Republished by approvement of the author.

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BIG BIG WARNING
— this is too long and a possible spoiler —

Please beware that you are warned... it is long and it could be a spoiler (minor)

I tried to write it the way it happened when I started to follow the trails and begin piece by piece assembling this elaborate construct Nick has devised!

I am not Nick Scipio... my writing skills are limited... so while taking you through this trip, I tried as much as possible to translate the fun and frustration, and the excitement of fitting / assembling the puzzle pieces, into the writing of this "thesis"... consequently the language is a bit... um... unusual!

As I said I am not Nick, worse I am not much skilled in writing. May be skilled in a bit of puzzle solving >8-P

So if you are interested in it, then let's go... we have long ways to drive!

I think we all can agree the most famous quote from ch13 belongs to Kara —

"The women in our family like the taste of come," she said matter-of-factly. "Mom does, I do, Gina does, and I'm sure Leah will too, as soon as she gets her first taste."

And the most cryptic statement as well (regarding Susan).. Here is a long excerpt to see how strange it sounds (and how out of context it seems) —

I don't think any of us missed it... Because Paul has noticed it as well... It is a strange comment... because of the intonation... Bear that in mind for the time being and let's number this excerpt as number (2).

Strangely enough I missed an earlier occurence of this same reference to Susan by Kara, and here's that excerpt [excerpt number (1) because it happens earlier] —

"Well, he's been screwing everything that moved," Gina said defensively. "He has not," Kara said crossly. "What about Susan?" Kara shook her head irritably. "You know about Susan," she said. "You know how it is." Shocked by the two girls' vehemence, I merely watched, turning my head as if I were watching tennis.

[You may understand this later, but I tell you now! Nick really slips this in... it's brilliant... it's on a level beyond the Usual Suspects]

Here the reference to Susan is pretty much in context, nothing out of the ordinary could be inferred... Gina knows about Susan... simple... straightforward... an innocent remark... explaining away that Kara and Gina talked about Paul's confession.... And we can perhaps draw the conclusion that Kara tried to explain to Gina that "due to Susan's age, Susan-Paul relationship is not going anywhere, so Gina shouldn't really get concerned about it! It's just sexual... Paul is not going to marry Susan... or forget about Gina because he's having sex with Susan!'

Plausible...?... right?... riiiiggghhhtt! <cough... cough... holding my smile>

[Please bear a while longer, because this is going to get interesting, and please keep in mind the movie Usual Suspects, and pieces of puzzles and the whole enchilada Nick explained in his The Plan]

In contrast the excerpt no (2) seems to be somehow... unique... strange... and there is an emphasis... a very strong emphasis placed... Paul notes it... so do we [readers]... [That's the way things work in Nick's universe!]

I couldn't really explain what was wrong with this picture, especially missing the earlier reference. Even when I caught onto the earlier reference, it didn't make any sense. We all know it's significant, and there's something going on but what... What exactly is Kara referring to, regarding Susan...

Let's take a short break, and think about Susan... I think many of us agree that we are not privy to too much information and background on Susan; so much so that we cannot really make any sense out of the cryptic reference to Susan!

The only comments we can reliably make is that: 1. Nick takes our attention (dropping a hint) because Paul noticed it as well (and as readers we would also) 2. It indicates Kara knows something which we do not know (or not revealed to us yet)

But what that unknown thing about Susan is...

Perhaps via her parents (Elizabeth) or some other manner [pure conjecture on my part!]... but Kara learnt something about Susan ... Since Susan is involved with Coulters, it follows that Elizabeth would know something about Susan... and perhaps Kara came upon the information as well... whatever the case it is... Kara knows something about Susan.. that is a given! Agreed? <I am not making this up, it is there, it is a fact... Kara knows something!... period>

Big leap to some other place... some other time...

[Sorry for this sudden break, but we are now taking a short commercial break about Nick's earlier work... SC1... read it... it's fascinating]

I was reading through SC1 (I am somewhere around mid of 3rd chapter or so)... about Susan applying a make-shift ice pack (made with towel and a frozen pea bag) to Paul's balls, after she introduced his balls to the tree branch <chuckle>, and how she followed it up by introducing her luscious mouth to Paul's member... <big grin> ... and was laughing my ass out when Paul ends up eating peas at the dinner table (with mom present), while trying hard not to develop a hard-on!

