Sister Wife by Shelley Hrdlitschka Page A

hand?” I called.
    He came over, and together we lifted the rock, but when we tried to carry it across the beach, I found that I was tripping over my dress. “I guess I’ll have to make her right here,” I told him, placing my end down.
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œMy dress...it gets in the way. I’ll end up ripping it.”
    â€œThink outside the box, Celeste.”
    â€œHuh?”
    â€œLike you did the other day, when I was watching you.”
    I felt my face burn. “How long were you watching?”
    â€œLong enough.”
    It was one thing for him to have seen my legs from a long distance away, but quite another for me to hitch my dress up right there in front of him. “No, I can’t do that.”
    â€œI won’t look, I promise.”
    I laughed at his silly remark.
    â€œOkay then,” he said, “I’ll only look at you from the waist up.”
    â€œYou’re embarrassing me.”
    â€œOh, c’mon, Celeste. They’re just ankles, and maybe knees. What’s so private about that?”
    I thought about it. He was right. It was really only my ankles that would show. Before I could change my mind I bent over, grabbed my hem and tucked it into the sash of my apron. I glanced at Jon. He was staring at my saggy-stocking-covered ankles. I smacked his arm. “You said you wouldn’t look!”
    â€œI lied,” he said, grinning. Then he bent over and lifted his side of the large stone. I just shook my head, picked up my side, and together we carried it over to where the family of statues was waiting.
    â€œThanks,” I said, and I tipped the stone so that one of the corners pointed to the sky. I then balanced another rock on the point. It took a moment to find the right angle and make it secure, but I did. The arms, neck and head followed. I stepped back to admire my creation. She was perfect. The triangular stone looked just like a skirt.
    I looked toward Jon. He was standing there, watching me. I quickly pulled my dress back down and straightened it. When I looked up again, he was smiling. “Now that wasn’t so terrible, was it?” he asked.
    I just shook my head, smiling. Together we moved back on the beach so we could view the whole scene from a distance. The boy would be very surprised when he next visited this part of the beach.
    Jon took my hand and we walked back to the sheltered area under the trees. “Will you think about what I said, Celeste?” he asked.
    â€œAbout thinking out of the box?”
    â€œExactly. Consider your options.”
    I nodded. “Okay.”
    Then I let Jon kiss me. I even kissed him back, surprised at how natural it felt. Our arms were around each other, and as his soft lips explored mine, my worries slipped completely away. I was only aware of the intense sensations that were swirling inside me. It wasn’t until my stomach growled that I realized how much time had passed.
    â€œI better go,” I said, breaking off the kiss, but still holding him close.
    â€œYeah, me too,” he said. He stepped back so he was looking down at me. “One way or another, I’ll make that phone call today. I know Jimmy will do whatever he can to help. He knows a lot of people.”
    â€œThanks, Jon.”
    His lips brushed mine once more, and then I left him and headed toward the road. He’d follow a few minutes later.
    My mind whirled all the way home, and I felt... different. I hadn’t known how good a kiss could feel. I would have skipped home if it wouldn’t have drawn unwanted attention my way.
    And then I heard the news, the news about Colleen, and my world came crashing down.
    Daddy, who has been upstairs comforting Mother, calls me from the doorway. “Celeste, I want to see you in the barn.”
    When we were small children, those dreaded words would have meant we were in for a whipping, but once Nanette and I reached age twelve, Daddy quit reaching for the whip