Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2003 01:48:16 +0100
From: Jan Vincent <jan123@hotmail.com>
Subject: Sisters - Chapter 3

Dwelling of the guilty party:

jan123@hotmail.com
http://www.sistersinlove.org


As always comments are welcome!


CHAPTER THREE: DANGER


Linda slowly opened her sleepy eyes and began listening attentively to the
sounds of the night.  She heard a rustling sound in the hall, perhaps the
sound that had woken her.  All at once she sat up and gently but firmly made
Nikki roll off her.

"What?" Nikki asked, snapping out of her lethargy and becoming scared.

Linda made a motion for her to keep quiet.  Because of their mad, crazy lust
for each other, they had forgotten to close the door of their room.  Linda
wrapped herself in her robe, noticing they had fallen asleep with the
bedside lamp on.  Step by step Linda headed for the hall, her pulse
accelerating.  She didn't know exactly what to expect.  Burglars? The twins?
Hopefully, just a mouse or the wind...  The hall was too dark to see whether
someone was lurking in the shadows, waiting for "his" chance to pounce on
her.  After a few moments of hesitation, she switched on the hall light.  No
one was in the hall.  Smiling to herself and heaving a sigh of relief, she
concluded, 'This ain't a thriller, by the way.' Proceeding to the twins'
room, she kept repeating those words as if they had the power to guard her
against whatever evil might be hidden in the darkness.  She swung the door
open.  As far as she could see, there was no one in the twins' room either.

 'Maybe I dreamt the whole thing,' she thought.  When she was about to give
up her search, the same rustling sound came from Mom's and Dad's room.  This
time she was sure of it.  The door was half open.  Someone was definitely
there.

"Who's there?" she called out, her entire body now tense. "Who's there?" she
repeated louder.

She didn't dare to go in, fearing the worst.  She retreated hurriedly to her
room to fetch her softball bat.

"What's happening, Linda?" Nikki asked.

Linda saw fear in her sister's eyes, the very same eyes which had looked so
hungry for her love just a few moments ago.  Nikki's feminine body, which
had given her so much pleasure, now looked so frail.  No one was going to
take that away from her, Linda decided, enjoying that sudden surge of
fearlessness.

"Just stay put.  I don't think it's anything serious.  I'll take the bat
just in case." Linda lied.  She didn't want to scare her sister any more
than she was scared already.

With the bat she prodded open the door of her parents' room.  She stood
still for a while, listening, searching for any clue betraying the presence
of an intruder.  Holding her breath, she reached for the switch and turned
on the lights.  "What the hell," she began.  Behind her parents' king-size
bed, Zoe and Jeannie were huddled together, making a futile attempt to hide.
Linda couldn't believe her eyes.  She realized the twins must have heard and
seen everything.  And now what?!

Linda ordered Zoe and Jeannie out, taking them into her own room.  As they
filed in, Linda felt a pang of shame.  Nikki's and her own scent was all
over the place and it was obvious that Nikki was naked under the sheets of a
bed that wasn't hers.  There was no denying it.  The twins knew about what
had happened.  The question now was how to deal with it.  Linda was
perfectly aware that if she didn't handle it right, Nikki and herself would
be fingered by the twins, not only to Mom and Dad but also to all of their
friends.

They all sat there without speaking -- Linda next to Nikki, the twins on the
two wicker chairs.  Jeannie kept her head down, staring at the floor,
looking frightened and ashamed.  Zoe did look up, but soon evaded Linda's
eyes.  Minutes of silence passed until Zoe spoke, looking at the bat now
leaning against the wall, beside the wardrobe.

"I hope you weren't going to hit us with it."

"Of course not," said Linda, showing her anger. "If you hadn't snuck in,
nothing like this would've happened."

