All of my writing is fiction and the stories and characters are all products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. Enjoy!
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This story picks up on a character from one of my other stories, New Neighbors, and tracks a little of her adventure. She is Sammy, the sister of Andy from that story.
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Andy thought he was probably the happiest man in the world right now, having Melissa, actually his next door neighbor, as his girlfriend. She fit the picture he had always had in his mind of the perfect woman, both physically, mentally and spiritually. She was wonderful. And the best part was that the feeling was mutual.
His sister, Sammy, had been probing him to let her meet Melissa and he decided that maybe it was time for that to happen. He loved his sister dearly, but she could be a rather loose cannon at times and he was always wary when they were together. Yet, he had sensed from the very first, when he had told Sammy about Melissa, that she was happy for him and might not submit him to the torment and torture that she was so adept at. So, with just a tiny touch of trepidation, he dialed her up on his cell phone and asked her to stop by that evening to meet Melissa.
"Oh my gosh, I'd love to do that. What time?" bubbled through the speaker on the phone. He had to smile at that response.
When he told Melissa about it, when she got home from work, she probed and debated about what to wear and how could she make the best impression on his sister and on and on until he was nearly overwhelmed, not imagining that this simple meeting could be such a momentous event.
"I can tell you she'll have on very short shorts, some kind of a tight top something and either flip-flops or 3" heel sandals, depending on how she feels. Probably a pony tail and some makeup, left over from her dressing for work. So, don't worry too much about it."
Somehow Melissa didn't look convinced. She wanted to make a good impression and, since she knew that Andy and his sister were very close, she also wanted Sammy to like her. She sighed and looked at him. "I don't know," she mumbled.
"Listen, you go to your house and dress however will make you feel good about yourself. Crap, you're a freaking cum laude. What to wear shouldn't be that big a deal." Of course, he had enough sense to realize that it was a big deal for most females, and quite a few males that he knew as well.
"Okay," she answered, smiling, and headed out the front door and across the yard to her house.
Thirty minutes later she was back, dressed in a pair of yellow shorts and matching yellow sleeveless blouse that nicely highlighted her tan and hid the tan lines from the sports bra she wore when she ran and rode her bicycle, training for the triathlon that was coming up sooner than she wanted it to. She had on a pair of leather sandals rather than the flip-flops she usually wore when she was just being casual.
"Stop looking at me like that," she said, grinning. "You'd think you've never seen me before."
"Do you really want me to stop looking at you like that?"
"No," she said softly. "You better never stop because it would break my heart."
"That will never happen," he added, giving her a huge hug. Then his head snapped back. "You smell wonderful. What the heck is that?"
After a giggle she replied, "Some perfume I got for Christmas from my mom a few year ago. Never had an occasion to wear it before."
"Wait," he chided. "You can wear perfume for my sister but not for me?"
"I didn't need perfume to get you, you were easy," she shot back, winking at him.
He started for her but she was too quick and zipped around the back of the couch, him in hot pursuit. They darted and dashed but the chase ended when he banged his head on the light hanging from the ceiling in the dining room. She ran to him and kissed his head.
"Being 6'-4" isn't always an advantage is it," she pouted to him, kissing his head again. They were cut short by the sound of a car squealing into his driveway. He pulled Melissa to the big living room window so she could watch Sammy's grand entrance. Actually, her name wasn't Sammy, it was Samantha, and Andy's name was really Anderson. But, to most of the world, at least the one outside their mother's existence, they were Sammy and Andy.
Sammy's red Acura had stopped and they could see her using the mirror in the sun visor to primp, something which surprised Andy a little. Then the door opened and she uncoiled her 5"-10" frame from the seat and stepped out. Andy felt a punch on his shoulder.
"Look how she's dressed," Melissa said, an exasperated tone to her voice," and remember what you told me. Oh crap," but it was too late now. Sammy had on a fairly short skirt with a flowered print, a bright green sleeveless blouse, and little pale green shoes with 1" heels. She waved as she headed for the front door and, unusual for her since she'd seen them there, she knocked. Andy wondered who this familiar stranger was as he opened the door. Sammy gave him a big hug and the usual kiss on the cheek which he returned, actually happy to see his sister and be able to introduce her to Melissa. But, before he could do anything she turned and threw open her arms.
"You must be Melissa," she beamed, giving her a huge hug. "I've heard so much about you I feel like I've known you forever." Andy knew that wasn't quite true but also knew that Sammy wasn't shy about helping out his relationship. "I'm Sammy, the dreaded older sister who constantly embarrasses her little brother." She grinned at Andy.
