When Tommy got up Sunday morning he discovered that he and Aunt Karen were no longer alone. His cousin Kim had arrived home in the wee hours of the morning while he was sleeping.
Kim gave him a bright smile when he walked into the kitchen. "Hi, Tommy," she said.
Aunt Karen was making breakfast, so the young man went to the kitchen table and sat down. "Hi, Kim," he replied. He was surprised she was up already, given how late she'd gotten in. His cousin looked a lot better than he remembered her looking. Her skin was dusky, just like her mother's and gave her the appearance of a year-round tan. Kim's hair was dark brown, though not as dark as her mother's. She was probably five-two or three, but had a very voluptuous figure just the same. She wasn't classically pretty, but she was striking, and knew how to use makeup to highlight her best features.
The outfit his cousin had on that morning really displayed her tidy figure. It was a short neon green halter top and snug acid-washed jeans. When he looked across the table at his cousin he couldn't help himself, his eyes were drawn to her breasts. She wasn't wearing a bra! Her nipples showed through the fabric of the top. He grabbed his orange juice and drank it down in one swallow.
Kim watched him smiling. She had a bemused look on her striking face, as if she knew exactly what he was thinking. That rattled the young man. Things weren't at all what he thought they would be here at his aunt's house. First he learned that out his aunt is screwing around, now his cousin is giving him hot looks. He thought the summer was going to be boring. It looked like it was going to be anything but boring, in fact, it was getting kind of weird.
Aunt Karen turned around, looked at the two teenagers, and said, "I don't suppose either of you would like to go to church, would you?"
Neither of the young people did.
"Well, if you aren't going to church, what are you kids going to do today?" Aunt Karen asked cheerily while she put a platter of scrambled eggs on the table then sat down.
"I called Connie and Carol right after I got up," Kim said. "We're going to the beach."
"You could take Tommy along," Aunt Karen said.
Kim gave her mother an exasperated look and said, "Mom!"
Sure his cousin didn't want him tagging along to spoil her fun with her friends, Tommy decided to do her a favor. "Ah...I have other things I need to do today, Aunt Karen," he said. "I'm meeting some of my friends downtown."
After breakfast, Kim left for the beach and Tommy headed down town. He planned to meet some of his friends and hang out. He hoped they might run into some girls. "I probably won't be back until late," he told his aunt when he left. "I'll get lunch and dinner somewhere."
"You sure?" Aunt Karen asked, sounding a little concerned.
Tommy smiled at his aunt and shook his head. "Don't worry, Aunt Karen," he said, "I'm not gonna starve. I've got money, I'll get myself a burger or something, I promise."
He took the car and spent the first part of the day with his karate instructor, Master Kwan, working harder than he'd ever worked.
"You are working very hard today, my son," his sensei commented as he watched his star student go through one strenuous routine after another.
Master Kwan was an Okinawan, a tiny man with white hair, a white beard, and wrinkled facial features who had lived in the United States ever since the end of World War II. Tommy wasn't sure how old his instructor was, but he was old enough to be the wisest man the young man had ever met. Tommy regarded his sensei with both awe and affection.
"I have much on my mind, sensei," Tommy replied. The discipline required by the various moves helped clear the young man's thinking. It also drained a lot of pent-up energy from his body.
"Have you changed your mind about the competition we spoke of the other day?" Master Kwan asked. "You would win the tournament easily. I have no other student as skilled, or determined, as you."
Tommy shook his head. "My folks, especially my Mom, wouldn't like it if I competed," he said. "Besides, you know I do not do study the martial arts to win trophies, Sensei. I do it because it benefits me in other ways."
"Ah," Master Kwan said. Smiling, he nodded sagely. "That is as it should be. You have learned the most important lesson. Karate is for defense, not aggression. I respect your wishes, my son. You are one of the wisest students I have ever had."