CHAPTER ELEVEN—Sated and Fated
It was a pretty big meal, but one we'd all enjoyed to the fullest. Better than the pizza that first night for sure, but...it was the company more than anything. We got a small fire going in the fire pit after dad turned the barbeque off, and we sat around under the stars and the whole feeling was like we were out camping somewhere. The houses are pretty far apart in this neighborhood so there weren't even any house lights anywhere close to spoil the fantasy.
But even with the fire going the night air got a little chilly half an hour later, so
us girls
all got up and went in to put something warmer on. Meg had a few ankle-length string-tie
sarongs
she'd gotten for somewhere, and we quickly shed our shorts and put those on. I loved the slit up the sides! But then we hurried back out, looking more like south Pacific dancers than anything else, and returned to our places. Dad's smile showed he really approved!
Then he started humming something and we got the tune and started humming and singing along, and then we all got the words—eventually—and it was an honest to goodness sing-along. I—we—hadn't done that for literally years! But that was the mood. Like we were a family again, but closer than ever. In fact it seemed almost closer, more intimate than a family because of what had happened between us—but not just because we'd all fucked each other's brains out—and had been, for several days. There was like a blanket of...calm and peace that had been lacking. Mistrust maybe?
That was gone too.
I was singing along with my sisters, and then I realized I was the only one singing. I stopped, opened my eyes and looked around. Dad's face, outlined and lit by the flickering fire was almost beaming at me. His smile was warm, glad and a little...concerned almost. Nobody was even talking now and there was only the sound of the fire. I thought maybe I'd done something wrong. I looked at Courtney and then to Meg, but they were just looking back at me, and then to dad and then at each other. None of us knew what was going on or why we'd all stopped singing. We all looked at dad again, and he finally spoke.