— Nick! Man, you have a sick, sick, sick sense of humour but I love it —

I back tracked to the Paul's blow job, it was such a phenomenal read... really! [one of these days I must take my head out of the gutter]

But there was something about it that caught my attention... (check it out for yourself now, if you want to better follow it yourself... it's just at the end of the BJ, following the cure with frozen pea bag)

It dawned on me that Susan's reaction just at the end of the first BJ was pretty unique.... She acts as if it's been too long before she had done this ... almost years... and she really acts as if she cannot get enough of it... as if she has not blown somebody before... savouring every single moment, absorbing every single moment and immersing in it...having slight little orgasms... shakes... dreamy... and lost.. somewhere... [my guess is, — and this is probably way way long reach and incorrect — that Susan is reliving perhaps an earlier day from her married life when she was so young. Take this comment with a grain of salt, but store it somewhere close by... it might come handy]

She is 38, (arguably) at her sexual peak... She lost her husband when she was 28...

My question is: there does not seem to be a steady sexual partner in her life, — for that matter any indication of unsteady partner — ! how is she dealing with her needs? What is her sexual outlet? Ohh... yeah... Paul will be... in a short while... but before then... all those years (10 years widowed)...?

She is a sexually experienced woman, and somehow her reaction at the end of the BJ is strange... I know that a woman can really turn on especially, knowing that she is taking the virginity of a young guy (especially the young son of her best friend)... but really... Is Susan the type of sexually promisceous person that fits this sort of description... getting wicked satisfaction by seducing her best friend's son... It doesn't fit her character! Not even later when you look at the relationship between Paul and Susan... Susan told Paul about being in love vs. loving. She also explains why she had seduced Paul and tells specifically that she doesn't do "that" kind of thing (meaning promisceous sexual activity) at a later time.

There is another outlet for her sexuality... Yes we know there is some swinging, but what exactly is taking place in those sessions... Does Susan really get involved? If she does, with whom and in what manner...

I think her one outlet is female-female loving (Beth-Susan certainly, Elizabeth-Susan may be).

What about male-female... May be! and only a "may be"... at some rare occasions she might have gotten involved with David Hughes. It is probable [I am not so sure, given her reaction at the end of the BJ, but read on], because Jack (Susan's husband) and David were good friends, and Beth and Susan met each other when the two families were stationed in California, and since Jack's death Susan and Hughes kept in touch... [these are revealed during the first day when Paul is working for Susan, when Paul asks about Susan's husband. And Susan's responses are tightly controlled almost emotionless. Paul notices that and correctly identifies that Susan has never forgotten her husband and it is a painful subject even after 10 years]

I [conjecture] bet that Susan has never forgotten her husband... Because of that she has stayed a widower... let's face it at 38 she's beautiful, and at 28 years old she must have been really something...

I cannot really see anything else than her strong feelings of love for her husband (and she expresses that to Paul, when explaining being-in-love vs loving), she did not feel like seeking another mate/husband... She is still in love with her husband [IIRC, she said that to Paul, maybe not in so many words in SC1... I haven't gotten to the particular chapter yet!]

In the light of this revelation/explanation, I have my doubts that she had sex with any man, even in the swinging group (may be with David Hughes)...

Now stop and think for a moment... After so many years of abstaining, she starts to get involved (very slowly, over a period of time) with Paul. In fact initially it is just BJs... It's only when one day overcome with lust (due to Susan's relentless teasing) that Paul initiates the intercourse.. And after that it is history — as they say — ... The floodgates open up with an increasing pace, as Susan gets drawn to Paul, his sensitivity, innocence, and all the other good things about him... He doesn't also pose a danger to Susan's own established life. She loves him... deeply.. but she is not in love with him. (I would haphazard that may be some of the qualities Paul has remind Susan of Jack to a certain extent... She seems to react to Paul, like she has not reacted to anybody — meaning she hasn't reacted to anybody — [we don't know it yet, but atm, it looks like a sure bet]

Now... Let's take a step back and look at Coulters—Hughes'—Susan again... I think if Susan is always in a female-female relationship (which seems to be the case) then it is obvious that why it is so, and the history of Susan would be known to all the partners involved in the swing circuit... And considering the kind of person they all are, nobody will object to Susan's abstaining from any male-female realtionship (Susan's own lessons on forcing a woman or a man to have sex indicates she will not be part of any group that may act in that manner), and everyone will respect her wishes! [let's face it there are still 2 women and 2 men to go around]... In fact I am not sure how frequently Susan will initiate female-female sessions... may be on very few occasions... Perhaps Susan is only supplying to the swingers (her very close friends) a private place for the activities, and she is not attending it herself (except on special occasions)...

If we for a moment assume this is a correct assesment or half-way-correct assesment of Susan, then Susan's relation with Paul (which includes intercourse) becomes a significant event, a diversions from the norm for Susan, in the context of Susan' past behaviour...