"We didn't sneak in.  We were just going to our room when...  We were just
surprised.  We didn't expect--" Zoe interrupted herself before it was too
late.  She was saying too much -- lying, actually.  When Zoe and Jeannie
came back home, they looked at each other with surprise in their eyes as
they heard strange sounds.  They stopped at the bottom of the stairs.  They
listened carefully and had great difficulty in believing what they heard.
Long, soft moans came from upstairs, as if a couple were making out in their
older sisters ' room.  Nervously they giggled at each other.  They both were
embarrassed, coming to the conclusion that Linda's headache had been no more
than an excuse.  They thought Linda had planned everything to be alone with
Rick, and to have sex with him.  Wanting to spy on their oldest sister
making love with her boyfriend, Zoe and Jeannie climbed the stairs with the
utmost care, silently.  As they reached the hall they hesitated, doing their
best not to giggle every time they heard Linda moan.  Their older sisters'
bedroom door was wide open, bathing the dark hallway with a beam of weak
light.  Zoe and her twin leaned against the wall, just two strides away from
their sisters ' bedroom doorway.  They listened.  Two female voices were
speaking too softly for them to understand a word of what they were saying.
It seemed as though Nikki was inside as well, Zoe realized; and that made
sense, for Nikki had come back home earlier...

A distant feeling that something odd was happening occurred to Zoe.  This
possibility was quickly dismissed by Jeannie's whispered suggestion that
Linda and Nikki were both sharing Rick.  Covering their mouths with their
hands, Zoe and Jeannie stifled their laughter.  Their curiosity piqued, they
peeped around the doorframe of their sisters' room, remaining hidden by the
corner of the private bathroom wall.  Stupefaction struck them.  Their eyes
opened wide.  Nikki was making love to Linda -- without Rick! That was...
breathtaking, the last thing they had expected.

A terrible sense of shame washed over Zoe as she recalled when she first saw
Linda and Nikki making love, so passionately, as if they were a couple of...
lesbians? She was ashamed because her own body reacted to Linda's moaning,
Big Sis begging Nikki to penetrate her with her fingers.  Her sisters ' good
looks, their flowing blond hair, reminded Zoe of the lesbian pictures she
had seen in Dad's girlie magazines.  She had even once masturbated while
ogling one of them.  At the beginning, looking at those pictures had been
all too exciting.  But as soon as the pleasure ebbed away, she became
disgusted at herself.  She was no lesbian, and she had no intention of
letting Mom or her sisters catch her with such a magazine.

"So, what'd you expect?" charged Linda, tired of waiting for Zoe to explain
her peeping.  "You were spying on us, weren't you?  From the beginning.  Why
didn't you say anything? Because you liked what you saw, huh?"

And again Linda could guess what Zoe was thinking.  Linda was the
unquestioned leader of the household, sharp as a needle, very demanding, and
always on the move.  Sometimes even Mom and Dad bowed down to Linda's
arguments.  Mercy if she was mad at someone.

Jeannie began to cry, surprising everyone.  Zoe moved closer to her twin
sister, holding her, confused by her twin's sudden tearful fit.  She tried
to calm her down but Jeannie wouldn't stop.  Linda drew near to Jeannie and
gave her a hug, hushing her, evoking in Zoe a sense of deja vu.  It was not
the first time that Linda took over their parents' responsibility, being
mother and father to three girls yearning for love, comforting them or
punishing them accordingly.  Mom and Dad never stayed long at home -- a
million parties to go to, yacht cruises they couldn't miss.

"Why are you crying, honey?" Linda asked, not knowing what was happening
inside Jeannie's head.

Jeannie didn't know it herself.  She just knew she liked Linda's sweet, warm
hug.  Jeannie shut her eyes, breathing in Big Sis's fragrance mixed with the
distinct odor of sex, very similar to how her hand smelled when she
masturbated before falling asleep.  Now that the shock of finding their
older sisters making love with each other had subsided, Jeannie relaxed,
embracing Linda's waist.  Feeling Big Sis so close, it didn't take long for
the indelible image of Nikki making out with Linda to flash back into
Jeannie's mind.  Jeannie recalled Linda's ecstatic face, Nikki's triumph
appearing in her smile, the tenderness they lavished upon each other.  From
that moment on, Jeannie knew she wanted the same.  She wanted the same
attention and tenderness.  She wanted Linda to make love to her the same as
she'd done to Nikki.  She felt special when her eldest sister paid attention
to her.  That sudden intense craving made Jeannie aware of Linda's
wonderful, full breasts against her face.  She wanted to open Big Sis's robe
and feel them with her hands.  She wanted it so much that she started crying
again.

