Two Different Realities

Dinner turned out to be a bit of a celebration. The twins learned about the new house we were building and the reason I was in town. Learned that Carin had two daughters of her own just a few years younger.

While we were eating Hope got a text from her older sister asked if they were doing okay. Hope texted back having dinner with Dad and his girlfriend Carin. Faith and I will stop by afterward to explain everything.

We were walking the pier taking a relaxing stroll both kind of in awe how things were slowly working themselves out.

"I'm surprised," Carin said. "Your moving away from them forced them to work most of it out on their own."

"My dad said, give a person enough rope and they will hang themselves," I said. "It's a true statement. It was their own conduct pointed out by their own gender that exposed what they really were. If I had of been here like the twins said it would have been four against one. This way they were against themselves. Their own sense of honesty and morality, when faced with it, brought them down."

"Evil itself does not exist if it's not supported by someone carrying out the desires of others," Carin said. "To many in our society blame the object, not themselves. In many ways, you were their object."

"For the simple reason that I could not go along with what they did." I said. "because in my eyes it would never be right."

"In Kendra's eyes that was a sign of weakness to be used against you," Carin said. "I see it as one of your enduring strengths because your conduct reinforces who you are. You could never be a snowflake being carried by the whims and wishes of those with no morals. Your country to the soul and it shows by your conduct to all that you're able and willing to stand your ground."

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Kendra came home expecting to see her twin daughters. The political planning event this Saturday had taken longer than she had expected. She was going to suggest the three of them go out for the evening. She had thought about her last blow up with them and realized she had gone too far. It had gotten particularly nasty because she saw some of their fathers' traits coming through and she couldn't allow that.

Conservative views were ruining this country holding it back from what it was always meant to be a true democracy. Every liberal had to keep the African Americans and other minorities dependent on the handouts from the Federal government. In doing that it gave the democrat party the means to gain power and control over the whole country. Republicans because of Trump were doing their damndest to destroy the power base that they had spent years building.

She had just thrown her purse on the counter to get a coke out of the refrigerator when she saw the two house keys sitting on the counter on top of a short note. We have moved out. We don't like what you helped us to become. Good luck with your life. We have blocked your number. It was signed by Faith and Hope.

Dam Colin anyway. He walks out on me. Stays away. Files for divorce because she was getting a little self-pleasure on the side. Everybody important in the circles she associated with she knew was doing what she had been caught doing. Why can't he get it? She should never have never married a narrow-minded piece of shit like him.

Because of his principal's he had destroyed her personal life. Kerri should know where they are. So, she picked up the phone and called her. She had been pushed to the limit by a worthless piece of shit who had done nothing but walked away. Kerri answered on the third ring.

"Where in the Fuck are Hope and Faith?" Kendra yelled into the phone in anger.

"I haven't heard from them since Tuesday night when Dad had security throw them out from the Hampton Inn." Replied Kerri wanting to feel her mother out.

"Why did he have them thrown out?" Kendra had to ask.

"They went to give him their two cents worth on how badly he had treated you. They went after him like they were trying to cut his balls off. Dad said to himself I had enough of this shit and called security. When they showed up, he told them that he was not willing to buy what they were trying to sell." Kerri said. "Security escorted the two of them out the back door because of what they believed they were. Faith and Hope are banned forever because the Hampton Inn doesn't want high-class hookers working their hotel."

"But they're not hookers you and I know that," Kendra said showing some concern.

"When they showed up here in tears, they told me their story. Do you want to know what I said to the two of them mother?" Kerri said seriously.

"Yes, perhaps I do," Kendra said.

"I told them when their friends with benefits were wining and dining them weren't, they, in fact, being paid for it in advance," Kerri explained.

Kerri laughed because her mother's phone went dead.

Kendra was lost to her tears. Kerri's statement had hit her in her soul. She knew instantly that she could never speak to her husband Colin again directly. She could never allow herself to be alone with him ever.

What Kerri had said straightforwardly was her father's truth. Kendra realized that as soon as she heard it. Colin without saying a word directly to any of them had destroyed them all.

No one who had a bit of honesty in them could argue that simple comment because everyone who heard it would recognize it for what it was. A simple direct unbiased fact.

