Loving Siblings: Aidan & Dionne by Catharina Shields

coward. She knew her
attraction for her younger brother was too strong to fight. She’d
always been a smart cookie.
    For the past year, she hadn’t been out of
the house much unless it was to go to classes or to her job at The
Video Paradise. With Helmut busy with his own internship now, their
dates were limited to one night a week.
    So it was no surprise he was so
disappointed when she told him she couldn’t accompany him to Loma
Linda that Saturday. In retrospect, she should have, though. Then
she wouldn’t be in this state now . Yes, she was still in that “state”, but it
was a choice she had to make.
    She’d refused touching herself ever since
she hadn’t finished the last time, but she was too afraid she’d be
tempted into thinking about her brother while getting busy with
herself, and that would only weaken her will to steer clear of
him.
    She truly missed spending nights with the
family, though, but that was the price to pay for not being more
careful. She just couldn’t bring herself to be around the family
with the risk of being in the same room with Aidan. She needed time
to strengthen herself against . . . herself.
    Unfortunately, Aidan was home more those
days than he’d ever been in the past—despite his busy summer
itinerary. For most of his life, a person couldn’t keep him home
with a team of horses—wait. Wrong metaphor. Most days, a person
couldn’t keep him home even if he were shackled to the
foundation.
    Although she refused to show it, it hurt her
every time to see Mom rise from her seat to serve her dinner only
to look almost slain when she said no each and every time. It
really hurt having to tell Mom she’d already had something to eat
at school or work because she knew how important it was for Mom to
have her enjoy her cooking—something she was very proud of.
    Of course she wasn’t at all that brave. Her
rejections were usually given in passing as she rushed for the
stairs and flew up them to the safety of her bedroom. It was hard
enough to see Mom’s smile fade each time she was rejected—that’s
how Mom saw it—and she never failed to feel the burn of tears in
her own eyes.
    Now, this late Saturday morning, just a week
after that incident with Aidan, she was home alone, by the pool,
staring down at the beckoning blink of the rippling water in
summer’s breeze.
    She decided a short swim would suffice. It
would be just enough to ease her tense muscles before she’d head
out to the Santa Anita Mall with a couple of girlfriends. She
really disliked going to the popular and busy indoor shopping plaza
for any reason, but the place, bustling with people and loud rides
for kids, would be a welcome distraction now.
    “ Hm,” she mused. “Maybe a pair of new
shoes or a new outfit for tonight might help lighten the mood.”
Then she made a face. “Even though it would lighten my wallet as
well.”
    She was thinking about calling Helmut for a
long overdue dinner date. He’d have to pay for it, though. Maybe
they could split the costs for a movie, too. Then, perhaps, go to
his parents’ house until about 9:30 in the evening when she was
sure Aidan would still be out with his friends. Mom and Dad would
have the children in bed and they’d retire right after, too.
    Saturday nights were usually quiet times, if
Mom and Dad were asked to visit friends. And they had a lot of
friends! Now that the kids were older and less boisterous, Mom and
Dad usually took them to Arcadia Park during the day where there
was a public swimming pool with lots of colorful slides for them to
tire themselves on. That public pool, unlike the family pool, was a
lot of fun for kids.
    The family pool was Olympic size, but it
really was boring, lacking all the fun stuff. It really wasn’t
built for family fun anyway. It was actually put in for Aidan ever
since he’d taken up swimming.
    Dad had put the pool in for him so he could
train at home. But that was years ago, and Aidan no longer
participated in