"What's the matter, Jeannie? Why are you crying? You always told me when
anything hurt you.  That didn't change.  I'm still here for you."

"Really?" asked Jeannie, still sobbing.

"Of course, silly.  The reason why Nikki and I were in bed...  together...
was because we've found out how much we love each other.  And that is
nothing to be ashamed of."

"Really?"

"Yes, really." Linda smiled, seeing hope in her youngest sister's light blue
eyes.

"And if..."

"If, what?" Jeannie couldn't say it out loud.  It was too weird.

She just cuddled herself closer to Linda, holding her willowy waist even
tighter, making Linda's bosom more prominent and harder to overlook.
Swallowing, she finally dared act.  Her hand headed for the opening of
Linda's robe, uncovering her sister's breasts.

Linda didn't stop her.  Jeannie was starving for affection.  She was never
happy with the guys she dated.  She was always complaining and pointing out
their shortcomings, calling them immature, clumsy, crackbrained and plain
stupid.  Linda shut her eyes, feeling Jeannie's lips sucking on her nipples,
which in a matter of seconds had become powerfully erect.  She gasped,
pulling Jeannie's head toward her breast.  That intense feeling of pleasure
didn't last long, though, as Jeannie's lips were yanked away from her nipple
with unexpected violence.  She opened her eyes, realizing that Zoe had just
knocked Jeannie down.

Pulling Jeannie up and covering her breasts with her robe, Linda yelled,
"What's the matter with you, Zoe ?"

"What's the matter with YOU, I ask.  You...  I can't believe what you're
doing.  This is gross."

"Why?"

It was a simple question to which Zoe had no answer.  She had more or less
enjoyed watching Linda and Nikki together, but Jeannie with Linda bothered
her beyond reason.

"She's just jealous," Jeannie huffed, pulling herself together. "She's
always jealous about my boyfriends.  She just can't stand them.  She--"

"Stop it, Jeannie!" Linda's stare was hard and serious.  Jeannie knew that
Linda never allowed bickering among them.  She was the one who gave the
example, never criticizing anyone lightly.  Linda was the reason they had
such a close bond.  She nurtured a positive attitude toward her sisters.
Badmouthing anyone was totally off limits.  Linda looked at Zoe, then back
at Jeannie.  She inhaled deeply, pulling her hair back with her hands, which
began to tremble.  She licked her dry lips, concentrating on her own
breathing, looking down, as though the solution to the problem at hand lay
on the floor.  "Zoe is right," Linda said, looking up.

"Zoe is right?" Jeannie repeated, raising her voice, scowling at Linda and
then at Zoe.

Linda licked her lips again and said, "Yes...  We'd better stop, now.  Mom
and Dad will be back tomorrow..."

"So?"

"Jeannie," Linda said, desperation creeping in, "listen to me. This is not
right."

"What? What's not right?"

Linda swallowed, seeing her kid sister's expression change.  Jeannie's face
didn't look surprised any more.  There was fear in those light blue eyes.
"Jeannie, let's forget about it.  It was my mistake.  I shouldn't have...
We shouldn't have..."

"We shouldn't have? What are you talking about?" Jeannie was screaming by
now, almost hysterical. "You mean it is OK for you and Nikki to make out,
but it's wrong for you to make love to me?"

"Jeannie, calm down.  I--"

"I understand," Jeannie said, gritting her teeth. "I know when I'm not
wanted." Saying this, she made a half-turn and stormed out of the room.

The three girls heard hurried steps on the hall.  Then a door banged
violently, the whole house shuddering as they shuddered.

"Nice going, Sis," raged Zoe, as Linda's eyes returned to her.  "Nice
going," she repeated, making it her turn to leave the bedroom, casting, as
she went, a last disapproving glance at her eldest sister.

