Back in the Present

Chapter 3

This is your family. Mother, father, a little sister to protect, a middle sister to hang out and a big sister to adore. Anyway, that's the story you would tell people, if they thought you were so perverse and actually asked the question.

Finally, your thoughts wander back into the present. After you and your father nodded, your dad just ask: "So? Something new this night." You shake your head.

"She was with me again. This time she held out until three o'clock before she went over.” The two of you grimace. It's about Millie and her nightly walks from her room to your bed.

"Can't we just tell her to sleep by Finn right away?" Megan calls from the kitchen. “She walks past my room every time and always wakes me up. She even slammed the door tonight!” There is no anger in her voice, just a little impatience. However, you feel a little out of place talking to your parents about this topic.

"You know she doesn't do that on purpose, Megan," says your mother. But she also looks depressed.

"No, not that. But who are we kidding? She ends up with Finn every night anyway. So why don't you just allow her to stay with him right away? Then I could sleep through the night just once.” She shakes her head and even if her words sound annoyed, you know your sister only too well.

"That would only throw your sister's development backwards. We have to set further limits for her and get her used to life after the trauma, Megan,” your mother explains with a stern expression. This is not the first time the two have had this conversation. While your mother reprimands Megan for your sister's harsh words, you and Megan look at each other. You know your sister completely and know about her relationship with Millie. You have no illusions about that. She loves Millie as much as you do.

Millie is eighteen and a half years old and was still with her first boyfriend half a year ago. The relationship went well for four months, but Millie grew more serious in the fifth and sixth months. You and Megan noticed the changes immediately and as her big brother you tried to take good care of her. You talked a lot with her and oversaw the first attempts of Millie with **** so she could impress her boyfriend. You didn't like it but it was safer to have a beer with you than with your father.

It turned out that her partner at the time had asked Millie to do things she was not ready to do. He had struggled against his needs for two months and then lost. You never really liked this milk face and you were only nice to him because your little sister liked him.

Then, one night, when you got a message from her, urgently asking you to come and pick her up at his home, you drove to her like a madman. In retrospect, you can only vaguely remember his clumsy drunken words and gestures, but still too clearly the tears on her cheeks, redden from the ****. His parents weren't home then and you could add up one and one. At the end of the evening, the ex-boyfriend, who he was official from then on, had three teeth less, a cracked rib and lost also the last bit of self-respect. There were legal proceedings from the little pervert's parents, but your father is a lawyer and the matter was quickly settled.

But the consequences still remained and the day you were at the gynecologist with Millie is still fresh in your mind and you still feel sick of anger when you think of your little sister's fearful eyes. How she held your hand when she had to answer questions, that no one her age should be asked. First it had to be clarified whether she had been pregnant. What happened? did she have sex Had he come inside her? On her? What had she done with the cum on her body? Did she want to accuse the boy she actually really liked? What clothes had she worn? Was she drunk? Too many questions for your princess. Fortunately, nothing happened, but it took a long time before you were able to think clearly again and you had your anger under control so far.

On the way home - your parents already knew - Millie had suddenly felt sick. When she had vomited up on the side of the road - you had held her hair and talked to her soothingly - she could not keep the tears and just didn’t fell and had a break down because you had held her. You sat together on the side of the road and while cars rushed past you and splinters pelted against the side of your car, you just sat there and Millie cried on your shoulder. The whole thing wasn't easy for you either, but you didn't care about you then and now. You had given your little sister something to drink to rinse the taste out of her mouth and on the way home she fell asleep in your passenger seat.

When you wanted to carry her inside, her eyes had opened. She was still drunk, you could see it in her eyes. That night Millie kissed you for the first time in your life. Slow and clumsy on your cheek, but it couldn't have hit you worse. The satisfied and... yes, peaceful look she gave you before she closed her eyes gave you the rest.

No! Stop! your drill sergeant calls out to you in your mind. Fight! Fight it! You feel a hand on your shoulder. Of course, Megan noticed your troubled look.

"Are you all right Biggie?" she asks. You just nod and smile at her. "She'll be fine, don't worry," she says encouragingly and knocks you on the shoulder.

