Chapter 13
As she drove home, Jane was completely relaxed. The liquor she had consumed could have been enough to affect her driving, but the frenzied activity of the evening had worn off most of the intoxication. Bunny too, in spite of all she had drunk, seemed composed, relaxed.
Long before they reached the house, it became obvious that mother and daughter had reached a new rapport. There would always be a measure of resentment between them, the normal resentment of youth and maturity, but something new had been born during the debauchery of the party. There was a mutual respect now, a mutual understanding.
No longer would there be the resentment of mother and daughter, they were two women now. As two women, they had forged a new bond of understanding. It would never develop into the love or warmth that can grow between mother and daughter, but it would represent a new status for them, it would be a big improvement over what they had known in the past.
When Bunny asked about Jane's whereabouts during the past few days, the girl gave her a quick rundown without naming names or places.
Bunny was intrigued with both George and Don, especially after the rather graphic description her daughter had given.
"Jane," she asked anxiously, "why don't the two of us go out there one of these days and really throw a party for them?"
"No, Bunny. I've thought of going back, but I really think it would be wiser to consider the whole thing a closed chapter. I could be buried under the floor of the barn right now, I still don't like to think about it too much."
Jane had told her about the wedding ceremony with Don. Her mother couldn't take her mind away from it.
"Just imagine Jane. We could make it a double ceremony. He could have two brides. Maybe we could even include the other one. All four of us could consummate the ceremony in one bed. Think of it Janie," Bunny persisted, "what a ball that could be."
Jane did think of it, but how could she tell her mother that somehow, the Travers deserved something better, in spite of their poverty and ignorance and dirt, than to be exposed to the continuing depravity of the wealthy, sophisticated, depraved Lowells.
Bunny, she knew, wouldn't understand. She would consider herself in the role of Lady Bountiful as she dropped her expensive clothes and bared her greedy body to the uncultured hicks.
Jane could just imagine her mother telling the story to her friends at all her parties.
"Oh my dears," she could hear her boasting, "you should have seen the absolute adoration in the eyes of those country boys when they saw me in my bra and panties.
"I thought they'd just explode when I unfastened my bra and pulled one cup away. They wanted to do everything to me, just everything."
There would, Jane knew, be much more detail as she recounted the story. Some of it would be accurate, much more would be manufactured. In time the old farm would become a fashionable meeting place for Bunny and her jaded society friends.
Jane felt a strange sense of obligation to the Travers family.
She owed them nothing and yet she cared too much about them to expose them to the influence of Bunny and her crowd.
"Isn't Dad going to wonder where you've been?" Jane asked to change the subject.
"I'm surprised at you Jane. Just when I thought you were really grown up, you ask a childish question like that."
Jane wished she hadn't asked.
"Your dear father doesn't ask me about what I do and I don't bother him. Do you realize how many lovely young things he keeps in fancy apartments in town?"
Instinctively, Jane resented what her mother was saying. She knew the charges were true, but still she resented it. It was as if the woman was saying "look baby, that old man of yours is no angel. Sure, we're a couple of hot pants bitches, but he's no better than we are."
They switched the conversation back to the party then and their new status was reaffirmed. They discussed various activities and people. As they compared notes, they laughed and talked excitedly.
"Hall?" Bunny laughed, "he's the queer life of every party. No matter what kind of a party it is, Hal always manages to latch onto a pair of panties and get his kicks."
"A really way out queer?"
"Hell no. When he's not in that mood, Hal is more man than most guys I've known. When you finish a session with that boy you really know you've had a workout, baby.
As the car pulled into the drive, they were discussing mutual friends. It developed that they had met many people under the same circumstances. It was a strange sensation for Jane, it made her feel a little nervous thinking that the man who had shared her bed one night was sharing one with Bunny the next.
As they pulled into the garage, Bunny made one last try to interest Jane in a visit together to the farm where she had been held. Jane's refusal was adamant.
They walked into the house together, shared a nightcap together and went off separately to their bedrooms. Bunny sounded a little triumphant later as she stopped outside Jane's door and announced that the old man wasn't home yet.
Jane didn't get the message though, she was already sound asleep.