When Kim and I married, her younger sister and brother were naturally both in the wedding but so was her brother's new girlfriend Shannon. Rick, Kim's brother, is the baby in the family and was 18 at the time. He met Shannon in his senior year of high school when she was only a sophomore so Shannon was a mere 16-years-old at our wedding. Kim was 23 when we married and I was the grandpa at 28.
Kim was always competitive with her younger sister, a middle child, whom I found to be always manipulative and conniving so we never really got along well. I was relieved when she graduated college then took a job out-of-state so that we only had to endure her during holidays.
On the other hand, during the following years Rick and Shannon and Kim and I got along more like four friends rather than family. We often double dated or just hung out together at our house grilling out, watching a football game or a movie sometimes trying a new wine or just enjoying a favorite bottle. So it was no surprise when Rick and Shannon asked Kim and me to be in their wedding six years later.
Rick and Shannon had seemed almost like the perfect couple from the very start which I found odd since Rick, the proverbial 'tall dark and handsome' type, was extremely extroverted while Shannon was the polar opposite being extremely introverted. Kim and I were also both introverted which is one of the reasons why our circle of friends was barely more than Rick and Shannon.
Of the four of us, Shannon and I seemed to get along the least. For the longest time I had thought she was merely tolerating me though I couldn't quite put my finger on why. Maybe it was because Rick and I got along so well, he and I had many common interests and were more like best friends rather than brother-in-laws. She seemed to be very competitive when it came to Ricks time so I thought it was possible irritation on her part when we spent time together watching a football or baseball game, or hanging out at a bar having a few beers.
I had always found Shannon to be quite lovely. She was, not only diametrically the polar opposite of Rick in personality, but also in stature. Kim's father is tall and thin, standing over six feet in height, and all of his children have inherited his physique. Rick is no different at a thin six feet tall while Shannon barely makes five-foot, two inches. But she makes a stunning presence at five-foot, two with thick, light brown hair that falls to her shoulders in curly locks, creamy almost perfect skin with nary a mole or imperfection of any kind, deep blue eyes set just right in a face like a porcelain doll which dimples in just the right places when she smiles.
While being physically different from Rick, Shannon was also physically different from Kim. Kim is five-foot, five inches tall and thin like a swimmer. Kim has long, dark brown hair with dark brown eyes to match in a classically beautiful, square jawed face. While Kim is a bit flat chested sporting only an A cup, Shannon was blessed with perfectly round C cups which, at her age, stood up perkily. What Kim and Shannon did share in physique, was a flat belly and a tight little bottom that would make the blood of any man race to his genitals.
Rick and I ourselves are quite different physically speaking. Rick, as I have mentioned, is tall, thin and strong. He shares in the family features with dark brown hair and eyes the same as Kim and is ruggedly handsome. I am a mere five-foot, nine inches in height, barrel chested and stocky. I am usually in the gym once or twice each week but I don't need to be. My job was physically demanding at that time so I stayed in shape naturally with a muscular chest, strong arms, shoulders and legs. On my off days, I often enjoyed mountain biking and sometimes Kim joined me. Also, every so often, Rick and Shannon joined us for a trail ride.
A year after Rick and Shannon got married, Kim and I rented a condo near Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach for a ten day, nine night vacation in May. The condo complex is right on the beach, separated into two low slung buildings only three stories tall running parallel with each other and a peanut shaped pool and hot tub in between. It was also only a short walk to Apache Pier. Our condo was on the second level with a perfect view of the pool, the beach beyond and Apache Pier beyond that. I had been fortunate that this condo belonged to a friend of my family who rented it to us on this particular week due to the fact it would be in disuse and they rented it to us at a very reasonable rate. Since the condo had two bedrooms, we invited Rick and Shannon to come along. It was Kim's idea as an early one year anniversary gift to them and they happily accepted.