Linda let herself fall on her bed, rubbing her face furiously with her
hands.  She just didn't know what to do.  It seemed as though her worst
fears had come true.  Things were escalating and getting out of hand.  A
hand touched her shoulder, making her spring to her feet and away from that
contact that felt as though she was being branded like a steer on the ranch.

"Please, don't. I can't stand it." Reasoning quickly, Linda added, "Not
tonight, please..."

"I just wanted--"

"I know, Nikki.  I know...  Let's just go to bed and get some sleep.  I'll
talk to the twins tomorrow."


* * *


Linda wanted to fall asleep, but strange thoughts were swirling through her
head.  The memories of an odd, unusual, overwhelming sexual encounter kept
coming back to her, leaving her excited and exhausted at the same time.  She
turned to gaze at Nikki, who had fallen asleep as if nothing had happened
between them.  Nikki's "I love you" still reverberated in Linda's ears...
but people say it so often without really meaning it.  Linda envied Nikki's
ability to sleep.  Two years before, they had gone to Europe to visit Dad's
Scottish relatives.  These distant members of the family lived in a huge
castle, a scary, spooky place full of corridors and long shadows, old
portraits and dusty antique furniture.  The bedrooms were as somber as the
rest of the castle, with its ancient mahogany chests and armoires, and more
paintings portraying ancestors whose stare never left them.  Linda was
fifteen at the time, Nikki thirteen -- almost fourteen -- and frightened as
hell.  They couldn't believe that Dad wanted them to sleep in such a place,
but he was adamant that they stay.  Dad didn't want to hurt the feelings of
his cousins, Jeremy McDougall and his wife, by declining their hospitality.
At night, Nikki crawled into Linda's bed.  She said she was too scared to
sleep.  Nikki made Linda hug her back and hold her hand to drive away her
fears.  With this warmth and comfort, Nikki fell asleep within minutes,
without noticing how terrified her "guardian" was.

Gusts of wind lashing the window panes scared Linda too, and kept her awake.
She listened to every creak, wondering whether the house was haunted.
Hundreds of people had lived and died in Jeremy McDougall's castle, even in
that very bedroom.  This thought made her shiver and she held Nikki's hand
tight.  She felt as though this contact had the power to drive off the
ghosts that made her feel afraid.  It was 6:35 AM when Linda woke up,
realizing she was not in Scotland but at the beach house.  She cast a glance
at Nikki, who slept in her own bed, her naked shoulder blades and slender
waist uncovered.  Her sister wasn't wearing her pajama top.  It had become
unbuttoned during the fight which was the starting point for everything that
had happened now between them.  Or had it? For a short moment Linda wished
it hadn't.  She had to confront the twins and find a way to keep them from
blowing the whistle.  Linda kept staring at her sister's naked back, feeling
the desire return in spite of herself.  Nikki's long hair was spread out on
her pillow.  Her tanned, thin arm was bent, and her hand presumably was
close to her sex.  This thought made Linda bolt out of her bed and into the
bathroom, in an attempt to quench her desire.

'Am I becoming a one-track-minded moron?' she chided herself, looking in the
mirror and feeling disgusted.  'How can this be happening? She's your
sister, Linda.  Wake up and get real.'

Linda washed her face vigorously, her thoughts running through her mind like
little red devils swarming around her, whispering into her ear what she
should do, what she should not forget.

Linda went downstairs.  It was too early for the showdown with the twins.
Usually her sisters listened to her because she knew how to choose the right
words, and she convinced them that her arguments were stronger than theirs.
Her verbal skills (and her looks) had been put to good use by Mr.  Rawlings,
the principal of S.F.  High.  He wanted a spokesperson for the school, a
"well-groomed" junior who would represent S.F.  High's "high morals and
standards of education".  She was to be the bait to lure parents into
entrusting their children to Mr. Rawlings's "center of excellence".  'Center
of excellence?' she thought, recalling the principal's own words.  'Yeah,
right.'

