Mark was surprised when he got the text asking if his oldest sister, Gina, could stay with him and Jenn for the weekend. They had spent a long weekend together a month earlier with their parents, other three sisters, and many of the sisters' children. These occasional, informal family reunions, along with Thanksgiving and Christmas, were usually the only times they spent together during the year.
He and Gina had been close when they were younger, much closer than with the other sisters. They stood up for each other during disagreements, partied together, and even occasionally dated each others friends. She married while he was away at college, bought a house, had kids, and seemed to be living the perfect life. Mark graduated college, started working at the family business, met Jenn, and started his life near the rest of the family.
But the economy eventually wreaked havoc on their business, and as they pursued other opportunities they drifted apart. They lived on opposite sides of town and only saw each other during holidays. They both spent the next many years raising their families and doing the things that make adulting so tedious.
After many years of apparent bliss the family realized that Stan, Gina's husband, bounced from one get-rich-quick scheme to another, usually owing money to many people and burning every bridge. Gina spent all her energy trying to keep the family from knowing how bad things were. She gained weight and could no longer afford to take care of herself, so when the photos of Stan and his man-friend showed up in the mail she had few options.
Andy, her second husband, was a hasty, desperate decision. He was comfortable - not rich - and the security he offered her in a time of need was more important than the physical traits she had gotten used to in the boyfriends of her youth. But he was older than her and not in the best of health.
After a couple of years with Andy and not worrying about every financial decision Gina started coming out of her frumpy stage and finding the grown-up version of the head-turner she had been in her younger days. When she and Andy showed up for family events, they looked awkward together - he was tall, plain, and frail while she was short, curvy, and vivacious. But the difference in their ages caught up to Andy, and his health deteriorated quickly while Gina became more of a nurse than a wife.
The impromptu reunion was put together when Mark and Gina's parents decided to sell their grandparents home - a small but historical house that had been the site of many family events when they were kids. This would be their last chance to explore the dark corners of it's basement, marvel at the eccentricities of nineteenth century construction, and say goodbye to all the memories.
The family was too large to fit in the house so Mom and Dad stayed there while Mark, Gina, and the rest of the younger generations rented a larger lake home a few miles away. Their days were spent packing up memories and making repairs while making sure the newest generations knew why the old house was so important to the older generation. The nights were crazy but exciting - a long weekend of frantic family working, playing, laughing, and story-telling. Every bed, couch, and air mattress was full, suit cases were stacked on every table, and the two bathrooms had long waiting lines. People had to pause to let others pass by before they themselves could take a step, but no one griped and everyone amazingly got along.
Each evening after the table was cleared, beer, wine, and stories were shared as grandma, grandpa, mom, dad, and the memory of their youth were all celebrated. Members of the younger generation reveled in the stories the older generation had shared dozens of times, learning the little nuances that made each one funny and trying to silently separate fact from fiction.
This was the first time in years Mark and Gina had spent time together that didn't involve holidays and all the baggage that came with them. Mark's wife, Jenn, and the twins couldn't attend because of a college tour, and Gina's husband, Andy, had health issues that kept him confined to home most of the time. As a result, Mark and Gina were the only ones at the reunion not keeping up with spouses or children. They had more time to spend together, and they talked, and laughed, and got along better than they had in many years. There was even some semblance of the earlier days growing up when they were closer.
Sunday night all other family members had caught flights to head to various destinations and return to their normal lives, spouses, children, and jobs. Mark and Gina's flights weren't until Monday so they had one extra night to get reacquainted. They had one last swim off the dock as the sun set and Mark couldn't help but notice how well Gina's hot-mom-bod filled out her swim suit. He was pretty sure she caught him admiring her curves more than once, and when they went in for the last time she spent the rest of that evening wearing only a t-shirt and shorts that barely covering those curves. She made many trips to the fridge for more beer for each of them, and he was pretty sure she caught him looking then as well.
Later Gina took her evening shower, and when she walked through the den in only a towel Mark was pretty sure she was teasing him.
"Damn, Gina - shouldn't you put some clothes on?" he jokingly asked while privately wishing the towel would pop open and fall to the floor fully exposing her. He had fantasized about seeing her naked since the days she bounced around their childhood home wearing tiny pajamas.
"Aw, Bubs," she replied using her pet name for him from their younger days. "We used to take baths together so didn't think you'd care."
"We were little kids and you didn't have curves..." he stammered thinking about the rest of his reply "...or boobs!"
Gina smiled at his reply. It was the first time in forever that she could remember someone noticing her, and she loved the attention.
"These old things?" she said as she pushed her biceps into her chest to push out and accentuate her boobs. She walked to Mark and handed him a beer and then headed up the stairs to her room.
"Sorry," she added as her shoulders disappeared into the second level of the house. "Didn't mean to make you horny!" she added as released the knot holding the towel closed.
Mark couldn't take his eyes off her going up the stairs and saw the towel coming free as she disappeared into the upper level. Unfortunately, she timed it where he could tell what she was doing but couldn't see the result. He was left totally unsatisfied and with not even a good reply to her taunt.
