest room, stripped down to just my shorts, what happened."
"Really? you are asking me that?,"
"Yeah... tell me"
"It's simple, Jess and me carried you to bed I thought you would have figured that out already."
"Yeah, who undressed me Dot?"
"We did."
"We?"
"Yeah, Jon what are you getting at?"
"I'm just asking?, you let my kids undress me?"
"Well no.... not exactly"
"not exactly, so... what then?"
"I undressed you and covered you over with the blanket. What's the problem Jon?, we did used to be married"
"Yeah we did,.... but was putting your hands down my shorts while I slept acceptable too Dot?"
Dot sat looking at me shocked and stunned at what I had said.
"You, you, know about that?..... Jon, I am sorry.... you were asleep.... I know I should not have done that.... but.... well... I wanted you.... I wanted to share your body last night....I...."
"While I slept Dot? you wanted to sleep with me while I slept?"
"Jon, I know I was wrong?"
"Oh you know you were wrong do you? So what the fuck were you playing at? Do you wanna scar our kids for life?"
"I-I-I-I Don't... what do you mean scar the kids for life?"
"What I say Dot, one of our kids saw you."
"How?....your lying"
"Dot seriously?, I'm lying? how the fuck would I know what you were doing I was asleep. Dot one of our kids saw what you did to me. let me tell you I am fucking pissed right now. Pissed at what my kids told me, and pissed at you for what you did to me."
walking back to the kitchen door, I turned back to look at Dot. She stood still shocked at what I had told her.
I said nothing more and headed up stair's to grab my bag and the kids. Dot's voice could be heard as I left. "Jon, I am sorry, what are you gonna do? Jon, Jon,Jon"
I ignored her and carried on climbing the stairs.