Taking a carton of milk out of the refrigerator, Linda wondered about her
cynicism.  Paul and Lisa said she was too serious for her age, which
surprised her.  She thought she could lighten up with them, throwing
good-humored jabs at her friends because she expected the same from them.
Paul van Dyke was Rick's best friend.  Paul had introduced Rick to her at a
birthday party before the guys began to play their ear-splitting electric
guitars and scream out their angry lyrics. They sounded like Offspring and
Red Hot Chili Peppers put together, and that combination was quite
interesting.  Lisa Maxwell had been her best friend a long time ago.  Linda
couldn't tell exactly why they had grown away from each other. Boyfriends,
she would say.  Jealousy, perhaps.  Linda poured some milk into a glass.
When she was about to drink it, she felt a presence behind her.  She turned
around to see Jeannie staring at her, leaning against the doorjamb.  She
wore her off-white silk pajamas, her blond tresses hiding most of her folded
arms.  "Hi, Jeannie.  Couldn't sleep?"

Jeannie shook her head, walking in the kitchen, getting closer. "And you?"

"Me neither." Holding out her glass, Linda asked, "Want some?"

Jeannie shook her head again, remaining silent for a long minute, watching
her sister drink the rest of her milk.  Linda's gaze returned to her
youngest sister, noticing the rings around her eyes.  Much as she hated to
raise the subject, having Jeannie next to her offered Linda the opportunity
to secure the twins' silence without Zoe's interference.

"Did you and Zoe talk about last night?" she asked.

"Not really."

"Why?"

Jeannie sighed, scratching her forehead, pulling up a chair and letting
herself plump down on it.  "Zoe wanted to talk about it but I didn't.  I was
mad at you...  Still am."

"What do you want me to do?" Linda asked, raising her voice slightly.

"Be fair."

"What do you mean? You can't buy and sell me as if I am commodity you can
use at will."

Jeannie looked away, biting her lower lip.

"OK, I see it's no use talking to you." Then she stood up and left the
kitchen without looking back.

Linda heard her sister rush upstairs.  She braced herself to hear the door
slam, a statement of an angry teenager, but nothing happened.  She waited,
listening for sounds from upstairs.  Silence ensued, interrupted only by the
sound of a passing car.  Annoyed, Linda cursed the damned driver, who was
preventing her from hearing whether Jeannie had in fact returned to her
room.  She decided to investigate, climbed up the stairs, scanning the hall
above, and saw no one.  "Jeannie," she called out as she reached the top of
the stairs.  Then she saw her sister sitting on the floor of the hallway,
her back against the wall.  Her legs were drawn up and her long hair covered
her face, arms and upper body.  Jeannie looked up, her eyes twinkling.

"Are you all right?" Linda asked.  Before Linda could crouch down beside
her, Jeannie got up, and propped herself against the wall.  "Yes," Jeannie
replied, "but no thanks to you."

"Oh, come on, Jeannie...  Grow up."

"*You* should grow up, Linda," retorted Jeannie angrily.  "Not me."

"Yelling like that, you're gonna wake everybody up."

"I don't care," Jeannie answered, shrugging.  "Afraid of what Nikki's gonna
say if she finds you're here with me?"

"You know damn well that's not the point," Linda breathed out, as her
youngest sister's anger and jealousy were becoming all too obvious.

Jeannie had tightened her fists, as if she was considering getting physical.
Linda was astonished by that possibility.  Her whole body froze, as if
waiting for Jeannie to pick a fight.  Suddenly, the door next to them
opened.

"What is this? What are you doing here in the hall?" said Zoe as she glared
at Linda and Jeannie, her hands in her hips, waiting for an answer.

Before Linda or Zoe could speak, Jeannie clasped her twin's arm and said,
"Nothing." Then she grabbed hold of Zoe, took her back into their room, and
slammed the door behind them.

