The Affair That Shook Tipton Street

Lucy was a deep sleeper, but the shouting and screaming eventually woke her. She groaned and stretched and rolled onto her shoulder. Her mouth was dry, meaning she reached for her drink before her phone. She took a sip of water and then checked the time, before sighing as her sleepy eyes studied the ceiling above. It took her another moment before she processed the yelling match going on outside.

It was 2am, which satisfied her tired mind. There were many more hours of sleep ahead of her, and she was looking forward to them. But Lucy enjoyed a nose as much as anybody, so she swung her legs out from under her quilt and peeked through the blinds of her bedroom window.

There was bedlam at 34 Tipton Street. The argument had made its way outside. Chris and Karen Adler were screaming over each other. There was no way either could possibly be getting their message through to the other. The grey bin had been knocked over in the madness, and rubbish was strewn across the pavement in front of the house. Jake Adler, their only child, was packing some luggage into his car. He must have been freezing cold. He was only wearing a pair of shorts and the winter chill was visible in the condensation on the windows.

Lucy wrapped a curtain around herself for warmth as she watched the chaos unfold. A few neighbours were out on the street, but none had worked up the courage to involve themselves. Chris and Karen were in each other's faces again, but thankfully it never got physical. Jake turned the engine in his car on, but didn't flee the scene instantly.

Floorboards creaking outside her bedroom caught Lucy's attention. "Josh?" she croaked, clearly desperate for another sip of her water. Her son pushed open the door and quickly made his way across the room, keen to indulge himself in the madness.

"Do you know what's going on?" Josh asked, slipping in alongside his mother and peeking with a little less subtlety.

"I'm not sure. They're shouting too much. I only woke up a couple of minutes ago."

"How?" Josh asked, incredulous. "It's been going on for about ten minutes. I wish I could sleep like that. I'll bet you ten quid it's an affair."

"I'm not taking that bet because I agree. Not sure what else would get this reaction," Lucy said. There was a ball in the pit of her stomach. Chris and Karen had been good friends to her for a long time. Their boys were close to the same age and practically raised together. They were never more than a phone call away when John was ill, and in the weeks and months after she lost him. She hated seeing them like this, and it was hard to believe this was salvageable. "Should we go out and do something?"

Lucy had asked the question a little too late. Jake was finally able to stuff his mother into the car. "Too late, but at least he's splitting them up. That's probably for the best," Josh said. "I can text him and see what's going on."

"Not yet. Let them sleep it off at least," Lucy said. She watched father and son bicker for a moment longer, fingers pointing but voices not quite as loud as they had been before. Jake climbed into the car soon after and set off, disappearing around the corner a few moments later. Silence returned to the street. The nosiest of the neighbours had been smart enough to retreat inside, but she presumed everyone was still watching through windows.

Chris Adler looked frozen on the grass for a moment, and that moment quickly became a minute. The despair was obvious in his body language, but Lucy was just too slow again. He made his way back inside just as she contemplated going out to comfort him. "Jesus Christ," Lucy whispered, fixing her curtain and stepping back into the darkness of her room. She climbed back into bed, chasing the warmth beneath her sheets. "I can't believe that just happened."

"It's going to be a bit awkward in the morning," Josh said, hovering near the door. "What are you going to do?"

"I might text her. I don't know. I'll talk to Chris first, because I want to do it face to face and he's the one who is still here."

"The drama would be fun if it was anyone else."

Lucy would probably agree. "I'm going back to bed. I'm not losing my lie in over this. We can find out what's going on in the morning."

"You'll have your answers before you know it. Velma will be foaming at the mouth to find out and tell everyone."

Lucy chuckled at her son's observation. He was probably right. Velma was the local gossip. She was probably already working angles and sources to find out what happened and she would be over for a cup of coffee and a chit chat before midday had arrived. Lucy exchanged goodnights with Josh, before settling back down. It took her a while to fall asleep. She couldn't shake the feeling that a family she cared for had broken apart, in front of so many prying eyes, including her own. She wanted to apologise for snooping but more than that she wanted to try and fix it, to help in any way she could, or maybe she just wanted to wake up and realise this whole thing was a bad dream.

