Airbag Thanksgiving: Absolution

****

Selena woke the next day with little idea of what happened though the crust on her mound and between her thighs told her she must have had sex with Ian the night before. She snuggled up to him as he lay there.

"At last, he's mine again," she muttered.

The soft whisper in her mind started up again.

Sure, based on Melissa's diary and knowledge. Are you sure you could

have ever won him without Melissa's help?

The snide sarcastic tone of the whisper had Selena's hackles up. Why was her victory and triumph always tainted by Melissa? Even in death, it seemed her sister would not allow her happiness.

Annoyed, she was determined not to use the knowledge she had gleaned from Melissa's diary. After all, she told herself as she looked in the mirror, smoothing her hands over her impressive cleavage and narrow waist, that she was in great shape. And she was fully confident that Ian had feelings for her, so seducing him would be simple. She would just have to play up her assets, she thought as she grinned and thrust out her tits.

It didn't turn out as simple as she thought it would. There was plenty of awkwardness and Ian gave her an odd look when she fumbled. They ended up not having sex but falling asleep in an embrace, each frustrated and neither willing to ask or probe. The failure of the attempt and the humiliation she felt drove Selena to greater dependence upon Melissa's diary. She pored over every detail, determined to overcome the failure she'd experienced.

Selena did it by the numbers, Ian seemed helpless every time she employed Melissa's tactics. The immense pleasure and satisfaction every time she brought Ian to a shuddering climax was marred only by two seemingly insignificant points. The first was the reminder that all the success she had in seducing Ian was attributable to Melissa, the idea of which was rankling at best and at worst, ate at her like acid. The second, more puzzling and insidious, though she was unconscious of it at the time was the tendency for her to black out every time she was intimate with Ian while using the approaches she had learn from Melissa's diary.

Apart from the first time she experienced it, Selena had no real idea how she seemed to fall into unconsciousness every time things heated up between Ian and her. She barely remembered much more than kissing Ian deeply and his hands sweeping over her tits before darkness claimed her. Waking up, often the next day, she had to surmise that she had such a great time that she blacked out from the pleasure and could only tell from her sore or tender nether lips or the dried cum and her swollen, bitten nipples that Ian had spent another night making passionate love ending in an explosive climax in her.

Ian never seemed to mention anything but he often covertly observed her, trying almost to discern if Selena detected anything amiss.

****

Ian

I could never reveal it but things had become really strange just before Christmas, going into the New Year. Yes, it was fantastic when Selena and I finally got together, sexually speaking. I tried hard to get Melissa out of my mind. The guilt was what made me see Melissa. She was dead and I killed her, that was why I saw her face in the most explosive climax I had had since I separated from Melissa.

Only after I continued to see Melissa's face each time I made love to Selena did I know things weren't that simple. Gradually, it became Melissa's pussy that I pounded, Melissa's tits that I worshipped and Melissa's cries that sounded out in the bedroom. Lacking a logical explanation for all of this, I began to blame the similarity in features between the two sisters that I'd talked about before. I even suggested to Selena that she should change her appearance, such as going redhead. Unfortunately, none of it worked. Melissa never failed to appear. Though it was logically impossible, my dead cheating wife found her way back into my bed. And instead of the expected disgust, I only felt the rush of lust and perhaps a slight assuaging of the guilt that had haunted me since her death. Perhaps it was all my guilty conscience at work hoping I could somehow find peace with her after death.

Then parts of the truth started to emerge. And it all started with the housekeeper. Now, Selena never quite liked the housekeeper. It could be because she was Melissa's hire but I doubt that was the entire story.

The housekeeper was one of those old fashioned ladies who were silent but efficient. I think that she seemed to want to tell me about something on several occasions, including the first time I brought Melissa back from the police station but she never did. I wonder now, knowing what I know, if things would have been different if she had spoken up.