Finding herself alone in the hallway, Linda shrugged, made a half-turn, and
returned to the kitchen.  She was restless, her hands trembled, and her
heart pounded.  She didn't want to brood over what might happen if the twins
told everything to Mom and Dad.  Mom was so uptight about everything to do
with sex -- Dad too, although it was no secret that he liked to goggle at
naked women in his porno magazines.  He probably jerked himself off at them,
the way Rick and Paul did.  Her father's double standards made her mad and
left her confused.  Her parents' hypocrisy sickened her.  She swore to
herself she'd never be like them.  She'd teach her kids how to deal with
their sexuality, by talking to them, letting them know it was all right what
they felt and did as long as they didn't hurt anyone.  She would teach them
to be responsible, empowering them and letting them choose.  Righteous
adults should know better than to forbid anything without an explanation.
They usually forget that the "forbidden fruit" is always the most tempting.


* * *


Nikki went downstairs, searching for Linda and the twins.  She rubbed her
eyes, yawning, chasing away the drowsiness she felt every time she slept in.
She was surprised that none of her sisters had woken her up.  Their promise
of tickling her to death if she overslept was just an empty threat, after
all.  Crashing sounds came from the living room.  Someone was watching TV,
she correctly guessed.  Passing through the doorway, she found Big Sis
lounging on the couch, holding a small cushion.  Although the TV was on, Big
Sis's eyes stared blankly into space.  A fearful chill shot through Nikki's
body.  It was unusual for her oldest sister to stay home and watch TV.
Linda was too active and fidgety to be a couch potato...  Besides, Linda's
distant stare worried her.  Her sister's blues were so out of character!

"Hi, Linda. Where are the twins?"

Linda looked at her, sitting up straight, her feet leaving the couch, her
hands getting rid of the cushion.  Big Sis pulled her hair back with both
hands, sighing.  "They went to the beach."

"Without us?"

"Yes."

"You think..."

"I don't know," Linda replied, raising her green eyes and facing Nikki for
the first time.  "I don't know what they're going to do...  but sure as hell
they're pissed off."

The two of them made small talk intermittently for a while, silence taking
over slowly.  Neither of them wanted to imagine what would happen if the
twins talked.  What if they told Mr. Cool about them? They would be the
subject of all the malicious gossip in the resort.  Instead of being envied
and adored, they would be outcasts.  This prospect made Nikki gasp,
realizing for the first time the far-reaching consequences of their
lovemaking.  Incestuous sisters?...  That would surely make them talk!

The rest of the afternoon whizzed by, Linda dreading the moment of her
parents' return.  Nikki suggested going to the mall and leaving the house
for a while.  It would do them good.  There was nothing better than a
shopping spree to forget one's problems.  Linda laughed at Nikki's way of
putting it, and even thought of thanking her with a kiss.  She changed her
mind promptly, for kissing Nikki had gained a totally different meaning.
She didn't want to mislead her. They were sisters, and having sex with her
was not right.  Not right at all.

While in the mall, Linda was unable to respond to Nikki's attempts to cheer
her up.  Nikki said that everything would be fine and that the twins
wouldn't talk.  What would they gain by squealing on their own sisters?
Their own reputation would also be tarnished.  The four of them were not
just friends.  They were family.  The honor of all of them was at stake.  To
this Linda countered, "Honor? What honor? We're not Italian, Sis...  I think
you've been reading too many mob mysteries."

When Linda and Nikki returned home, they found out Dad's Buick parked in the
driveway.

"They're home," said Nikki, her voice showing no emotion, just stating the
fact.

"Yes," Linda agreed, nodding.  Taking hold of Nikki's arm, she added, "Let's
go.  We can't stay here all day long and daydream about tomorrow."

They stepped into the house through the half-open front door.  "Mom?" Linda
called out from the bottom of the stairs.  "Dad?" She waited for a while but
got no answer.  "Mom?" she cried out louder, climbing the stairs, her left
hand sliding up the banister.  "MOM?"

"What, honey?" her mother's face appeared at the banister of the upstairs
hall.  "Why are you shouting like that? I'm not deaf." As she spoke, her
mother took off her diamond earrings, the ones Grandma Greta had given her
daughter, Marge Wesley, the day before she married the promising young
engineer Fred McDougall.

