Well, there I was, sitting in my Dad's old study, stark naked, just having had sex with my little sister. Good thing she was 19; bad thing is I'm 21 years older and should know better. I needed to call my sister Joanie to find out how my folks were doing after their near-fatal auto accident. The sleet was hitting the window, and Dana was probably right about waiting to go out until it was over.
Joanie answered my call on the first ring. "Things haven't changed since last night, Petey. Doctor was by an hour ago and said it'll be a long time before we know for sure. It's pretty bad outside, nobody has left here since it started and it's supposed to last past noon. Wait at least an hour after it stops before starting over. Whoopsie's car will get you here and back all right."
"How are you doing, Joanie dear?"
I heard a muffled sob and a deep breath. "I'm OK, Petey. Just glad you're back in town. My ex isn't sending over my kids until Christmas Eve, the bastard, so it's been tough to be here alone."
"Yeah, my old battle ax is waiting till the last minute to send mine. I'll come over and spend tonight so you can take a break. We'll work out a routine until our tribes get to town. Everything will be all right."
"Thanks, Petey. Who knows, maybe we can even dig out your dumb old Cardinals hat."
Well, talk about going from a pauper to a prince. The water started in the bathroom, and my sister said, "Where's Whoopsie?"
"Taking a shower. She's holding up all right. The place has been cleaned within an inch of its life, and there's enough food in reserve to feed the whole clan for a week."
"I knew she could do it; she's been hanging in the kitchen with Mom a lot when she's not dancing." Some more sobs came over the earpiece. "You keep an eye on her, she doesn't do well when she's alone for long periods of time. I've got to get something to eat, I'll see you later."
"Bye."
Booting up my computer, I opened my mail accounts and saw a morning's worth of work looking at me. The company cloud had a few new documents to review and revise as well, so I didn't have to worry about twiddling my thumbs while waiting for the ice storm to end. I pulled my drawstring tight and padded to the kitchen to start the coffeepot just I heard the shower shut off.
When it was ready, Dana bounced into the room in a blue leotard and black leg warmers. Her hair was still a little wet. I filled a cup and held up the pot, inviting her. She nodded eagerly, and let me pour a cup for her. "Cream and sugar?"
"Nope, you're all the cream and sugar I need." She stood on tiptoe for a kiss and I gave her one. We sat and looked outside while we drank our coffee. Our eyes met and captured each other's again; we were lost in each other for almost an eternity before she broke off to look at her phone. "Looks like it's gonna keep sleeting until about 1. Should wait 'till after that to go over."
"Joanie said to wait an hour after it stopped, which is no problem. I've got a morning's worth of work waiting for me until then."
"Great. I'll cook some breakfast, and we can go around three. If you want to take a break, I can distract you a little." A mischievous look, broad smile, and electric eyebrows lit up her face.
"I bet. Let me work for an hour and I'll be ready to eat. We'll take it from there."
"Okay." She looked deep into my eyes again, staying stiller than I've ever seen her before for a long time before downing the rest of her coffee in a gulp. I took mine to the den with me.
I worked and got the inbox reduced, then reviewed the reports. Nothing extraordinary, and it didn't take as long as I thought. Logging off, I looked around the room: it was almost identical to when I knew it as a kid. There were more pictures of our tribe dominating an entire wall, and a complete series of Dana as Clara in Nutcracker. An old World Book Encyclopedia, which my siblings and I almost wore out. Three shelves full of classic Science Fiction and Fantasy books, which Dad collected and shared with me. A couple of bowling trophies, and some awards for years of employment.
My phone buzzed, and Dana texted me breakfast was ready. I took a little time to watch the ice hit the window before I left.
When I got back to the table, it was full of scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes and fruit. Dana had gotten tired of waiting and was stretching, bending over with her hands on the floor, and she wiggled her ass at me when she heard the door. "You can do me like this, I love it doggy style."
"Maybe after we eat. Food comes first."
She spun around, her lower lip curled in a pout for a moment, before she sat at the table and started filling her plate. Like Mom, she could eat tons of food and never put on weight. I dug into my grub and found it identical to the Saturday morning breakfasts of my childhood: Dana cooked the eggs and the pancakes in bacon grease, which would probably clog my arteries, but delighted my taste buds. Like Mom, she'd also hand squeezed some orange juice, a rarity in a Midwest home but a routine my Florida-born mother kept. I savored every bite.
Washing dishes took a minute or two. Dana was using a waist high rack at the back door to steady herself as she did some leg stretches, and I playfully flicked my sister's backside with a dishtowel when I was done. "Petey! You schmuck!"