Chapter 20 Bed Time

"Psst. Luke!" Grace's voice.

"Huh?" he said groggily, having been awoken from a sound sleep after a very busy day. Grace was supposed to be in Kevin's old room--

"I've got another birthday present for you, the most important one you'll get today."

Luke groped for his glasses, then turned on the bedside lamp. Grace was standing by his bed in pajamas, holding a little white bag in her hand. Still half-asleep, he focussed on the bag. "That's the present?"

"No, dork. The present is ME -- if you want me."

"Whulp!" It took a few seconds for the drowsy Luke to realize what Grace meant, but when he did, he snapped completely awake. "But I've just turned seventeen."

"Yeah, I did wait until that. But you're a lot more mature then any other seventeen-year-old I know. I wouldn't be offering otherwise."

"I can't do it, Grace. I don't want you to end up like Glynis or Bonnie, with your dreams nearly derailed by a baby."

"Neither do I. I brought protection." She jiggled the white bag impatiently. The 'I'm a present' line had obviously been her joke; she was eager for this consummation, and on equal terms. "Now, if those were your only objections, let's get down to business. My, uh, thing broke this summer while I was horseback-riding, so we can strike that off our list." She started unbuttoning her pajama top.

"Business? List? Do you have to be so clinical? I love you, Grace."

She softened. "I love you, Luke. This isn't just about wanting sex. I've stayed a virgin up to now, and you're the only boy I'd consider doing this with."

"And you're the only girl--."

"Then let's get down to -- love."

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"Oh my God!" Joan's voice screeched.

For the second time tonight, Luke was jerked out of an exhausted sleep. But between those two had been the most blissful experience of his life.

The lights were on this time, but without his glasses they weren't much help. When he got them on, he found himself staring at Joan, Mom, and Dad, who were in turn staring at Grace's presence in his bed. And he was probably lucky that one of the God avatars didn't show up in response to Joan's invocation.

"Um, what are you guys doing here?" he asked lamely.

"I heard Grace's voice call out," said Joan. "I thought she might be in trouble, and I couldn't find her, so I got Mom and Dad."

"That cry was, um, unintentional," mumbled Grace, who was burrowing under the bedcovers. There were few things that could intimidate Grace, but getting caught naked by three Girardis was one of them. Fortunately the lovers' twists and turns had eventually landed her on the far side of the bed.

Luke tried to distract attention from his girl by presenting their rationalizations. He was seventeen and more mature than most -- they were using protection --love--.

"Luke," began his mother, "when two people love each other very much--"

"Mom, don't you think it's rather late for the Sex Lecture?" observed Joan.

"It IS late," grumbled Will. "1:30 in the morning, to be precise. Luke, we are going to have a long talk tomorrow. Until then--"

He hesitated. Everybody stared at him, wandering how he would handle the situation.

"Oh, hell, just go back to what you were doing."

The family filed out. Joan was last; she looked at the lovers, rolled up her eyes, and closed the door behind her.

"That was embarrassing," mumbled Luke.

"Yeah," said Grace. "But at least we're awake, and still in bed together, and you're still wearing our 'protection', and I'm not wearing anything. Why not take advantage? Because my parents are going to go ballistic when they find out I've lost my virginity. And to a goy!"

Luke had his own ideas about that. He'd have to wait another year, until he was eighteen. But one day he'd go to the rabbi, and tell him openly how much he loved the man's daughter. He'd even go through a conversion to his beloved's faith, if that's what it took to solve the goy problem. Someday, the wild, fascinating girl in bed with him would be his wife.

It might not be the Divine Plan, but it would be Luke's.

THE END