"D'you know where the twins are?"

"Why on earth would I know that? Your father and I have just arrived from
the most relaxing, fantastic yacht cruise... Aren't they with you?"

"No," Linda replied, realizing how inane she'd been. To ask Mom where Zoe
and Jeannie were could trigger a series of unwanted questions.  Her nerves
had gotten the better of her, though.  She took the initiative, adding,
"They went to the beach...  Nikki and I, we stayed home and went to the mall
this afternoon."

"It sounds like you had your bit of fun, honey," her mother said, her
southern drawl becoming more perceptible.  Mom had lived most of her life in
Georgia and her favorite movie was "Gone with the Wind".

"And aren't you forgetting something?"

"Mom, not now...  Anyway, you're already told us how great your weekend
was."

Before her mother could protest, Linda scurried down the stairs, her head
beckoning Nikki to follow her into the back yard.  As they walked by the
living room doorway, a man's voice said, "Hello, girls...  Doesn't your
father deserve a welcome any more?"

Linda and Nikki stopped in their tracks and looked at the six-foot tall,
bulky man with immaculate white hair.  His arms were open and he was puffing
at a pipe like Popeye the sailor man.  This was no time for wisecracks,
Linda thought, resigning herself to being hugged by Dad and listening to his
tales about the good time they had with the Bells and their elitist circle
of friends.  She hated it most when Mom and Dad tried to couple her with the
sons of those empty-headed snobs, embarking on a mission to "save" her from
Rick Hillman.  Linda had yelled at them, making them understand she wouldn't
have it.  She'd chosen Rick as her boyfriend and she was not going to change
her mind.  Ever!

When Zoe and Jeannie came home, dinner was almost ready.  They walked in the
back door with their wetsuits on, explaining they had been surfing with Max
and Pete.  Once more Mom expressed her concerns about their hanging around
with grownup men.  They should look for more suitable company, someone their
own age.

"Mom," Zoe protested, "they're our instructors.  How are we supposed to
learn without instructors?"

"It's 7 PM.  I can't imagine you've been surfing until now."

"Oh, for chrisakes," Zoe said, rolling her eyes and stomping out of the
kitchen.  "Come on, Jeannie.  Let's go upstairs and change."


* * *


"So, how was your weekend?" Fred McDougall asked, taking two generous scoops
of mashed potatoes onto his dish and scrutinizing his daughters with a wide
smile.  Nikki and Jeannie sat on his right and Linda and Zoe on his left.
Although he was paying attention to his daughters, Fred failed to notice how
tense the four of them had become after his unsuspecting question.

Linda straightened herself up on her chair, eyeing Zoe and then Jeannie.
Before Zoe could answer their father's question, Linda said, "It was OK."

"OK?" her mother asked, her brows arching up, helping herself to the
broccoli.  "Just OK?"

"Yes," Linda replied, unable to hide her annoyance, while waiting for Zoe to
hand over the meat platter.  "Some of us can settle for less, without
overstating how happy we all are."

"What's that supposed to mean, Linda?" Marge asked, taking the bowl of
mashed potatoes and staring at her eldest daughter.

"Nothing."

A heavy silence hovered over the table, Linda avoiding her mother's
inquiring eyes.  "That must mean something, Linda, or you wouldn't say it."

"Girls!" Fred exclaimed.  "Let's not fight. Not tonight."

"Yes," Jeannie agreed, breathing in and out deeply.

