06-04-2017, 01:35 PM
He nods, and I’d be a whole lot more reassured if he were looking me in the eye instead of staring at his feet. And then he starts tearing up, and I know. Before he even says the words, I know. It’s not nearly as bad as it could’ve been, just a little kissing, which is a relief. Better to catch it before they’re sneaking off into the jungle to hook up. Or losing control and making the same kind of mistakes I made when I was not much older than they are.
“No, son. It would, with any other girl. Anyone not related by blood. But she’s your twin, and I get that that makes you two extra close. I do.” To some extent at least, I guess it’s hard to completely understand since I don’t have one myself. Still. “I know how much you love her. But the kind of touching you’re talking about isn’t appropriate with family. You shouldn’t touch Ky like that, same as I shouldn’t because she’s my daughter.” Hell, even the passing thought of touching her makes my stomach churn.
But I know it was different when I was his age. Hell, look at Min. She wouldn’t exist if I had been the kind of man I am now, the kind of man I hope my son will be. “I made some mistakes when I was younger, Kharon. I just don’t want you to have the same regrets I do. You have an older sister, Minerva. I had her when I was far too young to know what the hell I was doing, and I didn’t do a good job raising her. And her mother’s...well, my grandmother. I’ve never told anybody that before. But I think you should know. My dad, he’s...well, he’s the man who invaded Ischia, the reason we left for a little while. And he believes very differently about who it’s okay to touch, so I grew up with a very different understanding of what’s right and wrong. A very different understanding of what family means.”
I pause, ducking my head to look Kharon in the eye. “I guess...I guess, Kharon, that it’s time for you to decide what family means to you. I hope that your sister means more to you than your curiosity about sex. I hope she’s someone you want to love and protect, even from yourself. There are a million other girls out there, son. Believe it or not, some are just as pretty. Some are just as special, in their own ways. I think it would be wise for you to meet some of them. Without Kylin. And I think it would be good for her to meet some more boys, without you.”
“No, son. It would, with any other girl. Anyone not related by blood. But she’s your twin, and I get that that makes you two extra close. I do.” To some extent at least, I guess it’s hard to completely understand since I don’t have one myself. Still. “I know how much you love her. But the kind of touching you’re talking about isn’t appropriate with family. You shouldn’t touch Ky like that, same as I shouldn’t because she’s my daughter.” Hell, even the passing thought of touching her makes my stomach churn.
But I know it was different when I was his age. Hell, look at Min. She wouldn’t exist if I had been the kind of man I am now, the kind of man I hope my son will be. “I made some mistakes when I was younger, Kharon. I just don’t want you to have the same regrets I do. You have an older sister, Minerva. I had her when I was far too young to know what the hell I was doing, and I didn’t do a good job raising her. And her mother’s...well, my grandmother. I’ve never told anybody that before. But I think you should know. My dad, he’s...well, he’s the man who invaded Ischia, the reason we left for a little while. And he believes very differently about who it’s okay to touch, so I grew up with a very different understanding of what’s right and wrong. A very different understanding of what family means.”
I pause, ducking my head to look Kharon in the eye. “I guess...I guess, Kharon, that it’s time for you to decide what family means to you. I hope that your sister means more to you than your curiosity about sex. I hope she’s someone you want to love and protect, even from yourself. There are a million other girls out there, son. Believe it or not, some are just as pretty. Some are just as special, in their own ways. I think it would be wise for you to meet some of them. Without Kylin. And I think it would be good for her to meet some more boys, without you.”