Ann: A Love Story Ch. 35

Ann saw me looking at her, and said, "Val asked Aunt Helen if she could watch Christina on her day off so she wouldn't have to put her in daycare. Helen said she would, but only if it was on a day that Dale was working too. Otherwise, she wasn't going to do what he should be doing. Val thought that was unfair."

"Really? Val strikes me as being pretty sharp. Doesn't she get how stupid that is?"

"I guess not. I really don't understand it either. Val was always a stand up girl growing up. And truthfully, Dale's a big wimp. And now that they have a kid, if she would put her foot down, their marriage would be a lot better. She's working her ass off, and he's still being one of the guys. He's not taking any responsibility. I think she thinks he'll cheat on her again, so she doesn't push it. Anyway, I wasn't going to get in the middle of their argument, so I left."

"Well, maybe we just need to find another way to help her," I said as I looked at Christina, tickling her under her soft chin and making her smile.

"What...what are you thinking about doing?" Ann said, seeing the mischievous look on my face.

"I don't know, babe. I'm making this up as I go."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dale was shaking my hand, but he barely acknowledged me. In fact, I'm not sure he took his eyes off the screen. He was exactly as I pictured him. He was shorter than me, by a good 4 inches or so. That was if I guessed right, since he never bothered to get up to greet me. He was probably a good 75 pounds overweight, and it was obvious from his flabby soft handshake that he hadn't done an honest days work in his life. Sluggo fit, in the sense of him being slug like. But Slobbo was probably closer to the truth. It made me wonder how an attractive woman like Val would have fallen for him in the first place...not to mention take him back after he cheated on her. And that made me wonder what kind of woman would find him attractive enough to fuck him on the side.

"You have a beautiful daughter, Dale," I said, bobbing up and down with Christina in my left arm, making her laugh a little.

Dale took a swig of beer, and tore his eyes off the screen. "What...oh...yeah. Thanks." Then he went right back to watching the game.

I stood there a minute with Ann by my side, watching the game with him. Ann just shook her head, disgusted by Dale's behavior. I smiled at her.

"Okay then...nice to meet you there, Dale," I said as I turned to walk away. He put up his hand in a half-hearted wave, shouting at the screen over a fumble.

"See," Ann said, staring at the floor as we walked.

"Yeah. He's a gem. But he's so predictable that it's really going to make this easy. I just have to be me."

"What are you talking about?" "You just make sure Val is paying attention. Okay?"

"Uh...okay," she said, rolling her eyes as she smiled at me.

~*~*~*~*~*~

I was lying on the floor in the same room with Dale, off to the side out of the way. I'd found some of Christina's toys, and I sat her down with me. We'd been playing together for about a half-hour, with either Ann or Helen popping their heads around the corner from time to time, always followed by a quick peek from Val. I did a pretty good job of hiding the fact that I could see them out of the corner of my eye, but I couldn't help but smile whenever Ann looked my way.

I was actually having a great time. Christina was a handful, but like any baby, she just needed some attention every now and then. She still wasn't crawling that much, but she was very active, wanting to touch whatever she could and put it in her mouth. I knew from the drool that she must have been teething. But at least she wasn't cranky.

The loud sound of a motorcycle pulled up next to the back of the house, near the windows. Actually, I knew from the pitch that it was a dirt bike. It startled Christina, and she started to cry. I picked her up and looked outside. There was a young guy covered in dust taking off his helmet, his bike parked in a spot that was obviously reserved for it. Ann stuck her head around the corner and said, "Sean's home."

"I heard," I said, soothing Christina, "Come on, princess. Let's go see your Uncle."

Sean was a strapping young man, just short of my 6 feet, but built like a house of bricks. He was tan and fit...the polar opposite of the man Val married. His shaggy brown hair was matted to his head as he patted at his jeans, trying to get dirt off of them. He was ruggedly handsome, and at 22, he was three years younger than his sister was. His steely gray eyes smiled as he saw his niece in my arms.

"Hello, munchkin! Who do you have with you? You must be Neil," he said, sticking out his hand.

"Sean, nice to meet you," I said, grateful to see he had a personality, and an undeniable love for the girl I was holding.

"She's amazing, isn't she?"

"She sure is," I said.

