"OK. Gee, thanks! You know, I feel better already, just having someone who will listen. I really can't talk about this with anyone else, you know? I mean, I guess I need to get some stuff off my chest."
"Is something bothering you, Joey?"
"Yeah. It's my sister. She's really getting on my nerves. It's driving me crazy."
"How old is your sister?"
"14. She's two years younger than me and she's turning into a real brat. I feel like she's always picking on me and stuff. Because she's younger, my parents always take her side, so if I say anything, it'll end up being my fault."
"What kind of things does she do that annoy you?"
"She's always underfoot, you know? Whatever I'm doing, she tries to get in the way. I'll be totally minding my own business, and she'll get in my face for no reason."
"Unhunh. What else?"
"She tries to get me in trouble. The other day, I was walking past her room and the door was, like, standing open, so I glance in while I'm walking past, OK? I mean, I'm not trying to spy on her or anything like that, the door is just open. Anyway, she's standing there with her bra off and I can see her tits and then she gets all mad and screams and slams the door. I swear, I never tried to peek at her. It wasn't my fault if she didn't close the door."
"I see. Was she getting dressed to go somewhere?"
"Hunh? Well, not that I know of. No. We'd been home from school for a while. She wasn't going anyplace. Supper was almost ready."
"So what was she doing in her room half naked?"
"Gee. I dunno. I didn't think about it. I was just too upset."
"I think I know. I think I know why she's always in your way all the time and why she goes out of her way to torment you."
"Why?"
"Hormones."
"Hunh?"
"She's a little girl who's turning into a woman. She's got all these hormones running around her blood that are making her crazy. She's getting feelings she never had before and she doesn't know what to do about them. She undressed in her room and waited for you to walk past so you would see her."
"That's crazy. Why did she scream and slam the door then?"
"She's confused. She's getting mixed signals from her head and her body that tell her to act differently. She's in your way all the time because she wants you to notice her. She's starved for attention. She needs someone to tell her it's OK, that the feelings she has will sort themselves out in time. She showed herself to you because she was trying to seduce you. She slammed the door because she felt guilty about it."
"Trying to seduce me? But she's my little sister."
"She's still a girl whose sex drive is starting up and you're the nearest boy. She probably didn't even know what she was doing, she was just acting out because of the feelings she had."
"But what can I do about it?"
"Be patient. Be sweet. Be understanding. Don't let her make you mad. She's not trying to do that, specifically. She's just trying to get your attention. It's an unconscious plea for help. She needs to practice liking boys and relating to them in a new way and you're the one she has available to practice on. Later on, it will be her turn to be patient, sweet, and understanding while you are dating all her friends."
"Um. I hadn't thought about that."
"You see, if you are nice to her now, in a few years, she will be telling all her girlfriends how wonderful you are and how you really understand girls and their needs. She'll have them throwing themselves at you."
"So the next time she acts out..."
"Pay her some attention. Sit down and talk to her. Reassure her. Tell her she's turning into a beautiful woman."
"I can't say that!"
"Sure you can. I know it will be hard. Guys hate saying stuff like that. But right now she's afraid of what's happening to her. She needs to hear from someone she trusts that she's turning into a butterfly instead of a frog."
"OK, I get it. Hey, thanks. I really appreciate this. Bud was right. You're a great sister. I wish you were mine."
"Thank you, Joey. That means a lot to me. Now you call me on Sunday and tell me how things are going, OK?"
"OK. Goodnight, Sam."
"Goodnight, Joey."
When I got downstairs, Bud and Bambi were all snuggled up on the sofa, but the TV was still off. They had somehow got to talking and forgot about it. They pulled me down between them and the three of us sat and talked about school, teachers, friends, the weather, and a whole bunch of trivial stuff. Mostly we just talked to justify sitting and being together. Once Bud let Bambi step out of the 'Mother' role, she relaxed the same way she had upstairs when it was just us girls fooling around. We seemed much more at ease with each other and with ourselves and no one wanted it to end. We were all sad when bedtime came and we had to go off to our own rooms.
The next morning, I resisted the temptation to sneak into Bud's room for my fix of male hormones. If everything went as planned we would have enough time for that later. When I went down to feed the dog, I thought about having another romp in the woods, but I decided to pass on that as well. Still, it had been so much fun the day before that I just had to relive it just a bit.
After I filled Brute's bowls with fresh food and water, I slipped out of my robe so I could enjoy the feeling of the cool morning air on my body. My nymph fantasy surfaced again and I left the robe on the railing while I danced on the dewy grass for a bit. Being naked outdoors felt marvelous. It was different, and that made it special. The risk of being caught made it delightfully naughty. I could appreciate the urge that made Sara toss our clothes out the window, even if it never would have occurred to me to do it myself.
As long as I was in the mood, I started in on some stretching exercises that Master Li had shown us. I mixed in some of the things I used to do for cheerleading, as well. After that I did a few punches and kicks and finished off with the awareness and balance stance. When I finished, I felt really awake and alive and full of energy.
I was just reaching for my robe, when I heard the door open and someone come outside. I waited when I heard a couple of scuffing steps and then the faint sound of bare feet on grass. When Bambi came around the corner of the landscaping bed, I waved and she walked up the slight rise to join me.
"Breakfast will be ready in a little while," she said. "I'm making the sausage and egg casserole again. This time with freshly-grated Romano. I think it tastes better than that stuff in the box.
"Thanks," I said. She obviously hadn't come out just to tell me that.
She looked at my nakedness and the robe in my hand and asked, "Isn't it too cool to be walking around out here without your robe on?"
"I've been working out. Stretching and stuff. I didn't want to get grass stains on my robe. Besides, it's nice out here when you get used to it. Try it!"
She hesitated briefly while she looked around. The spot where we were was screened by the bushes from any neighboring house, as well as any of the windows of ours. Bambi shrugged, then untied her own silk robe and slipped it off. I took it and laid it over the rail with mine. She raised her arms and pirouetted to let the cool air bathe her body.
"Mmmmm. You're right. It is nice." She started stretching her arms over and behind her head.
"Here, try this." I showed her some of the stretching techniques I learned in the Kung Fu class. She was more limber than I expected and she was able to get into some of the positions with only a little effort.
"Sam, I wanted to talk to you about last night."
"Yes?"
"I enjoyed that more than I can say. I felt more at ease than I have in a long time. I know Bud certainly seemed more relaxed and open and communicative than I can ever remember. What did you say to him to bring about such a big change?"
"I told him how much I cared about him and Jim and you. I told him you cared about him and wanted him to grow up well-adjusted. I guess he took me literally. I never suggested any specific 'adjustment'. He figured that one out all on his own. He also explained something to me about my own motivation that made a lot of sense. I guess it was just his time for some enlightenment. He does seem much happier and open since then — doesn't he?"