By the Lake
"You dumb fuck." Angela yelled
"Look it could happen to anyone." I replied defensively.
"You knew we needed gas! You should have gotten it at the station before we left from there Jon-a-THON." Angela fumed and bounced in her seat beside me. She crossed her arms over her breasts and hunched down as far as she could go.
I told her that for her eighteenth birthday I would take her to Palm Lake; she loved it out there, but what I didn't plan on was the gas I needed for the trip. We had passed a gas station about a 70 miles away getting here, and the sun was setting quickly. My sister couldn't have been any more pissed. She had a party to go to that night, and I spoiled it for her.
"Look I just wanted you to have a good birthday."
"I know listen, I'm sorry but this birthday party Beth had a guy for me and everything. I'm just disappointed."
"We could call Dad and have him come out here."
"Dad went to Las Vegas with mom this morning."
"Las Vegas?"
"Yeah Las Vegas. It's there anniversary. My birthday is always on their fucking anniversary. Played second fiddle to their day to often."
I looked down at her legs stretched out. She wore some tight jeans that showed just how beautiful her legs were. I wondered how she got those things on; they seemed to be spray painted on. Then, I wondered what her legs would look like when they were off. I shook my head a little, and then I thought, what about Thomas, my friend?
"You know I could call Thomas. He might be able to come get us." I offered.
"By the time he comes up here and back to the house, it will be too late for the party. Three hours up here and three hours back there. Yeah, this was a good fucking idea big brother." She sighed heavily, and thought about what to do.
I felt really bad. How could I do this to my sweet sister on her eighteenth birthday? "Well, I have some cash. I think I have enough for a cabin. I know you always wanted to spend the night up here. We can have a little party. The store still open; maybe they will have something we can cook to have a nice dinner. I will do everything."
I looked at her hoping that it would be at least something to make up for the trouble I caused her. She smiled feebly. "Oh all right, you said everything right?"
"Sure did."
"I can call Cassie on my cell, and tell her about your fuck up. Wait a minute. Are you sure they will give us a cabin. I mean won't they think we are weird?"
"Not if I tell them we are married." I took my class ring and turned it around so that it would look like a wedding band and walked to the office. It took me a couple of minutes but I came back to the car with a smile on my face.
"Guess what?"
"What did you do this time?"
"Hey where's the faith?"
"Back home at the gas station brother dear. So, what did you get?"
"I got the bridal sweet cabin. I told them we were newly weds and we ran out of gas. They laughed. They said we could get a wrecker to come out tomorrow morning with a gas can. The innkeeper said that his wife took the car home and won't pick him up till the morning. I don't know what would happen if someone had a real emergency out here."
Angela rolled her eyes, and took the keys. Cabin fourteen was across the lake on the other side of the office. She walked cursing the whole time, and I felt even worse. I went to the small store, and found all the things she liked for dinner; it cost me a small fortune, but I put it on my card Dad gave to me. I wondered what Dad would say when he got the bill. I carried the groceries to the other end of the lake as the sun set. On the porch of the cabin I saw Angela looking at the sunset, her dark silhouette against the cabin. Her hair seemed to always fluff out in natural curls that hung down to her shoulders. She bent down staring at the sunset, all five foot four of her seemed to bend gracefully into a thirty degree L shape. She looked at the sunset, and I looked at her; we both seemed entranced by beauty and form.
"Jonathan, it's so beautiful out here." I smiled and let her look at nature's portrait of an otherwise difficult day and got to work in the kitchen. I placed the steaks in the broiler and the rice in the pot. I made some salad, and in twenty minutes we ate on the porch feeling the breeze from the water cool everything down, even tempers. She put her wine glass in front of me, and I poured obediently. She smiled a little; I think she might be getting tipsy.