He rolled over in bed, frantically checking between his legs. What a dream! He rolled over to go back to sleep, but a voice and a pounding came from his door.
“Bobby, Bobby!” You promised to take me to practice this morning.
He rolled over, and saw that Jenny had poked her head into the room. “Hey, Sis,” he said, pulling back the covers and getting up. “Sure, I remember. Thanks for waking me.”
“Well, you know…”
“I meant it Jenny,” Robert said, padding off to the bathroom, “Oh, and there is something I want to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“Well,” Robert said, turning the shower on, “I was just thinking and… close your eyes… I was just thinking about some stuff you said and I think you might not be being fair to Suzy.”
“What?” She said, over the noise of the shower as he rapidly covered himself with soap and shampoo.
“It sounds to me like you might be putting the hit on her boyfriend. Not exactly the kind of thing a friend should do, you know.”
“You, how did you know??”
“Well, I’m not quite as dense as you make me out to be. And you are my favorite oldest sister.”
“I’m your only oldest sister,” she said, walking out and closing the door in a huff.
“Well… sort of,” Robert mumbled to himself, finishing rinsing the shampoo out of his hair, glancing gratefully at his chest. But he didn’t have much more time to think about that as just then the door slammed open and Ben and Beth came running in. Robert reached out and grabbed Ben, who struggled, his legs pumping in the air, “Slow down, slugger,” He said, “Ladies first!”
Beth grinned, and jumped up on the stool. Ben glowered, and sulked as Robert released him, dancing from foot to foot. “No fair you being a girl,” he said, as Robert turned off the shower and stepped out.
“You two need to learn to close the door,” Robert said, reaching out with his foot and pulling it closed. “We don’t want to get Mom mad at us. She’s got her work cut out with us, Mom does.”
—
“Hey Mom,” Robert said, kissing her where she stood scrambling eggs at the stove.
“Robert,” his mother said, in her number three (keeping up appearances) lecture tone, “I wish you wouldn’t embarrass Jenny by coming to breakfast in your underwear.”
“Jenny isn’t embarrassed, she’s jealous,” Robert said, helping himself to toast and slathering it with strawberry jam. “She would like to come down in her underwear too, but she is afraid you will freak, or that Dad or I will stare at her glorious breasts. Silly girl. Of course we would, and of course you would, but so what? Life goes on. Carpe Deum! Great toast, Mom. Pass me the phone, will you?”
He grabbed the phone, grinning, as Mother stared at Jenny, who was blushing furiously. “Hey, Caleb. Listen, I am going to take Jenny shopping this afternoon and I want you to come. You know how it is shopping with girls, I need support. Yeah, and I am going to take her to Chez Emmanuel first. So be here about eleven will you? Great.”
Robert turned to see his mother and sister staring at him. “What? A guy only has one beautiful oldest sister and he can’t take her out to lunch and shopping without everyone acting all shocked? I need to earn my brownie points, who knows, I might need something later. Pass me the orange juice, will you? Oh, and some of those delicious-looking eggs.”
“I was first again!” Ben said, as the two raced around the corner of the stairs and across the living room and up to the bar.
“You didn’t finish cleaning up your side of the room,” Beth said, as she climbed up on a bar stool.
“Room!” Robert said, slapping Ben across the bottom.
“Bobby!” Ben said, plaintively, and started back upstairs.
—
“Are you ready?” Robert asked, standing at Jenny’ door and watching her as she finished brushing her hair. “Do you want me to braid that while you do your face?” he asked, sitting behind her on the bed and starting.
“Can you?” She asked, “That would be great. What do you think?” she asked, finishing something on her face.
“Don’t ask me!” Robert said, “I hate makeup. I think most boys do. At least, I’ve never met a guy who said he liked it, except when he was talking to his girl.”
“I meant on me!” She said, annoyed. He had finished her braid, so she motioned to him to turn his back and she stripped off her pajamas and rummaged around in her closet for her uniform blouse.
“I mean on you,” he said, seriously, “I like my sister without all of that junk on her face, and I like Grace that way too. I think most boys don’t like it when their girls paint themselves.”
“We do it for you!” Jenny said, pulling on her shirt.
“I don’t think so,” he replied. “Anyway, I am going to grab my script and I will meet you in the car,” he said, walking out, while she stared after him. Something was definitely up with her brother today.
But he is taking me shopping! She thought, suddenly remembering, and decided that pretty much anything was worth that. And to Chez Emmanuel. With Caleb! She added, and hurriedly pulled her skirt on, slipped her feet in her shoes, and hurried after him downstairs.