All those weekends away with her friends with benefits that had been romantic adventures were, in fact, nothing more than the way he was paying for her services. Colin had just refused to put any embellishments on the raw truth.

It had taken her twelve weeks to understand what he had said on the video the night she had come home from Vancouver. She had by example had turned her twins into what she had become in his eye's a high-class hooker for over ten years. No man could accept that. No wonder he walked out on all of them.

She by her own actions had left him no choice. She had never seen it from his side until this moment. If his truth came out publicly, she was destroyed, and he knew it. By walking away, he had left her something that she hadn't left him. Her dignity.

She had not only destroyed herself but took her whole family down with her. She like so many, she had taken her progressive lifestyle to the extreme. She no longer had a relationship with her husband or her daughters because she could never admit that truth about her conduct to any of them. It wasn't the progressive way to admit responsibility for anything or to be completely honest.

For the first time in her life, she had no scapegoat to blame. This one was on her. She had fucked herself without a kiss. One repeated statement from a conservative point of view had forever destroyed the illusions she had about herself.

Kenda looked around at the house realizing that if she was going to move on and get over what she had done that she had to sell the house that held so many memories. There were just too many memories here that would remind her constantly of what she had thrown away. The reality of facing the truth sucked.

She would use the excuse that it was just too big for herself because all would believe it. Eric Hopper would be pleased to learn what had happened because until now he had thought she had gotten off lucky. She would be like him totally alone.

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Carin and I had come back to her house after an evening of drinking and dancing. We had fallen asleep together on the couch. Meadow and Amber took advantage of it. Using Carin's cellphone, they sent pictures of it to my two youngest daughters, who called back. Between the four of them, they started planning. One of her daughters got a blanket and threw it over us.

I awoke to a vision of a sleeping angel in my arms. My cell phone showed it was after seven am. We had got in about one. Meadow was already up just sitting in the chair watching us.

"I guess I will have to get used to seeing this on a regular basis," Meadow said with a smile. "Mom looks so happy and content, I'll go start making coffee for all of us."

About an hour later the four of us were all sitting around relaxing and talking at the kitchen table. When the girls sprung the news on us. At three this afternoon my side of the family would be arriving for the first family get together.

Off Carin and I ran, I checked out the fuel needed for the barbie it was good while she got redressed. After making the grocery list out, we went. We went to my suite so I could have a quick shower and shave. After getting dressed it was to a local grocery store. Just as we were headed in, we ran into Kendra as she was coming out. She paused right in front of me.

"Colin please let the girls know I'm selling the house," Kendra said. "If they want anything Kerri still has a key. Since they're no longer speaking to me, they can take what they want while I'm working. The same goes for you."

"I'll pass on the message and give Carin power of attorney to act on my behalf," I said. "As for me, I took what I wanted when I left. I'm only in town again for another six days."

She nodded her head and walked away. We continued in.

We were loading the vehicle up with the groceries we bought before we started talking about our awkward meeting with Kendra.

"Something serious has happened in Kendra's life that we don't know about. Kendra seemed out of it today." I said.

"Do you think that the twins moving out might have caused that?" Carin asked.

"No, she was used to it being just us," I said. "Something else must have happened that sent her a message that she trying to sort out or come to terms with. She loves that house. So, whatever happened came out of the left field and has taken her down in some way."

During the barbie, Carin and I both learned what the twins had written to their mother and what Kerri has said afterward. All five of our daughters got along great. David and I, for the most part, stood on the sidelines while the five females interacted. Amber and Meadow dotted over little Colin.

I told my three daughters about what their mother had said to us at the grocery store. David said he wanted the huge plasma tv. Kerri just rolled her eyes. I just chuckled to myself. Our first two families get together could not have turned out any better. After my daughter left for their respective places with the cleanup done. We were relaxing with a cold beer.

"So basically, if we got it right Faith and Hope have ended their relationship for now with their mother because they want to find out what kind of person, they are without their mother's influence," Amber said. "Why would they do that?"

"They followed their mothers' example and got caught up with the concept of having as they called it "friends with benefits." It's cost them both their first marriage. It took me leaving Kendra for them to begin to see their own situation in a new light." I said. "Last Tuesday they confronted me because of my conduct towards their mom. I ended up throwing them out. Later that night in a heated discussion with their older sister Kerri said: when their friends with benefits were wining and dining them weren't, they, in fact, being paid for their services in advance."