He held her for a little bit, much to his sister's chagrin, because he was dirty. But she didn't stop him. I could tell from the moment that Christina was in his arms that she got more attention from Sean than she did from her own father. I tried not to react to that, but I had a hard time shaking it from my brain. Still, Sean was a kid himself, so whatever he did wasn't enough. And I'm sure it wasn't anything like what Val needed.

Sean handed Christina back to me, and went in to take a shower. Walking back into the house, Ann went back to the kitchen to help Helen and Val with dinner. And I noticed Christina needed changing. It was hard not to.

"Val, where's your diaper bag?"

"Oh...I'll take care of that," she said as she started to round the corner.

"Val!" I said kind of sharply, making her stop in her tracks.

"What!"

"I only asked you where the bag was. It wasn't like I was announcing that you needed to do it. Now...where is it?"

"It's...over..." She didn't finish her sentence, but she pointed to a chair in the corner. I smiled and nodded, and grabbed the bag, heading into the family room.

Setting everything on the floor near where we had played, I pulled out diaper changing pad, and went to work. Dale was still intently watching the football game, and drinking his beer. Or, he was intently drinking his beer and watching the game. It was had to tell. But I was oblivious to him, and so was Christina. I went about cleaning up her up and changing her diaper. She appeared to have a little diaper rash, and I was putting some baby powder on her bottom when I realized I had an audience. Not only were all of the women standing there watching me, there was also a rugged gentleman.

I looked up with a smile, and nodded toward him. "Hi, you must be Mr. Franklin."

"Marty. And you must be the most impressive young man that I've ever met," he said, sticking out his hand. I wiped mine off with a baby wipe, and I dried it on my jeans before shaking it.

"What makes you say that?" I said, as I put Christina's little pink shorts back on her, sitting her on her rear and handing her a toy so I could put away the stuff in the diaper bag.

"Well, Christina's been with us for nine months, and I guarantee you that you're the first man that's ever changed her diaper."

I looked over at Dale, who couldn't pretend he didn't hear it. He was turning beat red, and took another sip of beer to try and appear like he didn't know what was going on.

"Who's winning the game, Dale!" Marty shouted.

Dale was startled, and said, "Uh...uh...I think it's..."

"Stanford's winning 24-14," I said as I got up with the diaper and the diaper bag. I took the bag back and put it on the chair it was on, and then I found a trash can in the garage and put the dirty diaper in it. When I got back to the living room, they were all still standing there like they'd taken root, and they stared at me like I was some kind of alien. All except for Ann; her face was beaming, and the sparkle in her eyes told me she was not only happy, she was a little turned on. It seemed like an odd reaction, but I loved it all the same.

Christina fussed a little, and I bent down and picked her up. Her mood changed as soon as I spoke to her.

"God...he's superman," Helen said as she watched me stick my knuckle in Cristina's mouth.

"Very funny...Val do you have a teething ring?" I asked.

"It's in the fridge...I'll get..."

"Nah...you rest. I can handle it," I said as I took off, returning a minute later with a baby in a much better disposition.

"Son, where in world did you learn all of this?" Marty asked.

"All of what?" I asked, bouncing Christina again.

"Changing diapers, for one," Val asked, her mouth still open in either shock or awe...I wasn't sure which.

"I...used to have a niece," I said with a shrug.

"What do you mean, you USED to?" Marty asked.

"Well, divorces can be funny things, Marty. Take me for instance. I knew I'd never get the twenty-something grand back I wasted trying to cure the ex of her eating disorder. And I expected to lose the house, and a car that I loved, and pretty much half of everything else. I came to grips with those things long before she filed...I knew it was likely going to be that way. But you realize what's really precious during a divorce when you lose something you didn't expect to, and I never thought I'd lose Maddie."

"Who's Maddie?" Helen asked.

"Maddie is Madeline, and she was my niece. I lost the honor of calling her that in the divorce. Most of the time, people choose sides in a divorce. But sometimes, they don't. They can't. Who they are decides that for them. And in the case of my ex-wife, her sister had to choose her...which meant Maddie was a casualty of the war between the two of us."

Ann came over and hugged me. "God Neil, that must have been awful. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I only think happy thoughts when I'm around you, Ann."

"Still, baby...I never knew that was a part of the divorce. That's just..." Ann couldn't find a way to finish her thought as she looked at me.