"I'm so happy to meet you," Melissa was finally able to say. "And likewise, Andy has told me so much about you that you seem like my sister too." Again, not quite true but Andy couldn't help but beam with pride at her response. Melissa was very awed by Sammy's look, the green blouse highlighting the green eyes and emphasizing the very ample bosom it hid. With the shoes, she was nearly six feet tall which was emphasized by the very long and shapely legs that extended from the bottom of the flowered skirt, and she stood very straight, obvious proud of her height.
"Plus," Sammy added, giving Melissa a knowing look, "I've never seen my brother happier than he's been since you moved in." Now Melissa's cheeks reddened a little. "Don't you blush," Sammy continued. "I've been hoping he'd meet someone that would just swoop him away and," she paused, looking Melissa up and down, "you look exactly as I knew his very special girl would look."
The red in Melissa's cheeks only deepened. Sammy put her hands on Melissa's cheeks. "And that color in those cheeks tells me you're exactly what he's always wanted . . . and needed too." She gave Melissa another big hug.
"Umm, I warned you a little didn't I," Andy said, laughing.
"Oh, shut up, Andy. You know I always tell the truth."
"Yeah, right. How truthful is this way you're dressed today? It got me in big trouble you know."
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression." She winked at Melissa.
They sat and talked for quite a while, Sammy asking a lot of very astute questions, but questions whose answers she felt would make Melissa more appealing to Andy. It wasn't really needed but he loved his sister for doing it. And Melissa was totally taken with Sammy. Really, she was so much like Andy that it would be hard not to like her.
"When you going to take her to meet mother?" she asked, a sinister look on her face.
"It'll happen eventually, but eventually is a long way off right now. Meeting mother is kind of like the triathlon you're doing," he said, looking over at Melissa. "It takes a lot of long and hard preparation."
Sammy laughed. "Well said. Triathlon, huh." She just smiled a knowing smile. It certainly fit. Then quickly she jumped up and said, "I should be going." Another big hug and this time a kiss on the cheek for Melissa. "You're a keeper for sure," she added, then a hug and kiss for Andy.
As she was going out the door Andy called after her, "Take it easy backing out. I'm getting black marks on the new driveway." She waved over her shoulder, climbed in and started the engine. He heard it rev up as the tires squealed to the accompaniment of white smoke as she zoomed out into the street. Then she pulled away and was gone.
"My sister," he grumbled to Melissa's delightful laugh.
Sammy smiled all the way to her house, happy for her brother's happiness. And, a little jealous as well since she wanted something like that for herself. She was 26 now, not ancient but she was actually anxious to get started with her next life. Not that she was dissatisfied with the life she was living now. In fact, she knew that tons of girls would trade places with her in a second. It was just that she had a picture in her mind of how her life should progress, each step fairly clearly defined, and she was just anxious to get to the next step, the next phase or whatever it could be called.
She was home though and pulled into the driveway, the circular driveway that also branched around to the back of the house to where the two-car garage was hidden from view. The house was a beautiful log house, partially a graduation gift from her grandma, like Andy's, but different in that she had begged and cajoled her father into adding money to it so she could get the house she really wanted, this one. It was located in a beautiful section of town, partially wooded and hilly, and was the log house she had dreamed about from her earliest years. It had four bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, a lot for a single girl but she didn't plan to be single forever. She actually loved history and had been tempted by some of the old, historic homes in the city but, she also loved the outdoors and the quiet sounds of the woods at night, so she went with her heart and got this house. It was on four acres of land, 200 feet across the front and about three football fields of depth that stretched up the hill behind the house where she loved to walk and often just sit, leaning against a tree and watching the birds and other animals playing around her.
Now she went inside, through the kitchen and into the great room whose ceiling soared three stories over her head and nearly took her breath away each time she passed through it. Up the stairs to her bedroom, its ceiling only two stories high where she changed from the clothes she had worn to meet Melissa into an old pair of shorts and a Hilton Head t-shirt along with some flip-flops. Back down the steps and through the great room, grabbing her guitar as she went and out the front door to the wrap-around porch. She stopped there, looking around with a big smile on her face as she certainly loved where she lived.
She sat down on the edge of the porch, her legs stretching down the front steps, and strummed a C chord on the guitar. She loved her Gretsch guitar. She had found it at an old music store she had stopped into randomly. A 1934 model, the wood having mellowed over its 80 plus year life, the tone mellowing along with the wood producing a tone she found restful and soothing. She loved music as well, as long as it was really music. When out with her friends she enjoyed their music generally, even some rap if the words were clever and original. But, here, alone with her guitar, it was different. Maybe it was the love of history that gave a clue for she loved 70's folk and classic country and western things. Nothing was more relaxing or fulfilling that to sit on the porch or steps playing her guitar and singing some of those songs as loud as she wanted for all the neighbors were far enough away that she wouldn't be bothering any of them.
A couple of chords and she began to sing,