Amber was in total shock.

"Amber and Meadow your mother and I were taught when we were very young that it was not important how we view ourselves in the world. What was important was how the world saw us." I said. "Every individual will see what you do or say in a different way. It taught us that our own conduct said more about us than anything we could ever say!"

"Colin's right, I couldn't have explained it any better," Carin said as she leaned against me. "That's why your father's conduct raised so many questions. It contradicted everything he ever said."

"As a result, the twins have decided to remove their mother's influence out of their lives for now until they discover for themselves who and what they are. In order to do that they had to take responsibility for what they did." I explained. 'I'm very proud of them for that. For them, the healing will have started because they were honest enough about their own conduct."

I guess our words hit home because for a few minutes the sound of silence was deafening.

Then Amber said, "You're going to make a great dad, Dad."

Carin lost it.

The rest of the week went by quietly. Carin and I spent as much of our spare time together as possible. The new tractor passed with flying colors the President was ecstatic. I had given the tractor its name, I called it "betsa." The family decided on a family gathering before I left. I noticed that the twins were getting closer to Carin's daughters.

We couldn't pry little Colin from Carin's hands. The mothering instinct in her was still strong. Eric and Carin finally came to an agreement on the asset split when she offered him the house if he wanted it. He went for it figuring it was his chance to get his daughters back into his life. Carin saw me board the plane as I headed home.

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It was the last week of August. The homestead was ready. The old torn down, the new one built. The barn improved where needed. Even the yard had been cleaned up. The last thing I had done was to rebuild the driveway into the house and the barn. Uncle John had driven me to the airport because I would be driving a U Haul back. Carin had sold her practice and an associate was going to finalize the divorces early in September.

Over the last month, there had been multiple deliveries to the farm. Uncle John had been a great help setting the new furniture up and hauling what we no longer needed from mom and dad's household stuff to goodwill if he couldn't find someone who could use it. It was nice to see neighbors helping neighbors again.

Carin met me at the airport that Friday afternoon around six with the biggest smile I'd ever seen in my life. Amber and Meadow were there with her. After taking her into my arms giving her a long-overdue kiss. I stepped back, got down on my knee and officially proposed to the delight of both her daughters. Both captured a video of it all which included me sliding the ring on her finger.

Amber and Meadow having been in on my surprise had arranged a huge celebration dinner in a restaurant that had dinner and dancing with all our daughters and David in attendance. Between David and I, the ladies kept us on the dance floor most of the evening.

When we got to Carin's home Meadow told us to wait in the car for a moment. Amber and she ran in and right out carrying a large overnight bag filled for her mother.

"Mom, Dad we booked you a suite at the Hampton Inn for the weekend. We don't want to see the two of you until Monday." Amber said.

When we got to our suite, we found a huge basket filled with two bottles of champagne, chocolates, strawberry, two glasses, balloons, and roses. The card said congrats from your five daughters.

I don't think we left the suite for the weekend.

After a wonderful breakfast Monday Morning, we went to pick the U haul up. The one we picked up was bigger than I expected. I asked about it, but all Carin said I'd have to wait till this afternoon when it would be revealed.

At two o'clock that afternoon Faith and Hope showed up and broke the news they were moving east too. It seems when they learned that I had moved back to my father's farm they had begun applying around the area in which I would be living. They both had been hired by the Vermillion School Board.

Carin had given them some furniture and we would be hauling what they got out their mother's and my house. It was in a rental storage unit. Through a real estate agent, they had rented a three-bedroom house. That way when the weather got bad Amber could stay in town with them.

I dropped the suit against Eric Hopper as he agreed to cover all my court costs in Vancouver. With British Columbia socialist biases, it was moving at a snail's pace. We received our divorce certificates at the end of September. On the last Saturday in October Carin and I said our vows in front of all of the blended family. Kerri and David had flown out with little Colin so they could attend. It was Carin who gave me the ultimate surprise in front of everybody.

"To my darling husband Colin and our family, I wish to inform you all that there will be a new Waite coming into the world sometime in May. Our doctor has informed me it's a boy."