Here is another conjecture:

The Coulters being the open kind of family (how else can you explain Kara's knowledge of Coulter women all loving taste of come), I am not surprised if Kara is in the know about swingers, what takes place and the specific issues involving Susan and her activities... I bet that their mother really comunicate/explain quite many facts relevant to Coulter family, its life style and activities (at least to their elder daughter Kara and partially to Gina — since Elizabeth put her on the pill; a knowing mom, not afraid to tell the facts of life, and keep her children educated). Remember also the last morning Gina and Paul had spent together just before Gina's family left... Both mom's took their child to side to have a private talk... Read it... It's full of revelations on how Beth and Elizabeth raise children, and how they exchange information regarding the activities of their children or suspicions of what they might be up to (no surprises there)!

Now that we have seen each and intricate part that forms the puzzle, can we solve this puzzle and draw the picture? I think we can...

The excerpt (1) that takes place earlier on the confrontation opens with Gina's accusation "He's been screwing everything that moved". and as an example she throws Susan's name. Kara responds "You know about Susan"...

And that is significant.... Gina KNOWS about SUSAN.

And No! It is not about a girl-girl talk between Kara and Gina, where Kara tells that:

"Susan is older than Paul, doesn't pause threat to Gina's future with Paul, and she's also the one that taught many things to Paul, including how to make love to a girl, show respect, etc..."

Depending on how much Kara knows about Paul-Susan relationship or how much she can figure out on her own, she can say these things.. That's the talk that we [as readers] expect to happen... and would have happened!

(But think for a second if Gina doesn't buy the simple and standard explanations which are on their own, very strong and correct arguments and irrefutable... Even Gina will know/understand these arguments — let me play the devil's advocate for arguments sake! —)

Whether Gina will accept or understand these most basic explanations and arguments is moot! At the best of our expectations she will, at the worst she won't...

Kara (or Elizabeth] then have to present the real argument, the real facts... the clincher...

The clincher, that can really convince Gina, is the exact nature of Paul and Susan's relationship, in terms and context of Susan's past and present.

If Susan has spent such a lonely life even among her friends (as I tried to explain/portray in the preceding pages), then Paul-Susan relationship is special, and in the context of Susan's own history it stands out as being very special/significant...

Coming back to convincing Gina...

Either Kara [or Elizabeth] explained to Gina how special case it is between Susan and Paul...

" In the many years they have known Susan, it's the first male that she has a sexual relationship, which is based in mutual respect and love... It's the first time Susan's life is filled with somebody and some happiness... Coulters and Hughes' (the parents) are happy for Susan... Isn't Gina happy for Susan that Susan is now happy...that, she has at least something/someone special in her life! "

If Gina fails to understand and opposes the Paul-Susan relationship she will be basically saying: "No, I don't think Susan should have that little happiness and comfort and care, and especially not from Paul".. What does that make Gina... Callous? <rhetorical question!>

Everytime Kara says "You know about Susan ", Gina knows about Susan, she doesn't raise any objection!

Furthermore, if in Susan's case "a Susan-Paul sexual relationship" is special or significant, then it follows that Paul must be somebody that is really worthy of attention. Why? Because Susan has made a choice [Paul], that, she has not made for anybody else through her lonely years!

The 2nd excerpt in fact complements this puzzle... Let's read it again, in the context that Gina knows the background about Susan, and she understands that the Susan-Paul relationship is special and significant:

... At least he," she [Kara] tossed her head in my direction, "had the guts to tell you about the women he had sex with. So you can be self-righteous if you want, but I don't think you're that kind of hypocrite," she said gently. "You know about Susan..."

For a moment, I wondered what she meant by that.

"...and Stacy loves him so much that she's been trying to figure out a way for him to get you back. The only girl he cheated on you with was Amy, and he was so in love with you that it ruined their relationship."

Of course... Gina knows about Susan! Unfortunately yet, Paul doesn't know much about Susan, and how special he really is for Susan!

I could hardly wait to see Paul's reaction when he learns it! (I think Susan and Beth went to great pains to keep this as a secret... I wonder who will reveal the secret to Paul)

It's been a long drawn "thesis", but I think it was worth it.. and I hope that you enjoyed it...

Ending Remarks:

When I started to pick the bits and pieces here and there, and started to follow the bread crumbs, I was amazed by the richness of the attention to detail... How even the smallest pieces fit... how they nicely-click. But I am blow away by how elaborate the whole construct is!

If you manage to follow it up to now, and are able to see the whole painting that is a small glimpse into Susan and her past, then you will definitely understand why I am blown away... And if we can appreciate just this little mini puzzle, then think what our reaction will be when SC3 ends... I cannot even think of a single word to describe such a feeling... I doubt that it even exists in any dictionary.

Those of you that are sceptical about this little puzzle... No problems... you did not miss anything... I think you will enjoy it when it comes...

I just do not really know how to apologize for spoiling the experience for you when it does arrive... I trully don't know how I can!

Nick... You are unbelievable... incredible... I'm utterly blown away... salutations <a deep bow held in respect, for half minute>.