The alarm rang promptly at 5:30pm. I work nights and tonight's my day off. Day off? Why the alarm then? Well, if I didn't set it, I'd probably just sleep all evening and the night as well. Some day off then.
I groaned out of bed and walked across the hall into the shower. The feel of the water on my face was heaven on earth. I could feel myself start to wake up a little bit. As I was soaping up, I heard the door to our apartment open and close. Suddenly, I was reminded that my sister in law was coming back from Christmas break today. Her dorm at college didn't open until tomorrow, so my wife, Sara, and I said she could stay with us tonight. Since she lives with us during summer break while she works in town, she had a key to the apartment.
"Hi beeeg brother!" said a voice outside the bathroom door.
"Howdy, Cari," I called back to her, "how was your trip?"
"Pretty good, the traffic was terrible, though. I had to slow way down until I got to State Road 82 where the traffic thins out."
Now, I know that to Cari, "slow way down" means only going 55. She doesn't like to waste time doing anything she doesn't particularly like and driving on the expressway is one of those things.
"Glad to hear something can slow you up. We've got the second bedroom somewhat uncluttered. You can either sleep there or on the living room hide a bed."
"O.K." came the reply from the other side of the door (which I noticed that I had left ajar). I didn't hear anything for a few minutes so I figured that she had gone down to get some more stuff from her car.
I finished washing and stood under the shower for a while to think. Cari is the little sister I never had. She is usually full of good cheer and obviously loves her "beeeg brother" a lot (and doesn't care who knows it). That is, when she and I aren't acting like siblings and arguing with each other. I once told her that it was a good thing she was my wife's sister and that I could treat her like a little sister as well. Otherwise, I might think of her as something inappropriate. Cari is quite a bit smaller than her sister, Sara, and three years younger (making her 21). She is also slightly better built. Don't get me wrong. I love my wife more than anything on this earth. If I really wanted Cari, I probably could have had her. On the whole, I like the way things have turned out. I have the undivided love of two very beautiful women (Cari is unattached, and as far as I knew, she had never been even remotely serious with anyone) and I wouldn't have it any other way. It's a pity I can't marry both of them.
I reached behind me and turned the shower off. I opened the curtain and reached for my towel. It was then I realized that if Cari had gone down to her car, I would have heard the door again. If she had stayed up here, she should have kept talking to me. Cari really likes a conversation so unless something is distracting her, she should have made her presence known. That was when I noticed a little bit of movement in the mirror. Cari was looking through the opening in the door at my reflection in the mirror. I was showing her anything she wanted to see. Not wanting to alarm her and, yet, not knowing what to do, I finished drying myself and wrapped the towel around my waist, stepped out of the tub and walked to the front of the mirror.
Because the hall was unlit, I could only see the faintest outlines in the reflection of the door opening. Unless she moved, Cari was completely invisible. Getting an idea, I reached over to turn off the bathroom fan and, feigning and accident, turned off the bathroom light as well. Suddenly, the hallway's reflection lit up and there was Cari, with a very strange look on her face. Sort of a guilty interest. I quickly muttered something and turned the light back on. But, not before I saw Cari smirk at my apparent clumsiness.
I decided not to fret that Cari thought I might look good enough to try to sneak a peek on the sly. In fact, I felt downright flattered. So, I completed my daily regimen, folded and re hung my towel, and put on my shorts. Cari must have gone elsewhere during this time and I didn't see her when I came out of the bathroom into the bedroom. When I had completed dressing, I came out to find Cari laying on her stomach in the living room reading the newspaper. I knelt down beside her and started rubbing her neck.
"Oooohh, I really needed that" she said. "If I ask you nice, will you do my whole back?"
"I dunno," I replied, "just what were you going to ask?"
"I always get real tense when I drive. Please, pretty please?"
"Hokay," I said, and started using both hands on her shoulders. Cari laid her head down on her arms and started breathing deeply. While I was working my way down her back, I noticed that she was going bra-less. This isn't something she normally does. Both she and Sara often complain about the effects of not wearing a bra. So, I asked her why she wasn't (I told you we were close. This sort of thing doesn't offend her anyway since she thinks that the male aversion to female subjects is silly).
"Oh. I'm wearing a tank top under my shirt 'cause it's warmer. I case you didn't notice, It's COLD outside. Anyway, for just driving, I get plenty of support from a tank top. It's walking that's the real problem."