"You know, I used to wonder why a lot. Like, why did I let myself get so close to her in the first place, only to have that robbed from me," I said, smiling at Christina, who was hugging my neck. "But now I know why. It was for times like this. And hopefully, that experience will make me a better parent someday."

Marty stared at me, and then looked over at Dale, who was still immersed in the game. Looking back towards me, he said, "So, let me get this straight. You're playing with Christina, you're changing her diaper, you're taking care of her teething, and you STILL know the score of the game?"

"I don't have to watch it to know the score, Marty. I have ears. Besides, she's just getting to the point where you really can't afford to leave her alone on the floor. She's about to crawl any day."

"And you know all this because you were an Uncle?"

"Well, I babysat Maddie a few times. But I'd like to think that it's more common sense than anything else."

Marty face turned to a scowl as he looked over at Dale, who turned his body slightly to shield himself. But I knew from his body language that he heard me. And I think he even understood, when Marty said, "There are a lot of common people in this world, Neil. But there are quite a few that don't have any common sense at all."

Val's eyes glossed over. It was like she'd had them opened to her for the first time. Helen lovingly put her arm around her daughter, and said, "You know, I think it's time for dinner."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Christina was sitting on my lap, and I was feeding her some corn niblets while I ate my shredded pot roast. Helen had made a delicious roast with thick brown gravy, and I was having an open-faced sandwich on some thick toasted bread. That along with mashed potatoes and corn, and a nice fresh garden salad. I was in heaven. So was Christina, who was enjoying the mashed potatoes and corn along with me.

"Neil, why don't you put her in her high chair and enjoy your meal?" Helen said for at least the fourth time.

"Really, Aunt Helen...I'm fine. I am enjoying my meal. Look at her!" Helen grinned from me calling her 'Aunt', her head tilted to one side as she eyed her granddaughter.

"I can't believe I haven't given her anything like that before. She loves it," Val said, sitting across from us in bewilderment.

It became a raucous table. Starting with the fact that Marty couldn't keep his eyes, and occasionally his hands, off of Helen. The outfit she was wearing had done the trick, and while he'd tried to control himself at first, the fact that Ann and I were being overtly sexual in our banter seemed to get the better of him. I could tell his hand would move to Helen's leg every once in a while, and on one occasion, she gave me little grin and winked at me.

Ann and I had Marty and Helen in stitches, and Sean and I seemed to hit it off really well. We had the same sense of humor, and he found himself comfortable joking with both Ann and me. I got the impression that he didn't show that side of himself often, and Marty was laughing hysterically at a couple of the things we said back and forth. The more we laughed, the more Val lit up. And the more Val seemed to come alive, the more active and happy Christina became. She was banging her little hands on the table, practically demanding more food.

"Here princess," I said as I offered her another kernel of corn.

Everyone at the table was smiling and laughing. All except Dale, who sat silently at one of the corners of the long table, staring at his plate, playing with his food. He was distant, like he had been all day. But I knew it was for different reasons this time.

"Dale, you're not eating. Are you okay?" Helen said, her motherly tone showing she cared for him, even if she didn't like how he acted all the time.

"Huh...uh, oh...I'm fine. Just not that hungry, I guess."

"Damn, that's a first," Sean said with a laugh. "Usually we have to pray we get any food when you're at the table."

Marty sarcastically added, "That's what happens when you drink your dinner. Hops and barley will fill you up."

"Marty!" Helen snapped, just before she smacked her husband on the arm. Marty let out a yelp, which made Christina cackle. "Sorry dear," he said as he comically rubbed his arm.

"Yeah guys, lighten up. I think Dale's not feeling well," I said, getting up from the table. I walked over with his daughter in my arms, and said, "Hey man...let's go outside and get some fresh air. Maybe that will help."

He looked up at me, and I gave him a quick, nasty stare; my eyes burning holes in him. His eyes got wide, and he nodded. I smiled to everyone else at the table, and winked at Ann as I walked past her. She gave me a little wave of her fingers, along with a giggle.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Dale stood quietly, fidgeting. He was shifting back and forth on his feet, staring at the perfectly manicured lawn in the Franklin's back yard. I was sitting on the grass, watching Christina feel the plush green turf with her hands. I let the silence eat at him for a while, wanting him to be uneasy.