Although the dinner prepared by Anita Perez, the cook, was delicious, it was
consumed without the usual small talk and laughter.  Fred tried his best to
keep the conversation going, but Linda's ill-humored remark had soured his
wife's mood.  It seemed as though the battle of wills between mother and
daughter was getting worse by the day.  If his memory served him well, it
all started when Linda turned fourteen and asked her mother's permission to
spend her birthday with Chad Manson, a popular 16-year-old lady-killer who
apparently had turned Linda's head.  Marge, however, wouldn't hear of her
daughter preferring the company of the neighborhood's troublemaker to her
family's on such an important day.  Chad Manson was no good, he was a bum,
and probably a drug dealer. Since then Linda had become more circumspect and
secretive about her dates, choosing her words carefully.  Linda blamed Marge
for ruining her life, for not understanding her.  Sometimes Marge accused
her husband of taking sides, sticking up for Linda more often than for his
own wife.  Strangely enough, he could feel an undercurrent of rage in
Marge's words.  That rage baffled him but he wasn't going to ask any more
about it.  Marge would most probably deny there was anything in it.

As he always did after dinner, Fred headed for his den to fill up his pipe
with fresh tobacco.  There was nothing better than a good puff and a
steaming cup of coffee for him to relax after such a long weekend with the
Bells.  Jonathan Bell was the president and the founder of Servenet, owning
more than 40% of the voting shares.  In other words, Jonathan was his boss,
and the yacht cruises Jonathan organized were part of Servenet's informal
way of conducting business.  As he emptied his pipe into the small trashcan
under his desk, Fred's eyes spotted his daughter Zoe standing at the
doorway.

"Hello, Zoe. Come on in. I won't bite."

His daughter didn't react, apparently oblivious to his jesting.  Her long
shiny hair covered the left side of her slender body, the fingers of her
hands in the small pockets of her skin-tight blue jeans.  Zoe happened to be
his favorite daughter, the one who'd jump on his lap, begging for a story.
She listened to him with her attentive blue eyes wide open, giggling at the
funny parts, and gaping if the story was really interesting.  His other
three daughters were more standoffish.  He was certain that Linda set them
against himself and his wife.  He wished that Marge and Linda could settle
their differences.  Marge should moderate her inflexibility and Linda should
be less of a stubborn brat.  If that ever happened Fred was sure his
household would be far more peaceful.

Zoe seemed anxious.  Every now and then she looked back into the hallway as
though making sure that no one had followed her.  Fred came over to be close
to his daughter.  "What's the matter, Zoe ?" he asked.

"I'm not sure..." Zoe said softly, teasing her lower lip with her teeth.

Before Zoe could continue, Linda showed up at the doorway and said, "Zoe, I
wanna talk to you."

"Not now," Zoe complained, twisting her arm free from Linda's grip.

"I mean, NOW," Linda demanded, pulling her sister away from the doorway, and
their astonished father.  Putting her hands on Zoe's shoulders, Linda
whispered, "If you want to ruin my life, go ahead...  Tell them, tell them
everything.  But think about Nikki and Jeannie for once.  What do you think
Mom and Dad are going to do with them if they know, huh?  Did you think
about that?  This is not a prank, Zoe.  This is serious.  They can break us
apart because of this.  Is that what you want?  Huh?  Tell me.  Is that what
you want?" Linda could see fear in her sister's eyes.  Zoe was speechless,
flickering her eyelids and offering no resistance as her big sis pushed her
against the wall.

Their father closed in, wrenching Linda away from Zoe.  He took them both to
his den and shut the door, waiting for an explanation for their outrageous
behavior.  Folding his arms, he ordered them to speak but neither of his
daughters said a word, even after he threatened to ground them for two
weeks.  Once again Linda was able to wield her powerful influence on her
younger sister.  Realizing this, Fred sent Linda out of the den and
approached Zoe, questioning her gently.  Still, his favorite daughter evaded
his eyes and refused to talk.  Much against his will and better judgment, he
let his irritation show.  His voice had grown too loud, scaring his daughter
into even more resolute silence.  Eventually he dismissed her, tired of
waiting and convinced that he had ruined all his chances of hearing what was
behind all that peculiar exchange between Linda and Zoe.

"Women," he sighed, as he opened the bag where he kept his favorite tobacco.
He shook his head as he filled his pipe.  His worries vanished as soon as he
took the first draw.  His eyes shut as he enjoyed the moment.  Smiling, he
left his den and returned to the living room, with the firm intention of
allowing nothing and no one to spoil his favorite time of the day.