**

Velma Middleditch arrived at 10:12am. Lucy had been watching the clock. She hadn't been awake long, but long enough that her teeth were brushed, her face was washed and her dressing gown was wrapped snugly around her. The heating has a morning timer set for weekends over the winter, so it had been on between 8 and 10 to warm the house up.

"Good morning, Lucinda," Velma said, not waiting for an invite inside. Velma could act as if she owned the street, and yes she was a gossip, but Lucy liked her. She was eccentric and fun and a little bit weird, but the quirks were entertaining and she could be quite selfless when the day suited her.

"Good morning," Lucy said, stepping aside to let her living and breathing newsfeed into the house. There was still a mess on the street outside. The harsh winds were carrying debris from the fallout all over. At least somebody had the decency to pick the wheelie bin back up. Josh came rushing down the stairs when he heard the voice of their guest. There was no way he was going to miss out on all the fun.

Velma sat down at the dining table. Lucy already knew her order, so got to work on a coffee, milk and two sugars. Josh sat opposite her. "Hello, sweetheart. How are you?"

"Depends how this conversation goes," Josh answered. "Have you been investigating?"

"Am I really so obvious?" Velma asked.

"Yes you are," Lucy said.

"I might keep this one a secret."

"Why would you do that to us?" Lucy asked.

"Oh, I don't want to but I should. I've never had a scoop like this in my life. This one is serious business."

"Who cheated?" Josh asked. He was assuming, but he was also right.

"Karen did."

"You're joking," Lucy squealed. She spilled a little water in her shock, but composed herself to finish. She took the cup to Velma, but she didn't join them at the table. She needed to be on her feet. She was overwhelmed and sitting wasn't going to calm her.

"It's the truth."

"I can't believe it."

"Don't sound so surprised," Josh said, interrupting. "Did you just assume it would be Chris?"

"I always assume it's the man," Lucy said. She smiled at her son, who just laughed in response.

"What's the big deal then? Cheating's bad and all, but it's nothing you haven't gladly spilled before," Josh said. He got to his feet and went to the fridge, treating himself to a glass of orange juice. "What's the twist?"

Velma chuckled. "The story I have for you isn't to leave this room. I'm not sure how many people even know it, because the story has changed since calmer heads prevailed. Christopher was telling a different tale on his dog walk this morning than he was shouting about last night. I suppose he has to protect his family."

"Spill the beans. This is driving me crazy," Lucy wailed. She was gripping the wooden top of her kitchen counter. She couldn't say what had her so on edge. It was sure to be something serious, but she couldn't fathom what made this so uniquely problematic.

"The story goes that Christopher walked in on his wife with another man. He was shouting about an affair, and awhore wife, and get this...a bastard son.Karen Adler was fucking their son.Incest!Yes, you heard me."

"Fuck off!" Lucy shouted.

"You have got to be fucking with us," Josh said, adding to his mother's disbelief.

"It's true," Velma said. She looked satisfied at having told them, and she wasn't the type to play a prank.

"Not a chance," Lucy said.

"I don't lie about these things."

"You've been wrong before."

"Not about this," Velma insisted. "People heard them, and this is serious. As their friends you might need to reach out and check in on them. This blowing up in their faces could be a disaster, even if the father has taken his medicine and chosen not to ruin them over it. Either way, I don't think they will be our neighbours for much longer."

"I can't process this," Lucy said. She finally sat down. Her legs didn't feel steady now, and she was starting to wish she never asked for answers.

"How can you be sure?" Josh asked, taking over the quiz from his flustered mother.

"They were loud. Christopher might have toned it down when he started to notice people poking their heads out into the street, but he wasn't holding back to begin with," Velma answered. "Jacob is your friend. Did you ever suspect anything?"

"Nothing like that," Josh answered. He looked sure of himself. "They were always very close but it never felt weird. He didn't feel the need to confide in me about it either."

"What about you?" Velma asked, directing that next question in Lucy's direction. She didn't notice until her son nudged her.

"Karen never said anything," Lucy said, speaking through a sigh.

"You never sensed anything was up with her?"

"I don't think so. She's been happier recently. If we don't know how long this has been going on then it's hard to say, but she's been glowing. I suppose she's been having a good time with him."