Hindsight is always 20/20 but regrets are useless. As for the housekeeper, I could really find no reason to fire her. Selena may be a fantastic engineer but she was no Martha Stewart. Neither was Melissa, though before our marriage started falling apart, she was managing things pretty well. She'd only hired the housekeeper after she started her decline into alcoholism. One of the reasons why I refused to fire the housekeeper was how close the children were to her. For all of Selena's opinions about how easily the children accepted the loss of their mother, I was still concerned that the children were suppressing anxiety. While I didn't detect any sign of cruelty or neglect or anything negative in Selena's attitude towards the children, it was clear, at least to me, they were slightly uneasy with her. Particularly my eldest, Piper, and where Piper went, Steve followed. And it became worse after she moved into my bedroom openly. While life continued almost normally, Selena was taking every chance to become more intimate with me and to get pregnant. In her marriage to Todd, she failed to get pregnant and seeing my children as a bond with Melissa, she was more determined than ever to get pregnant. My children became closer to the housekeeper and a little distant from me, I didn't blame them though I felt a little hurt. Considering they had to deal with a whole lot over the last year or so: they had two relative strangers move in with their parents ; one was their mother's lover, Johnny, albeit he stayed in the guest bedroom, the other was an aunt they rarely saw apart from some holidays; my moving out, their mother's decline into alcoholism and the loss of their mother; they held up pretty well.

The housekeeper was not exactly doing much to ingratiate herself with Selena since she often gave her that silent look of disapproval, particularly after she started openly sleeping in my room. And there were times when I caught her staring at Selena with an odd expression on her face and making the sign of the cross surreptitiously. When Selena announced she was pregnant just before summer, things worsened and it came to a head when we got married right after her announcement. The children effectively retreated from both of us and clung almost exclusively to the housekeeper. Selena was convinced that she had an agenda and was deliberately setting them against us. To Selena, the children always seemed happy and comfortable around us until the housekeeper appeared on her daily routine. That was how things seemed to her. I never really realised how subjective Selena's views were till we lived together. I guess I should have known when she put the blame for my marriage solely on Melissa. And because Selena was reluctant to blame me for my role in eventually marrying her sister, I knew instinctively that she blamed my eldest as well since Melissa and I got married largely because she was pregnant with our Piper.

Thinking back, both sisters were manipulative. While Melissa managed to trap me with the child, Selena had strategically lost her virginity to me when we were drunk. Selena was simply outclassed and not an innocent.

It's funny how the truth reveals itself in the least expected way. Things became tense when Selena and I turned up at a parent teacher meeting and my eldest, Piper, corrected the new teacher who'd mistaken Selena for her mom. Selena flushed with anger and embarrassment when my daughter said, " No, that's not my mom. She's my aunt, mom's sister. She's dad's new wife."

I suddenly felt awkward but there was no denying facts. Selena was visibly upset and ranted at me all the way home, making me glad that Piper had decided to go for a sleepover at her friend's house that night.

When we reached the house, she was almost hysterical. And she ended with a demand to fire the housekeeper, who she was convinced was behind the effort to "discredit" her with the children. In an effort to get her to calm down, I agreed to talk to the housekeeper. Selena stormed off to the bedroom while I went to look for the housekeeper reluctantly since she was probably blameless. The housekeeper listened silently as I tried to explain the situation. She nodded and sighed before she packed up her meagre bag of belongings and stood to leave. She hesitated before turning the knob of the door. Then she handed me a small bag of what looked like burnt ashes.

"What is this?"

"New madam was burning this just before Christmas last year. Old madam," she crossed herself before continuing. "Old madam said to save this. She said she cannot leave because you didn't read these."

I was so stunned by what I'd heard that I had to run to catch up with her as she was half way down the street by the time I'd reached the front door.

"Wait, please let me drive you. I need to hear all that you know."

We were both aware that Selena was watching from the bedroom window. I ran back for the car and drove the housekeeper to her living quarters. On the way there, she described what happened that day I'd gone shopping with the children just before last Chrstmas. I was flabbergasted as she confirmed having seen Melissa or rather an apparition.

