I was in a bind. My roommate had just dropped out of school and was leaving. He had lasted only one month in college. Now I would be stuck with all that rent, which was an expense I couldn't afford. I also knew I couldn't turn to my parents for help. They were struggling to make ends meet as it was. They lived on a farm back home. Dad did the farming, but he also fixed cars and did a little welding on the side. Mom was the typical farmers wife. She cooked. She cleaned. She basically did what she could to make dad happy. Then there's my sister Becky. She lives back in our hometown as well, but with her boyfriend Doug. She works full time at the bank and does what she can to help mom and dad out on her days off.
I had tried to find another roommate, but by that time in the semester, everyone had found a place to live. I wasn't getting any phone calls in response to the fliers I posted around campus. In desperation, I called home with the hopes that my parents would be able to scrape together enough money to help me with the rent for this month.
Dad answered the phone. Instead of telling me for the millionth time how money was tight, he put mom on the phone.
"We were just going to call you," mom said. "We have a favor to ask you."
That was the last thing I needed. Usually a favor meant that they wanted me to come home for the weekend and help out on the farm. Usually dad would ask me to do that, but sometimes mom would if dad was busy with something at the moment.
"Well, actually, more like your sister has a favor to ask you," mom said. "She's here right now, and was just telling us about how the bank is closing the local branch. Some people are being let go. While others, your sister included, are being transferred to different branches. And she's being sent to the one near your college."
My college was a good four hour drive from home. I wondered how Becky could work here if she lived there. I was starting to see that this favor had nothing to do with me coming home.
"So you see," mom continued. "She'll need a place to stay during the week. Since you have an extra room and are still in need of a roommate, we were wondering if you would let your sister stay there."
My sister living with me? I didn't know what to do. Becky was four years older than me. Growing up, we got along as can be expected from a brother and sister. And having her around would probably cramp my style a bit. For one thing, I wouldn't be able to keep beer in the fridge. And forget about bringing a girl back here. The last thing I needed was for her to make fun of me like she used to when I had a crush on Sally Jankenson when I was fifteen.
On the other hand, she was family. And she would cover the other half of the rent. Not to mention that Becky was also a pretty good cook. So I would end up saving some money on having to eat out all the time.
Reluctantly, I agreed. Not knowing at the time that my choice would forever change my life.
That Sunday evening, just shortly after I got home from work at the school library, Becky showed up with a pile of clothes and some other stuff in her car. After I helped her bring her stuff in and set up in her bedroom, she checked out the kitchen. I had cleaned it as well as I could, and Becky was surprised that the place wasn't a total mess. I had also cleared out all of the beer from the fridge. I wasn't a heavy drinker, but I was in college and liked to have one now and then.
Becky took inventory of what was in the fridge and cabinets, made up a shopping list, and then headed off to the store while I sat down to do some studying. When she got back, I helped her bring the groceries in. And to my surprise, there were two cases of beer in the car.
"Becky," I asked her, "was there a sale on beer or something? This is a lot of beer for one person to drink."
"No, there wasn't a sale," she said. "I was just surprised you didn't have any beer in your fridge. Most college kids have nothing but beer in their's. I guess you must have gotten rid of yours, huh?"
I stood there dumb faced while my sister put a couple six packs into the fridge. She turned to look at me, smiled and said, "Just don't let mom and dad know I bought you beer. They'd have a fucking cow if they knew. And don't drink all of it. I like to have a can or two when I get home from work."
I started to think that rooming with my sister wouldn't be so bad.
Monday afternoon I got home from school around 6pm. Becky was already there making dinner. God it felt good to come home to the smell of a home cooked meal. I dropped my books in my room and set the table. During dinner, I even had a beer with my meal. Becky had one when she got home, and she had a second while we ate.
After dinner I had to study while my sister watched TV. I stopped to take a break and went to the kitchen to grab a beer. Just as I was closing the fridge, Becky asked me to grab her one was well. I handed it to her and sat on the couch with her. She was watching 24.
We drank out beers and then I had to get back to studying. She was in bed by the time I came out again.
The rest of the week was pretty much the same. Becky cooked dinner every night. We would have a few beers when I took a study break. Even Friday evening she cooked dinner for me before she left for home. I hadn't expected that.
She got back to the apartment Sunday night with a load of groceries and some more clothes. I helped her get everything in and went back to study while she did the laundry. I was starting to think I could get very used to this. If I started dating it could be a problem but it didn't look like that was going to happen anytime soon.
Tuesday night everything changed. About 2:30 in the morning I heard Becky scream. I rushed into her room and found an inch of water on the floor. I turned on the light and for a brief second it showed a big hole in the ceiling dripping water, then the light shorted out.
Becky was lying on the bed covered in pieces of the ceiling. I helped her get them off and we quickly got as much of her stuff out of there as we could. Fortunately, other than her bed, not much got soaked. She went to take a shower but the ceiling in her bathroom had also fallen. Water was pouring out of that hole into the tub. She went to use my shower instead.
I called the apartment manager and left a message. 'Great,' I thought, 'they won't get the message until morning,' but the maintenance guy knocked on the door twenty minutes later. He shut off the water in the vacant apartment above us and helped to clean up my sister's room. He put a big fan in there to help dry things out.
When he left it was almost 4am. I told Becky to sleep in my bed. I'd sleep on the couch. She told me that was silly. The couch was too short to sleep on. It was more like a love seat than a couch. She said I should just sleep in my bed with her. We'd figure out more permanent arrangements the next day.
I surprised myself by falling right to sleep when we got to bed. I didn't wake until Becky's alarm went off at 6:15. I tried to fall back to sleep but couldn't. I just laid there.
Becky had left the bathroom door open. When she stepped out of the shower I could see her naked backside. For some reason I was fascinated. She was my sister, for Christ's sakes. Even so, I couldn't look away as I watched her pull on her panties and hook her bra. I counted every stroke as she brushed her dirty blond hair.
I kept my eyes almost shut and pretended to be asleep when she came into the bedroom. She picked a blouse and skirt out of the pile of clothes on the floor and a pair of pantyhose from a pile on my dresser.
She sat on the bed with her ass almost in my face while she put her pantyhose on. Then I watched her button her blouse and zip her skirt. When she sat at my desk and started to do her makeup I realized I was hard. That freaked me out.