"Thank you Wombat." That's not what you two call yourself very often, you'd rather stay by 'Bro' and 'Sis' But if you use the nicknames, it has the desired effect on both of you. At first Megan hadn't understood the allusion to the lovely little animals. But when you showed her a documentary on TV and how they behave with eachother, the name got stuck.

"I would definitely sleep better if I knew you were lying next to me," Megan says lightly, turning away from you.

"Megan Lynchwood!" your mother calls angrily.

"What?" your sister asks shrilly in return. "He is my big brother and protects me. Right Bro? You are my Captain America after all.” You just grin and your mother turns back to breakfast, a little embarrassed about her outbreak. Your father laughs.

"Calm down honey," he says with a grin and looks over at you. "And Megan darling, if Finn comes after me, he snores just as much as I do. You would have to sleep as tightly as your sister or mother to endure that.”

"Yes damn it! You are right. I even wake up with my light-footed sister. What am I supposed to do with this General Patton here?” She points to you and spreads her arms theatrically. You laugh, she laughs, your father laughs and your mother is angry again.

"Now that's enough! I...” Luckily the family’s sleepyhead just comes through the door into the room.

"Morning."mumbles Millie sleepily and rubs her eyes. Only in pajamas, she does not notice how all eyes land on her, as she shuffles through the kitchen and gets a glass of milk from the fridge. And because everyone looks at Millie, nobody notices how you look at her buttocks as she stretches for the cornflakes on the upper kitchen shelf. Then her top slides up and you can see where the fabric covered with airplanes and clouds stops. The lines drawn by her muscles that are so seductively lead down to... Stop! Fight you dog! Fight!

"How did you sleep?" Megan asks gently, hugging her sister from behind. Her hair is a mess and is only tamed by the clips in there. Millie is close to her mother with a high proportion of blonde on the genetic color scale of her hair. Megan has slightly darker hair and the hair of Maureen is almost brown. Millie always seems to come up with something new for her hairstyle and while Megan switches between loose hair and a ponytail, Millie changes her hairstyle much more often. Something makes her seem restless. Even before the fiasco with her boyfriend.

"Good. When I went to…” She turns to you and only then notices the looks of the others. She falls silent and sits next to her mother at the table. As she pours milk over her cornflakes, she looks at you and smiles. "Thanks for the smiley BB." You smile back. BB, Big Brother, Beloved Brother, Brother the Bear? Millie never clarified what the acronym really means to her. The only thing that counts for you anyway is the way she looks at you when she speaks the words and how it sounds when she calls you by your nickname.

Megan, on the other hand, calls you by different names almost every day and has at least a dozen names for her big brother. At the moment she stays with Biggie, which always makes you smile because it reminds you on the good old days. She's been saying this since your first day all the years ago because you played with her 'big' and 'dangerous' toy animals. You always argue she should call you 'The Wolf' or 'The Shark', because that would sound cooler. But the best you can get out of it is a 'Captain America', if you once again protect your sisters from all the evil in the world. It could have been ‘the Hulk’ too. You'd better stay with Biggie.

"Well son," demands your father your attention in a stern voice to change the subject. " What grades did you get at school?"

"Only excellent ones father. I expect a good grade from today's test as well,“ you reply servile.

"I hope so too son. If not, you no longer need to show up here. As long as you live under my roof, my rules apply.” He even taps his finger on the table with every word.

"Yes father. I will not disappoint you”, you answer loud and clear. Then you two look at each other and start grinning broadly. As you sit next to him, your father puts his hand on your shoulder and presses hard.

"I know that. Everyone knows that. And I couldn't be more proud. But... ” His voice rises again and is played more strictly. "Today is the last day of school and for the holidays and your birthdays I expect you to get yourself the fun you deserve." You and Megan look at each other and smile too.

Maureen had her twenty-fifth birthday a few months ago. But by sheer coincidence, or because – as you and Megan suspect – your mother's mood is most depressed in September, Megan and Millie have their birthday in the same week. Just a few days apart. A similar mood probably played with your father and your real mother. Because your twenty-second birthday falls in the same week as that of your sisters. Your father always said that the short period of time made it easier to buy gifts and that the family could save for 'Hell Week' all year round. Maureen was the only one excluded from this constellation.

