Karol stared at her half-naked daughters and seemed shocked, all right, but she was much less upset than Curt expected her to be, somehow. She finally opened her mouth to say something but Kelly spoke first.
"Mom," she said, her teeth clenched in restrained anger, "that's not true. It's just not. I don't know what Daddy's up to but he's lying. Sure, we're here in bed together just like you see us. But I didn't even begin to force Lilly into anything. I woke up and she was in bed with me... that's the truth."
She looked straight at Karol all the time she was talking to her. Curt imagined he saw a curious kind of glance exchanged between them when she finished.
"Hell, Karol," Curt hissed, "you're not gonna believe a damned story like that, are you? Jesus Christ, forget about the fact that Lilly's her own sister -- that's bad enough, but maybe I could understand if it was a brother instead of a girl. Ain't no way of getting around the fact that she's queer, Karol. Kelly's evidently a fucking homo -- and trying to turn her little sister into one too."
Lilly was carefully keeping her mouth shut like her dad had told her to. But Kelly shot a quick, intense glance at her mother. This time it was so obvious something... was being communicated between them that Curt looked from one to the other trying to fathom what it was.
Karol was obviously embarrassed about something but she finally spoke to him. "I think there are things we better talk about, honey. Before this goes any further, I think you and I should have a private talk. I guess we should have done it a long time ago."
Curt was lost. He didn't know what the hell she was talking about. "Huh?" he said, puzzled.
"Oh... I don't know," she faltered, changing her mind. "Maybe... maybe I should stay out of it, maybe I should just let you..."
"Mom!" yelled Kelly. "If you don't tell him, I will. After that crack about 'homos' he just made I don't see how you can let him get away with it!"
Curb's head was spinning. Was she saying that...
"You're right, honey," she said to Kelly. "I've got to come clean. I can't just let you take all the blame."
Then she turned to Curt, now with no sign of her former wishy-washy attitude. "Before I say what I'm about to, Curt," she said, her voice surprising him with its strength, "I just want to remind you of something. Remember that time we were in Tijuana and you wanted to go to one of those shows where they have girls making it together? You even told me afterwards you'd like to have been with them while they were going at it, remember?"
"Karol, please," he said, "not in front of the kid. Yeah, I remember. So what. What's that got to do with anything?"
"Just that you didn't harp on them being perverts or anything," she retorted, "like you just implied about Kelly. You see, what I have to tell you is that -- maybe you better sit down for this -- Kelly and I... well, we've been lovers, Curt. There, it's out! She and I have been sleeping together almost once every week for the past two years. My only excuse is -- well you know how horny I always am, Curt. I just needed more loving, that's all. I... I started her out... seduced her, I guess I'd have to say... one night when you were gone and I was needing some loving bad. Since then we've been doing it every Tuesday night 'cause that's your card-playing night with the boys."
He was dumbfounded. You could have knocked him over with a feather. He sat down on the bed with a dazed look on his face.
"So if what you say Kelly did to Lilly is true," she finished, "then I guess it's partly my fault too."
She took it for granted he was going to be furious at her story. When he didn't start lambasting her, or ask for a divorce right on the spot, she was amazed.
Lilly sat with her legs folded under her following the conversation with intense interest. Wow, she thought, Kelly and Mom together!
"Guess this is the night for letting it all hang out," said Kelly, shrugging her shoulders. "Mom, you told Dad about Tuesday nights... guess it's time him and me told you about Thursday nights. Right, Dad? Or are you going to deny it?"
Karol snapped her head around. "You mean... Kelly, are you saying that..."
"Fraid so, Mom," said Kelly, cutting her short. "Every time you went to your Thursday night bowling league, Dad came into my room and gave me a good screwing."
Kurt and Karol looked at each other in mutual disbelief. Now that the whole story was coming out, it was almost funny. Could it be true they had both been being unfaithful to each other... with the same person -- their own daughter? Their guilt began to evaporate. If they had both been doing it, what was there to say to each other?
Curt hoped Kelly wouldn't complicate things by bringing up the affair in the basement with Rex, the event that had precipitated the whole confrontation. She didn't.
But little Lilly was feeling left out. "Daddy," she innocently inquired, "if everybody's gonna tell their secrets, then can we tell Mom and Kelly about ours?"
He grimaced as though a horse had stepped on his foot. Karol and Kelly riveted their eyes on him, almost in amusement. The air was becoming much calmer.
"Oh shit," he grumbled, dropping his head a little and shrugging his shoulders, "I might as well admit it. I... well, Lilly's been doing an awfully lot of growing up lately whether you two have noticed it or not, and I just... well, I just got so fucking worked up over seeing them new titties of hers and that cute little ass bopping around the house that I just had to have me a taste."
Karol was shocked but there was also more than a trace of humor in her expression. Kelly piped up, "I noticed how she's growing, Dad... after tonight, anyway."
He had to grin. Karol even giggled at her observation. But it was Lilly who inadvertently succeeded in ending the confrontation and putting everyone in a relaxed mood.
She put her mouth to Kelly's ear and whispered something Curt and Karol couldn't hear. Kelly gave her a big kiss on the cheek and giggled, hugging her close and then letting her go.
"I don't know," she answered out loud. "You'll have to ask Mom and Dad about that. But you're sweet to remember it."
They both turned their curious eyes on the younger daughter.
"Well," she shyly began, "I... I just asked Kelly if her and me could go in my room and take up where we left off -- what I mean is... well, she made me come a while ago but she didn't get to 'cause Daddy ran in and scared us. So I wanted to..." -- she was blushing fiercely -- "to... uh... do the same for her! If nobody's mad at anybody else anymore, that is? You aren't, are you?"
They laughed heartily and everyone looked around the room at everyone else. Now the whole situation was downright funny to them. All that intrigue had been afoot uselessly, since almost all of them were doing the very things others were trying so hard to conceal from them.
"How about it, girls?" he asked broadly, turning from side to side for their opinions. "I don't think anybody's mad at anybody else anymore, are we?"
Karol gave him a big hug and Kelly slid off the bed and ran to them both, putting her arms around the two of them. Lilly made it a foursome by squeezing in between her dad and mom, and each welcomed her. Suddenly Curt and Karol became extremely aware of how scantily dressed their daughters were. In all the confusion, they had almost got used to seeing Lilly sitting on the bed with only her panties and nighty on. And Kelly hadn't even got that far along when Curt came dashing back to their room with Karol in tow -- she was covered only by her filmy nighty, not even having had time to jump into her panties. Her nest of curls was quite apparent behind the transparent sleeping garment.
Kelly grinned and said, "Don't look at Lilly and me that way -- all you two have on are your robes. Or are you wearing something under that? Come on, don't be bashful. Let Lilly and me see."