"I need you two to get better at snooping," Velma said, a quip that Lucy ignored, even as it made Josh chuckle.

"Chris caught them together?" Josh asked. Velma nodded her confirmation. "That's heavy."

"I thought she left with Jake because Chris was the one cheating," Lucy said, going over the previous night's events in her head. Jake's lack of clothing made some more sense, but it would have been weird to pack a suitcase without throwing a shirt on first. "Was he supposed to be going back to university this week?"

"Yeah, today," Josh said, which answered that question. He was already packed to leave, but went ahead of schedule after the discovery of the affair. "Doubt he took his mum all that way with him, so he probably dropped her off at her parents' house, or maybe one of her sister's."

"Do you think they finished the job in the car before going their separate ways?" Velma asked, devious smile forming on her face.

"Oh, stop it," Lucy said, disinterested in that kind of talk.

"I'm just saying," Velma continued. "It's a real pain getting caught partway through. We all know that, and especially if that ends up being their last time."

"This is mad, isn't it?" Josh said, still processing the reveal. "I'm glad I know about it though. I like knowing things. I finally get it, the way you live your life, all the gossip and everything."

"Everybody understands eventually," Velma said, giving him a playful wink. "I must say I am a little bit jealous of our friend. That son of hers is a fine piece of meat. If I was ten years younger, I might have taken him for a ride or two myself."

Lucy's expression fell deeper into despair the longer that Velma talked, and she was scowling by the end. "Please don't talk about it like that," she moaned. "They are mother and son, it's not normal."

"He's not my son so I can fantasize about him all I want," Velma said. She looked to Josh and gave him the eyebrows. He was stifling a laugh, but not so well. "That being said, even if he was my son he might still be worth the ride. I've never been offended all that much by incest. The affair is a far bigger treachery in my book."

"Still life in the old girl, eh?" Josh teased. "You know I'm single, right?"

"Oh, I wish, sweetheart. I really do."

"Pack it in," Lucy said, but she couldn't hold back the smile. "Don't be silly."

"Karen's a pretty lady too," Josh said. He saw his mother's eyes sharpen, but it didn't scare him enough to stop him. "I can see why he might have been interested. I won't say anything more than that."

"There's something wrong with both of you," Lucy whined. "Seriously, what are we going to do about this?"

"What can we do?" Josh asked, before softening at his mother's frown. "There's nothing we can do to stop it now, so we have to treat it as what it is. It happened, and now we obviously need to protect our friends. They did a bad thing. Legally and morally, whatever, but you can't change it now. It's one of those things you can't just take back. I have a lot of respect to Chris. He's been good to me, so there's no part of me that's actually going to be slapping Jake on the back and telling him he's a top lad because he fucked some hot older lady, who just so happens to be his mum. I'll tell him he fucked up. He's still my friend though. Best thing I can do is be there for him, and you do the same for Karen."

Lucy listened intently. She wasn't prepared for such an earnest answer, but she appreciated that her son could get serious when she needed him. "Yeah, exactly," she nodded along, and understood what he was saying. There really was nothing they could do now about what happened before. There was no point in trying to imagine what she might have done if she found out about it before it happened. "You can't go telling everybody the truth about this one, Velma."

"I know. I only told you, but others think they heard some things," Velma started. "If we commit to telling them the lie, then we might be able to make sure no one gets in any real trouble for this. The inevitable divorce aside, but she deserves that one."

"I'm not going to go blabbering to Karen that I know the truth either," Lucy said. "She's going to tell me about an affair. I've got a feeling they don't want us knowing the rest, so I'll give her the liberty of pretending I don't know. You do the same with Jake, okay?"

"Yeah, that's fine with me," Josh said.

"You're a good boy, aren't you?" Velma cut in. "Always listening to your mother."

Josh gave her a smile. "I do what the lady says. It's served me well so far."

Velma took a last sip of her coffee, and started to climb to her feet. "I'll leave you both to deal with the aftermath. I have a feeling our naughty friend isn't going to be coming to me for comfort."

"That's probably in her best interests," Lucy kidded, before helping Velma to the front door. "Thanks for letting us know. I wish it was better news, but we'll do what we can, if they need us."