"So have fun, let the dogs out and you Finn, get drunk nicely." Again he hits you on the shoulder and laughs out loud. You just grin nervously at the thought of embarrassing yourself in front of your sisters and friends.

"Or stay sober and enjoy the time with your loved ones," your mother suggests, slightly scratchy. In fact with this, you're on Mum's side.

"Don't worry mom. **** is not on my list."

"But on mine," whispers Megan into her breakfast toast with jam.

"What?"

"Nothing," she murmurs and continues eating. The men smile at each other.

"But seriously dad. Thank you for allowing us to use the cabin for the holidays."

"As I said, you deserve it. It is also time to put the old walls through their chores again. Let me know if you find any defects, then I'll light a fire under the construction company’s butt. But I expect this to be the best week of your life, of course."

"Better than their weddings darling?" asks your mum snappily.

"Honey, there's still time for that. Let the kids be kids for this week.” The two often discuss this topic. You and Megan look at each other knowingly and stay both silent. Millie focuses on her cornflakes and doesn't seem to notice anything.

Normally you avoid the family discussions and continue to do so today. Megan loves to freak her mum out and just in the past few weeks she has been hard at work which sometimes drives you and dad to despair. You are always on the side of Megan, dad on your mum's. So you keep the balance and everyone consoles the other when it gets out of hand again.

But today you prefer to think about the coming week. It's less about your birthday, and more about that of Megan and Millie. The fact that dad entrusted you with the keys to your vacation home is the greatest sign of trust he has ever given to you. Maureen practically leveled the house on her twenty-first and your parents – in a rare decision based on unanimity – decided not to let anyone in there alone anymore. The unlimited time at the lake is the gift of the whole family for the three of you and you could invite whoever you wanted.

Megan brings her classmates into the mix whom she gets along best, Millie her friends from the theater club. And you... nobody. Because the truth is that you don't care so much about friends. Sure, you have some. Your buddy Milo is currently traveling abroad. You would have invited him. Your other friends don't. Because, to be honest, the majority of them are buddies with whom you go to the movies or play games at home. But for the stuff that gets under your skin you've had your sisters all your life, preferably Megan. And so it happens that you will spend the nights alone with a horde of girls in a lonely house. Actually only as a babysitter but everyone noticed it, the ratio of XY to XX chromosomes. And to be completely honest, you're already looking forward to it. And to be perfectly honest, which idiot brings a man to a party with only girls, **** and you as the only... shut up! No! Fight! Be the hero! Stay hard ... oh ... Then you feel a slap on your forehead. Megan taps your forehead like in a comic.

"Hi there? Ground Control to Mayor Finn?” You notice how your family is staring at you and just smile.

"I can hardly wait," you grin and Megan squeals with joy.

"I tell you this will be awesome! We're going to have so much fun that they have to blow up a bomb on the other side of the world in China to keep their balance."

"Pfft." You exclaim and you two laugh. And when Megan turns away from you to ward off your mother's verbal counter, your gaze hangs on her profile. The morning sun plays around your sister's curves comfortably. It has always been impossible for you to decide who is sexier. Megan with her very feminine proportions that looks like a statue in a national museum or the sportier Millie that you can lift up with one hand and that looks like you could break her so easily.

"Nice… prospects for you my son?" asks your father and you just look down at your plate. You nod and start eating. After a while you look again at your sister, who exudes her exuberant joy like every morning and you have to smile involuntarily.

"So? Everything ready for the last day of school?” asks your mother, trying to steer the conversation in a direction that is comfortable for her.

"What's supposed to be exhausting? Nothing is on the program for me, Millie only does occupational therapy and Finn gives a lecture on the effects of peppergas on the Eastern Front in 1914,” Megan summarizes the day.

"Mustard gas on the western front in 1918," you correct calmly. You don't get involved with your sister's teasing so early in the morning.

"The partys are much more important anyway, mum," Megan clarifies for her mother.

After breakfast, Millie and you - in a hurry and under the calls of the early bird - throw on your school clothes and sprint outside. On the way, you take your mother's three packed lunches under your arms and dive into your car, where the two girls are already waiting for you. Megan complains about your laziness like every morning and Millie puts her headphones in her ears.

• What's in the bag? What music does Millie hear? I have no clue. You? If so, come to https://www.patreon.com/writingshark and tell me.