Becoming an adult and moving out on your own is never a guarantee that life will be easier. We, my sister Stacy and I, had strict parents growing up. It wasn't so much that they were always in our faces, and brow-beating us with their disappointment, it was more that they were constantly busy with their jobs and their causes, and expected us to live up to a certain standard so they could worry about other things. There were many summers where our parents would jet off on some humanitarian expedition and leave us with our grandparents on their 'ranch'. So, basically, Stacy and I spent a lot of time finding our own things to do, and learning about life anyway we could.
Nevertheless, once Stacy and I finished high school and moved out on our own we were both glad to be free of the 'quiet oppression' of our childhood. Stacy is a year older than I am so she got out first. Not ready for college she moved in with a friend and got a job, glad to be away from our childhood home but not sure where she really wanted to go yet.
As soon as I turned 18 and finished high school I was right behind her. The only difference was that I was ready to start college and move on with my life. One thing I will say, even though our parents were hardly ever there, they did have money, and so I only needed a part time job to pay bills. My college was paid for. This was obviously a sore spot with Stacy. She wasn't mad at me in any way, but she was a bit ruffled by the fact that our parents decided that unless she was in school she could fend for herself. In fact, she actually encouraged me to take as many classes as I could and make them pay for it all.
As time went on we sort of lost contact with our parents. Not that we were ever close, but after we moved out we hardly ever spoke with them, except to make sure the tuition was getting paid. But Stacy and I stayed in almost constant contact. Because it was mostly just the two of us growing up we had developed a special bond that would never be broken, no matter where we were living or what we were doing.
That meant that whenever we had personal problems or issues, I was the first person she would call for advice or just to talk, and vice versa. Such was the case when, just after I turned 23 and was close to finishing my degree, Stacy called me with a serious crisis. She had been in and out of relationships almost since she moved out on her own. And some of those relationships weren't as wholesome as we would all like. This was the basis of her current situation.
She had gotten involved with a guy that, at first, seemed very responsible. He was in the military and had a fairly bright future. But about two months into the relationship Stacy discovered she was pregnant. Boyfriend, who shall remain nameless, decided there was no way he was the father and immediately broke up with Stacy. Then he conveniently shipped out to Afghanistan a week later.
Stacy tried to stay in contact with him, clinging to a small hope that he would return and decide to do the right thing, despite his insistence that he wanted nothing to do with her or 'that baby'. Then fate interceded when he was killed by a roadside bomb.
So now Stacy was pregnant and alone. There was no way my parents would ever understand. And as her pregnancy progressed she became more and more stressed about the future. Mainly because her roommate made it clear that she didn't want to have to deal with a baby in the apartment. And when their lease came up for renewal, Stacy and her roommate parted ways, in unfortunately not-so-friendly terms.
There was no way I was going to let my big sister face it alone. And I really had no problem with a niece or nephew around. So I invited her to move in with me, for as long as she needed or wanted. In fact, I was really looking forward to it. I had the time and the space, and the resources to accommodate her. I still let dear old mom and dad pay for tuition, but I had already landed an internship that was guaranteed to become a full time position after I graduated. So in she moved.
She arrived on a Friday, which was good for me. I was able to spend the weekend helping her get moved in and settled. Stacy was already six months pregnant and was starting to tire more easily. So it worked out good for both of us.
Having another person in my townhouse took a bit getting used to. I had been living the bachelor lifestyle since starting college. So I had to make changes. But it turned out not to be so difficult. I didn't date much so there was no girlfriend that had to adjust. And my work and school schedules were fairly consistent. We settled into a comfortable cohabitation in no time, enjoying each other's company, and hanging out together whenever we could. Just like when we were kids.
In fact, we got very comfortable together. Two weeks, to the day, after she moved in, we were sitting on the couch watching a BluRay movie. It was a Friday night, and we had both already taken our evening showers and gotten ready for bed. She was in her nightshirt and I was wearing a pair of running shorts. And we sat together on the couch, even after the movie ended, just talking about old times. She had snuggled up under my arm with her head on my shoulder.
But old times for us aren't the same as for other people. We spent a lot of time, just the two of us, making up life as we went. So it was a bit of a loaded, heavy question when Stacy asked, "Remember our summers on Grampy's ranch?"
Now let me explain the significance of the question. When we were both in high school we spent our entire summers on our grandparent's ranch, as I already mentioned. It really wasn't as much a working ranch as it was a large plot of land that was mostly undeveloped and empty. Our grandparents weren't very active and so Stacy and I spent almost the entire time wandering the property with no supervision.
The summer after my freshman year we discovered an old utility shed that wasn't used for anything. It was about a half mile away from the main house, and over a ridge. I'm sure at one time it served a purpose, but by this time it was empty. We decided it would be our little get-away. We cleaned it up and brought in some blankets and folding chairs, and whatever else we could find to make it habitable. And we spent many days there, just sitting around, doing pretty much whatever we felt like.