So it wasn't guilt or imagination, Melissa's spirit was somehow still wandering around. I was sure fear and horror was showing on my face. Fortunately, the housekeeper, who was the only one to witness that look probably thought it was the usual fear of the supernatural. The housekeeper patiently explained that according to the apparition, she couldn't leave until she had something from me.

I thought cynically if Melissa was referring to my life in return for hers. The housekeeper saw the dread on my face and explained that it all had to do with what Selena was burning. So the answers lay with Selena. The prospect of confronting her was not exactly one I looked forward to.

I returned to the house only to be confronted by an angry Selena who was angered by the fact that I'd driven the housekeeper home. She was taken aback when I set the small bag of ashes on the dining table.

"What is that?"

"It's the remnants of what you were burning just before Christmas in the backyard."

Selena's face went white but she sought to cover her guilt and fear.

"That's nonsense! I never burnt anything."

She started ranting and eventually turned it into a crying bout, blaming me for believing in an outsider rather than her, my wife.

"I love you so much, I-I even kept quiet about what you did at Thanksgiving. B-but you'd rather believe a housekeeper than me."

'Well, she's never lied to me' was the thought that flitted through my mind. While I thought it, I knew better than to say it out loud.

She sobbed and had her head in her hands. She didn't see my face or the myriad of emotions I was sure was plainly clear to anyone observing the scene. Not only did Selena know what I'd done to Melissa, she had kept silent all this time. Out of love or so she said. But now she was using it as an emotional lever against me.

Now, my loving wife was using her knowledge of what happened to Melissa to guilt trip me. To say that this made me see Selena in a whole new light is an understatement. I could feel a new emotion creep into the feelings I had for Selena. Vaguely, I recalled feeling the same when I'd found out about Melissa's betrayal.

I stood up with leaden feet. I'd done the dumbest thing: go from one conniving scheming bitch to another. I guess my happily ever after pronouncement was premature.

Well, better that you see the truth of it now than later.

I didn't have to search my memory for the identity of that whisper that sounded in my mind then. It was Melissa. I was about to step out of the bedroom when Selena ran up and hugged me.

"Ple-eas-ee believe m-me. I wouldn't do anything to hur-rt y-ou. I'm not like her, I really lo-love you."

I sighed. I had to make the best of the situation. A second divorce drama in a year would simply kill any chance of restoring normality to the family.

"Then just tell me the truth. What did you burn?"

I could feel Selena stiffen behind me and the shake of her head.

"I didn't burn anything," she insisted stubbornly. "Why won't you believe me?"

A sudden suspicion struck me.

"Was it Melissa's diary? Was that why it wasn't on my office desk as she said?"

Selena had backed away and was glaring at me with accusing eyes.

"No, I never saw her diary. Why won't you believe me? She's dead! Why is that dead conniving bitch more important than me?"

She shrieked that last accusation. My ears were filled with her angry rant but the voice that rang out next overwhelmed my brain.

You lying bitch! You read and kept most of my diary after stealing it from Ian's office. You tore out the most important part, the truth, and you burnt it!

Selena's eyes were wide with fear and I knew right away that she had heard the voice as well. That and the fact that she'd been exposed.

As a vision of Melissa appeared, glowing in iridescent light, Selena shrieked and hid behind me.

You denied me the final step towards peace and you'll have to pay for it!

Melissa's face was calm and her lips barely moved but her voice clearly sounded in both our minds.

"Melissa, please, don't hurt your sister. She's pregnant with my child and she can't take the stress."

I tried to plead with the spirit of my dead wife.

Ian, are you sure it's her child? Didn't you tell her what happened every time you guys went to bed?

There was a faint mocking tone in her last words.

"Ian, what's going on? What's she talking about?"

There was no escape, it would be worse coming from Melissa.

"I don't know how it happened but every time we were in bed, somehow Melissa was the one with me."

Selena looked at me in horror, shaking her head.

That's right, you husband stealing bitch of a sister! You're carrying my and Ian's child. It's in you but it isn't your love child.

"Noooo!!"

Selena shrieked as she ran out of the room and headed for the garage. I stared at Melissa in rage and horror.

