Hello Darlin’
Short Story
All over 18
Some things may only be seen in the direct rays of sunlight. In the early morning underneath a tree canopy of oaks, poplars, and pine, the intricacy of a magnificent spider’s web tenuously balancing between branches revealed itself. Without the direct rays of sunlight, the web would have remained undetected until an innocent prey haphazardly stumbled upon it. Unlike the loud rhythm of the song of the male cicadas which rolled from tree to tree that called first to give life then death.
It was time to bury the rabbit. Her dog had chased it down. No Easter bunny for her. She loved her dog no matter how many fluffy bunnies and baby squirrels her dog caught. She looked back up for the spider web but the rays of the sun had moved on to a new spot so she no longer could see the twinkling, silver shimmer. Daydreaming, she stood staring up into the tree canopy with a shovel in her hand and a dead rabbit on the ground at her foot. The breeze tickled the oak tree leaves and they fluttered in response. The poplar tree leaves waved back. Where the direct rays of sunshine bounced on the leaves they appeared to glow. It was magical. The light was very dim under the tree canopy except for when the sun’s rays managed to pierce through. She imagined pink, blue, green little fairies sitting on the pine needles.
A noise startled her and she saw her brothers and her cousin approaching. Her younger brother offered to help and put his small hand on the shovel. Her older brother reached down, grabbed the stiff rabbit, and threw it as far as he could. She gaped at him. Now her dog would find it again and run all around the yard with the dead rabbit in her mouth dragging it til she got bored.
That’s exactly what happened. The memory made Jessica smile thinking of her brothers and cousin. She stood in the same place staring up into the same trees but there were no leaves. Only the evergreen pine tree had color that remained in the cold months. It was winter and a decade later. Her family had moved from the property not too long after the rabbit incident. They kept the house and rented it out for additional income. When she heard the most recent occupants were leaving she begged to be able to live in the house. It gave her the illusion of independence. In return, she would gradually start renovating a room at a time. It would be a very slow process. In her mind, this old house full of memories was home and not the newer monstrosity her parents lived in now. The cold was settling in her bones and it was time to head back in the house. Boxes were everywhere. She picked the least ravaged bedroom which was the one her brothers shared years ago. The carpet was too disgusting for her to go barefoot. The flooring would be the first item to get her attention.
Her younger brother, Dave, messaged her the next morning wanting to come by. As soon as he walked in the door he let out a whistle.
“You sure you know what you are doing? This place is a mess,” he exclaimed.
She hugged him and laughed. “No idea but it will be fun. Since dad no longer wants to run for political office and finally return to normal life, this will be my first taste of freedom!” she breathed.
Her brother looked at her and shook his head. “It was rough on you through school wasn’t it? The only daughter of a local politician and having to always be on best behavior. I want to throw a party!” he put forth.
She put her hands on her hips and faced him. “This is why you were never my chaperon. Always wanting to stir up something! I will be in so much trouble!” she exclaimed.
“How can you get in trouble? This place is a dump. We can have the party before you start working on it. Speaking of chaperon, you can not let Patrick know. He will ruin the whole thing before it even starts,” he declared.
She thought of her older brother, Patrick. Growing up their parents made him go everywhere with her to keep her in line. Could not afford to have the only daughter in any ‘delicate’ situations per her mother as cameras were everywhere.
“Ok. You can have your party and I won’t say anything to Patrick but you have to spend the weekend with me pulling up this horrific carpet,” she bargained. Nodding his head, Dave agreed. While pulling up the carpet the following weekend, the only thing Dave was thinking about was alcohol, food, girls, and money. He helped her set up her home office in the bedroom so she at least had a reasonable working space since she worked from home 90% of the time.
They were standing together on the tiny back deck sucking in fresh, cold air looking into the backyard. “You should get a dog,” her brother offered.
She turned to her brother and smiled. “You remember Patches?” she asked.
“Hell yeah. That dog killed anything that came in the yard. Mom said Patrick was always having to hide the carcasses from you,” he divulged. She laughed and gave him a peck on his dirty cheek.
The following weekend was the party. It was Saturday and she invited two friends from her old school. The rest of the crowd were acquaintances of Dave. Dave was four years younger than her and recently graduated from high school. Thankfully she got along with his closest friends. She hated not asking Patrick to be there but Dave was right, he wouldn’t be that much fun. The loss of their cousin last year while overseas was hard on all of them but especially Patrick. Her parents had practically adopted their cousin and he and Patrick were inseparable as kids. She was always jealous as the younger sister. She wanted all of Patrick’s attention. Despite Patrick recently moving to another city to get away from their parents, she believed she and Patrick had become even closer. She felt she was a link to the past and all the fun memories.
The party initially began fairly tame however it became more and more popular. She was doing shots of tequila. Dave was constantly disappearing on her with at least one or two of the girls he had hanging on him all night. Unfortunately she blacked out as a result of too much alcohol. She did not remember when the neighbors called her parents and the police. The next morning she had the worst hangover and the house was trashed.
“Jessica, we are so disappointed in you. This was your chance to show us you could live responsibly on your own,” her dad said. Her mom was sitting quietly next to him on the couch looking around the house. Jessica was seated across from them on a chair from the kitchen. Her head hurt and she knew she looked like something a cat coughed up. She hadn’t even had a chance to take a shower.
