"Father knows best" - читать интересную книгу автора (Carter Susan)

CHAPTER TWO

Standing at the window, Renee watched Idrine disappear into the park, and she shuddered. The thought of her affair with Larry Hunter remained as fresh in her mind now, as when it had happened. He had planted a seed inside her, and that seed had become Idrine.

Because of Idrine, Renee became aware of how her mother made a living. Harriet felt it was no longer necessary to hide what she was doing from Renee, and so she merely sent Renee to her bedroom when a client came. But the grunts and groans were always reminiscent of the sounds Renee and Larry Hunter had made.

Hunter privately approached her, offering to marry her. Renee knew it wasn't because she was pregnant, but because she had been such a great lay to him. But when she turned him down, he began seeing her mother again, paying for it.

Although Renee was no prude, she didn't want her daughter introduced to sex via the girl's grandmother's livelihood, so when Idrine was ten, Renee moved out of Harriet Pembroke's little house and took her own apartment. Unlike her mother, Renee was a good secretary, and as a result was able to find a decent job. But because of her own experience, she felt it best to keep sex as deep a mystery to Idrine as it had been kept to her.

True, there was no way to shut up the kids with whom Idrine went to school, and so Idrine was not as ignorant as Renee had hoped. Still, the young mother fought to keep her daughter free from the stigma of that which had overpowered herself. Even now, Renee occasionally went out with men she liked and went to bed with them because her body still craved sex. A tubal ligation had been performed, and Renee would never have any other children. It was just as well.

Oddly, Larry Hunter, Idrine's father, had never married, either. He was still after Renee. And he helped Renee pay for the girl's clothing with occasional contributions, of money though they were few and far-between. Hunter had become a very successful accountant, and could afford much more, but he was waiting for Renee to marry him. He had never forgotten what a great lay she had been. No woman since, including Harriet, Renee's mother, could compare to Renee as far as Hunter was concerned. But then Hunter had been spoiled by a virgin, and he often wondered if the adult Renee could compare to that virgin he had once fucked in the park.

Idrine walked slowly, taking her time, in no hurry. The sooner she got to grandma Harriet's, the sooner grandma would toss her out. Idrine was fairly innocent, but she did know the meaning of the word prostitute, even if she wasn't quite aware of what a prostitute did. And she knew grandma Harriet was a prostitute. At thirty-nine, grandma was still going strong, and she figured she had at least ten or eleven good years left in her.

"Hey Idrine, where're you going?" a voice asked.

The young girl looked up and recognized Brian Wolfe. Brian had light brown, almost afro-hair, though his skin was whiter than a lily. More than one girl teased him about his delicate female skin, but if it was delicate, it was also thick, because Brian never seemed to hear them. He had big, soulful brown eyes, and a very slender body. He was wearing tight dungarees and an orange polo shirt.

If Brian had been a bit older, he would have frequented Harriet Pembroke's establishment. Everyone in town knew Harriet's occupation, even if she was listed as a seamstress. Now he was hot after Harriet's granddaughter, Idrine. He figured if the grandma put out, could the granddaughter be far behind? In fact, Brian had his eighteenth birthday last week, and he'd collected more than thirty dollars in cash. He was sure he could get Harriet Pembroke to do something for him for at least twenty five of those dollars. The thirty-nine-year-old grandmother was not a greedy woman, and it was known she always had a thing for young boys.

"Where I'm going is none of your business," Idrine said to Brian, walking right by him.

"Hey, come on," Brian smiled. "I'm a friend. We're in the same classes together. You can talk to me."

"You're like all the other boys in school," Idrine snapped. "You kid around about my grandma."

"Aw, come on," Brian smiled. "You know I like your grandma. Hey, is that where you're going?"

"And if I am, so what?"

"Can I walk with you?" Brian asked.

"I don't think so," Idrine told him. "If you're still in the park when I come back, maybe I'll let you walk me home."