Chapter 4: Was she recalling how I stroked..

Kate was the first to break the silence. “By your expression, I must have food on my face,” she teased.

“No, it’s your smile,” I replied. “It always cheers me up, like Mom’s. You two are a lot alike. She always brightens my day.”

She gushed, “Thank you, Kev. I’m especially giddy since my two favorite people are with me during my week off before Ken leaves for school.”

Her friendly, infectious demeanor affected me as we continued our conversation throughout the meal. During a quiet moment, I asked, “Are you looking forward to Ken going to college? Do you have any plans? Any hobbies you’re going to pursue?”

Her expression turned immediately. “I’m worried about what’s going to happen to him there,” she said. “People can be so mean to…”

“Gays?” I answered for her. “It’s not like it was in the old days.”

“Old days?” my aunt laughed. “I suppose things might have changed since I was in high school, but thanks for mentioning how ancient I am.”

“Sorry, that was rude of me. You could easily be mistaken for Ken’s girlfriend when you’re together.”

Her wide smile returned, and, before she could reply, I added, “Besides, I’ll keep an eye on him at school and make sure no harm comes to him. His apartment will be close to mine, making it easy to hang out like we did growing up.”

“Thank you so much,” she blurted. “You’re such a sweet nephew. I feel better already, knowing you’ll be there to watch over him.”

Then, her expression turned distant. She was struggling with more dark thoughts.

“What’s wrong, Auntie?” I asked.

She hesitated, but finally, “It’s always bothered me that maybe I was the cause of Ken becoming gay. You didn’t really have a father figure, either, and you’re obviously heterosexual. Despite all the time you two spent together, maybe I just treated him differently, somehow.”

“I’m no authority on the subject, but I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Ken has always been a good person and appears happy with his lifestyle.”

“I know,” she agreed. “I just worry that maybe I could have – should have – steered him towards girls. It disturbs me that I might have been able to help him connect with girls. Did your mom do anything like that, that you can remember? You stayed with me enough that you should recognize the differences in our child-rearing techniques.”

It was obvious she was distressed about my cousin’s sexual preference. A plan formed in my mind. “She did some things to increase my interest in girls, now that I think about it.”

Her raised eyebrows and her anxious expression prompted me to continue.

“She became more interested in my relationships after my eighteenth birthday. When I first discussed dating a girl, she started dressing less conservatively. The first thing I noticed was that her shorter dresses displayed more of her legs. They’re one of her best features, a lot like yours.”

My aunt’s face reddened. Was she recalling how I stroked her calves last night?

“Really?” she chirped. “Your mother flirted with you? How risque of her. I had no idea.”

“She has become a little more open in the last year,” I said. “One time was especially memorable to me. Black thigh-high nylons cloaked her legs, and when she sat opposite me, her skirt rose. An inch of pale flesh was visible above the tops of her stockings. When she caught me staring, she didn’t adjust herself and allowed me to leer at her while we continued to talk. I felt like a perv, but I couldn’t help it.”

My aunt smiled and anxiously egged, “Go on. What else happened?”

She seemed hooked. I decided to go all-in with my perverted lies. “A few nights later, I brought home a date to meet mom. She noticed my date’s nylon-clad legs right away. She smiled, like she was thinking she’d had something to do with my choice.”

“Wow!” Aunt Kate exclaimed. “She must have been so proud of herself. I wish she would have told me about all of this. Did she do anything else to help you??”

I’d gone so far that there wasn’t much point in stopping. My eyes caught my aunt’s bosom straining against her robe. Inspiration struck.

“After the nylon incident, she would hug me longer at night before bed, and I remember noticing that her robe was looser up top. One night she pulled me in tightly, and it was obvious she wasn’t even wearing a bra.”

“Eek,” my aunt squeaked. “I can’t believe she’d be so aggressive. Did it pay off?”

“It sure did,” I lied. “My new date the next week was well-endowed, and Mom smiled again, knowing she had planted the seed in my head.”

“Jesus,” my aunt said. “I wish your mother and I would have communicated better but we were so busy with our work we didn’t have a lot of time. She probably felt it wasn’t her place to influence my son and concentrated on you. It seems to have been an effective method, though. Do you think it’s too late for my son? What if I could help him like that? Did she do anything else?”

“She did introduce me to kissing,” I lied again – but I decided I’d pushed things far enough.

“ … but nothing romantic,” I added. “A light peck on the lips at night was enough to pique my curiosity. She never witnessed the results, though, because I thought it was weird kissing a girl in front of Mom.”

“I bet,” my aunt chuckled. “Thank you for telling me about this. Let’s keep it our secret.”

“Of course, Auntie.”