"Why? Why destroy my chance at happiness, Melissa? Didn't you do enough in the past?"

I didn't do anything Ian. The moment you decided to kill me, it set things in motion. Still, I was willing to forgive and move on. I felt I owed you that much. But after she stole my diary and denied me absolution, it was no longer possible for forgiveness and I couldn't move on. I'm stuck here.

I stared dumbstruck. Of course, I guess she'd have known that I was responsible for her death. But it never occurred to me that she could have brought herself to forgive me.

Selena ran crying from the bedroom, I was about to follow but Melissa stood there looking sadly at me. Rage and grief fought within me as I realised that in life as in death, I was still caught between the two sisters. Suddenly I felt exhausted and after hearing the slam of the nearest door, indicating Selena's retreat into the guest bedroom, I slumped down on the bed.

" Why, Melissa? Why are you still hurting me? Haven't you done enough over the last 9 years?"

She shimmered, almost as if she tried to reach out to comfort me. Her hand stopped short of my cheek and I felt only a whisper of air brush past me.

I'm so sorry for all the hurt I've caused you in the past, Ian. Things weren't supposed to turn out this way. If only I'd told you the whole truth.. If only you had known.. If only you could read the truth...

"But why hurt Selena? She has done nothing to you. She loves our kids and is helping us all move on."

If ever an apparition could look annoyed, Melissa probably looked the picture of it.

Are you really sure she loves our kids? Can't you see how she really feels about Piper and Steve? Maybe you're just too blinded by her tits to see anything.

I gave her one of my usual looks that told her she was getting nowhere.

And you're wrong to say she's done nothing to me. She knew before Thanksgiving what condition I was in. She sensed it but she was just too intent on winning you over that she simply didn't bother to keep her claws off you and you were so distracted by her boobs all night that you didn't think about what you learnt when you came back, such as the information about Johnny's sleeping arrangement in this house. Then it was all too late and you did what you did.

She saw my grimace and mercifully refrained from further mention of my deed.

"That's all in the past, Melissa. Move on, we all have to."

If you've never had ghostly eyes fixed on you, you will never know the chill that ran through me when I saw Melissa's eyes flashing at me.

That's another thing Selena has stood in the way of. The truth she burnt was my path out of this limbo. Perhaps you should ask your new wife why she did that? Why was she so afraid you'd read the truth?

Her agitation was obvious as the shimmering intensified.

If you don't read the truth Ian, I will never have absolution and neither will you and neither of us will ever be freed from this situation. For all her brains, Selena simply can't understand what she did.

Then the shimmering stopped but the sinister expression that replaced it and spread across Melissa's face sent more chills running through me.

Selena has no idea what her childish selfish act has done but soon, my dear big sister will find out the price she has to pay for it.

"Don't you dare hurt her and my child!" I yelled at Melissa.

That's my child too Ian! But it's out of my hands now. Selena was greedy and spiteful, she happily seduced you using what she learnt from my diary but chose to kill the truth. She killed a part of me and any chance I had of absolution. The minute she burnt the truth, she set things in motion that no one can stop. Just like you did when you replaced the fuses.

Fear pulsed in every cell of my body as I heard what she said. Of course she knew what I had done. Before I could even begin to explain myself, she disappeared.

Just what did she mean about Selena's child being her child too? What will happen to us? Questions that had no answers danced restlessly through my mind till my guts knotted in anxiety.

A tentative twist of the handle told me Selena had finally returned to our bedroom.

"Is she gone?"

Her timid question seemed at odds with her earlier defiance and rage. She looked in equal parts fearful and angry as she walked into the room, after verifying that no apparition was awaiting her in the room.

"How could she? Why can't she leave us alone?" She whined as she sat herself down on the bed next to me. Her eyes kept watching me as she tried to decipher my mood.

I opted for the direct approach.

"What did you do to Melissa's diary?"

She sputtered, as if outraged by my question before she replied.

"Nothing! I told you. Don't you trust me?"

"Look, Selena, whatever you did, we need to rectify it. The safety of our child and you may be at stake."