Finally, I looked up at him, and he tried to avert my stare. I laughed.

"What?" he said, giving away that he'd seen me.

"So, what's the deal, Dale?"

"What are you talking about. What deal?"

"The deal with you. Look, I'm going to be blunt. I've been here a couple of hours, and I can tell you that you're in deep shit, buddy. And I mean...deep! I'm not sure how you landed a babe like Val. But I can tell you that you're not far away from not only losing her, but losing your daughter as well. And from what I see, if she leaves, you're not going to get a woman as fine as she is again." I said, poking my finger into his big gut hanging over his belt. "You won the lottery with her, and you pissing away all the money being stupid."

"You don't even know me, man," he said in a huff.

"Oh...I know you. You're everywhere Dale. You're a dime a dozen. So, you asked what the deal is...I'll tell you. HERE'S the deal. You're gonna start doing your part, or you're going to start to go without."

"Without what?"

"Sex, dumbass."

"Ahhh...Val would never do that. She's horny all the time," he said, waving his hand at me.

"I never said Val. I said you."

"She'd never cheat on me," he said confidently.

"Why's that? You did." Dale turned red; stunned that I knew his past. "Anyway, she won't have to cheat. She'll just leave you. And a woman like her can get sex anytime she wants it. You? Not so much." I said with a laugh.

Dale started to say something, but I stood up, towering over him. I wasn't threatening, but I was standing firm, in his personal space. He backed up and said, "I'm not afraid of you. Besides, you don't live here...so who cares what you think."

"Oh...you don't have to worry about me," I said, nodding over toward Sean, who was acting like he was working on his dirt bike, which was about 50 yards away. But he was really just glaring at Dale as I talked. "You need to worry about him." I flashed a smile, and leaned down to pick up Christina off the grass.

Dale was nervous. As I held his daughter, I tickled her chin. "She's beautiful, Dale. You know, they say that any moron can become a father. But it takes a real man to be a dad, and a husband." I handed Christina over to him, making him hold her. "It's about time you decide which one you are. You're daughter needs cleaned up again. And I'm guessing it's close to her bedtime. Why don't you impress the hell out of everyone here and for just once, act like a man."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Ann and I were sitting at the bar in the kitchen, each drinking a cold bottle of Heineken. We were talking to Helen and Marty, and Val. They had tried to ask me what I said to Dale, but I begged off, saying that I wanted to see what happened first.

Marty was washing some pots in the sink, and the girls were telling me stories from when Ann stayed with them when she'd first moved to California. It was fun to learn more about Ann, and her family. Marty was a lot like Marlin, cut from the same cloth. And Val and her mom were a lot alike. Both were talkative and fun loving women. I could see Christina growing up to be the same.

Ann had switched the conversation back towards her favorite subject of late, which was sex. Looking at her Aunt, and her cousin, she looked at me and said, "Now you know why I've had such a complex about my tits. Imagine coming out here, and having to move into a house with these two."

Val laughed, and I thought Marty was going to fall over into the sink from his cackling. But Helen was a little surprised. "You've never talked like that before, Anna."

"Sorry Aunt Helen. I shouldn't have said that...I'll watch my language."

"Sweetie...I don't care that you said tits. Hell, that's what they are. I just never heard you complain about yours before. We didn't flaunt them, did we?"

"They're D's Aunt Helen. They flaunt themselves. But no...you didn't do anything. I just felt self conscious about them, that's all."

"Well you shouldn't have honey. You should have talked to me about. You're like my own daughter, for goodness sake."

"No offense...but until Neil came into my life, I couldn't talk to MY mother about that kind of stuff."

"Well, you needn't have felt that way. The truth is, Val and I were a little jealous of you."

"Me! Really? For God's sake...why?"

"That killer ass of yours, for one," Val said with a laugh.

Helen looked at her daughter and smiled. "AND, you have a gift, Anna. You make people feel better about themselves just by being around you. It's your personality, and your confidence. I've wished on more than one occasion that I could be more like that."

"I just wished for an ass like yours," Val said.

I looked at Ann and said, "She's right Ann...you do have a killer ass. But I've told you over and over, I love your tits."

"I know that now, Neil. And I believe it. I'm just saying, you have to admit...they really do have nice ones."