“Jessica, you are going to have to come home with us. Without your father’s intervention last night who knows how much worse it would have been,” her mother stated. Jessica bowed her head and stared at the floor. She didn’t feel she was in a position to argue. She folded her emotions and focus into herself and started shutting down. She was regressing. All she was hearing was repetition from the past of how far behind she was in school. How her reading and math were not on level with the other kids in her class. How she was always a disappointment to her parents. How she was held back to repeat a grade while her friends advanced. She was a pretty girl but it was not enough to compensate for the learning disorders. Learning disorders were not an indication of lack of intelligence. The results of her tests over the years revealed she was above average intelligence but that was not where her parents focused their attention.
“I will call Patrick,” she whispered. Her parents studied her.
“How can you be so sure he will come?” her mother inquired.
“If he doesn’t come, I will move home,” she quietly promised. She hoped that would make them disappear for a while. She needed to be alone. She was just a shadow of herself. It was irrelevant to her where was Dave. The damage was done and she did not blame him. She had no doubt her parents would punish him as well.
She took a long shower then she messaged Patrick to let him know she needed him. She knew by now Dave had told him what occurred. She felt like she was returning to life when Patrick responded stating he would catch a flight and be there in the morning. She grabbed several trash bags and started slowly straightening up the house.
The next morning Patrick arrived before she had to sign on for work. He stood in the doorway and paused. She was so happy to see him but wasn’t sure if he was mad at her. She was staring at him. He was always her handsome prince and protector. Leaning on the doorframe he crossed his arms.
“Jessica, if I walk across the entrance, it is for always. Do you understand what I am saying? It will be us together from now on. You will go wherever I go, understand?” he said.
“Yes,” she replied without hesitation.
He stepped into the house and locked the front door. He put his arms around her, held her, then gently kissed her lips when she looked up at him. She moved her arms around his neck and tugged softly on his hair. She parted her lips slightly and his tongue explored her lips and mouth. His tongue sensually danced with hers. He pulled away from her mouth and started kissing her on her neck. He was just about to pick her up when she pushed away.
“Hey, I need to sign on for work in just a few,” she panted. She and her brother had been having sex since she was 18 after their cousin enlisted. Her mom, always worried of a scandal, had started her on the pill long before she was 18.
She reached and squeezed his hard on through his jeans. He moaned. He pulled her back to him and sucked on her neck. She unbuttoned, unzipped his jeans and slid her hand inside his underwear on his warm skin first caressing his balls then stroking him. She dropped down and used both hands to put his dick at her mouth. Lick the lollipop, lick the lollipop she thought. She used her warm, wet tongue and licked his shaft up and down and closed her lips around it when the mushroom head was deep in her mouth. She pulled back and pushed in taking more and more of him each time. After a while, he braced himself on the wall and groaned letting her know he was about to come. She swallowed his hot seed and he gently helped her stand back up. He hugged her and planted a kiss on her forehead.
“I will go over and talk with mom. I am sure dad will be at the office,” he said.
When he got back he didn’t have much to say and napped in her bed while she worked. She repeatedly glanced over at him sleeping, so happy he was with her. Their love was rich in memories, shared experiences, and deep understanding. It was unique and they were far more bonded and forever entwined than just best friends or lovers or husband & wife.
When her lunch hour arrived she stripped off her shirt and panties and got under the covers with him. Without saying a word, he rolled between her legs and nuzzled her neck. She tangled her fingers in his hair and moaned when he suckled her tits. He worked on one nipple then the other. She moved her hands down his back loving the feel of his muscles. He pulled one of her legs up to wrap around him then he pushed his dick into her pussy. She gasped in pleasure. She was so wet waiting all morning for this moment. He rocked his hips with little pushes not pulling out very far. She moved her hips to match his pace til she was desperate for him to pound her. She whimpered and begged him to fuck her. His hips picked up speed and his thrusts became more vigorous. She cried out when she orgasmed and he pushed against her contractions til he ejaculated inside her with a groan. He kissed her for a few minutes then rolled on his back. She cuddled up to his side and ran her fingers up and down his chest.
“We can’t stay here. Mom said as much. You will come back with me,” he said breaking the silence. Jessica sighed in response.
“I can do my job from anywhere. I need you to research New Jersey and Rhode Island for a place for us to live. You can pick a couple of towns and we will look together,” he said.
“Patrick, I want kids,” she implored.
He hugged her tightly. “I know you do. You have been saying that for years. When we get settled we will talk about adoption, ok? Who knows, at the rate Dave is screwing around he is bound to knock up some girl before he even starts college. Adoption may happen sooner than you think!” he promised.
It was time for her to log back in for work. She kissed him then forced herself to rise out of the bed and hit the shower to rinse off. Patrick got up and threw his clothes back on. “I’ll go pick us up some food,” he said as he pulled back the shower curtain and kissed her. When he reached the living room he slowed and looked around. She had been working hard he noticed in the short time she was in the house. He had known when he moved away it would be a catalyst for her. He was proud she had made the step away from their parents on her own. Finally, they had arrived at this point and could plan a future together. They were meant to be.