"Are you working tomorrow, love?" Velma asked, to which Lucy nodded. "Then we'll catch up later in the week."

Lucy saw her friend off, before looking back out at the rubbish in the street. The Adler family made quite a mess last night, of everything. It was hard to see a path back to normality.

**

Lucy hated the mess outside. There was so much she couldn't fix, but one thing she certainly could. She was caught between three 12 hour shifts. She had worked a busy Friday and Saturday, and would be back in again on the Monday morning. Sunday was a valuable rest day, but her mind felt the most exhausted it had been since she lost her husband. Part of her wanted to lie in bed all day, but more of her wanted to go outside and clean up.

She planned to get a shower first, then put some warm clothes on and go out for a walk. With the right attire, she loved a winter walk. Not quite a hike, but a few miles up and down the coastline, always close enough to home that she could retreat back to warmth if the rain started, or the wind picked up.

Lucy's head was still spinning. She couldn't believe the revelations the morning had for her. She anticipated an affair, but nothing like this. It was unfathomable. She never would have guessed it. She was truthful when she said she never suspected a thing. The change in Karen's demeanor was one thing, but human beings are like that. Up one day, down the next. It happens. Perhaps the glow was different this time. No one would have predicted what was putting that happy smile on her face.

There was some anger there too. It wasn't Lucy's marriage to judge, and she didn't see it all, all the nooks and crannies, but she thought it was a happy marriage. She was angry that her friend betrayed her husband, someone she knew to be a good man. It was a selfish and disrespectful thing to do to someone you had dedicated your life to, and to do it in the way she had was reckless, cruel and potentially life ruining.

Lucy took off her dressing gown, and slipped out of her pyjamas. She stepped into the shower, revelling in the near scalding downpour. She loved a boiling hot shower.

She thought of Karen and Jake as the water cascaded down her body. She couldn't get them out of her head. The anger, the confusion and the stress of what was still to come. But above all else, the intrigue. She truly couldn't believe that one of her closest friend was fucking her own son. It was a surprisingly intoxicating feeling. The sheer fascination she felt as she pictured them together, as the forbidden lovers they had become.

She wondered how it started, who wanted it first and who made the move. The sheer terror of telling someone you like them, when you know you shouldn't. It must have been overwhelming.

She thought about the first kiss. How long did it take to get there? Who initiated it? What was it like? Where did it happen?

These were details Lucy didn't need to know, but she still desired. As if it mattered where it happened, but as she closed her eyes and imagined the scene, she wanted more answers than she could ever get. She put a dollop of shower gel in a hand, rubbed them together and started to massage it into her body. She stroked over nipples she didn't know were hard, eliciting a gasp that startled her. She laughed to herself, surprised by the feeling. "Calm down, girl," she muttered, before caressing down her stomach.

She thought to the first time that they fucked. The guilt must have been excruciating, but the desire overpowering. The cheating was one thing, but the feeling of undressing your own mother, or your own son, it must have been too much to bear. She thought of them making love, slow and passionate, the relief of letting it happen overwhelming the two of them. She thought of them fucking, breathless and rampant, their desires exploding. She imagined them in positions she hadn't thought about for years.

Lucy thought of the first time Karen orgasmed on her son's cock, and the first time Jake came for his mother. Where did he finish? Did he fill her up with his load?

Did they regret the first time? Did they take a step back and apologise and promise to move on, before coming back together because nothing had ever made them feel so good and so bad all at once?

Lucy thought about the Karen she knew. A sweet lady. A good woman. A loving wife and a doting mother. Karen was an angel when Lucy needed it most. John was ill for a long time, on and off, so the need for help could come quite suddenly. Karen was always there. She would feed Josh and his older sister Katie when Lucy needed to rush off to the hospital. She would take the boys to their football games and let Josh sleep over whenever he wanted.

Lucy then thought of the Karen she didn't know. As Chris had apparently called her the night before,the whore.A lady who would fuck her own son. A lady who had been glowing in recent months, a lady who dressed more confidently and smiled more, because she was having an affair and it made her happier than her marriage did. She looked more beautiful than ever, fueled by the fling she was having with her only child.