Time is a funny thing. It swirls around us, changing us ever so slowly: our bodies, our faces, our opinions, and, of course, our relationships.
I first met Tiffany when she was eight minutes old. I was about twelve years old, and I wondered then exactly what the big deal was about my new baby cousin. She didn't seem terribly interesting to me at the time. Ah, there it is again...time.
By the time I graduated college, my perceptions hadn't changed. My cousin was a bony kid, all knees and elbows, and she spent most of her time fawning over the latest flavor of teen pop sensation. I used to tease her endlessly about it. We got along well in those days.
But I suppose we never really became close until after she graduated high school. I had been in the workforce for several years already by this time, and had made more than a little bit of money building websites for corporations from California to Maine. It kept me traveling, but it also created a need for a sanctuary, somewhere quiet and tranquil, where I could wind down between high-pressure jobs and tech-intensive board meetings.
I eventually purchased a modest two-bedroom house, figuring I'd make a guest room for the occasional (hopefully rare) visitor. I splurged on the location, though, buying up seven acres of land well out in the Tennessee countryside. It was a spectacular place, with a pond on which I built a dock for my rowboat, and a stream running through, jumping from grotto to pristine grotto. It was my sanctuary, and, by the first week, it felt like home.
I attended Tiffany's graduation that same year. She'd grown into quite a vibrant young lady, surrounded by admiring friends, and more than one infatuated young man. Her golden hair had grown long since I'd last seen her, and she smiled brightly as she gave her valedictory speech. I was proud of her, and her mother, my aunt Ella, was ecstatic.
"She's all grown up now," Aunt Ella said to the whole family, as we sat together in the stands, watching Tiffany cross the stage and receive her diploma. We all nodded, cheering as Tiffany waved toward us from the stage.
After the ceremony, Tiffany went down the line, giving each aunt, uncle, and cousin a big kiss on the cheek and a hug. When she came to me, I gave her a big bear hug. Her body was soft and warm beneath her gown, although I only gave this a passing notice at the time.
"Congratulations, cuz," I chuckled.
"Thanks," she replied, blushing.
"Did you decide where to go next?" I asked, having been familiarized with her indecision concerning college by Aunt Ella.
She shrugged. I noticed we still held one another in a half-embrace, but it was a wonderful, sweet feeling, so I did nothing to break it.
"Do you even know what you're gonna study?" I pressed.
She locked her big blue eyes on me. "I was thinking..." she said.
"What?" I probed.
She was blushing now. "Like...maybe computers, like you."
I smiled. "Well, I'm flattered. It's hard work, though; you gotta have a good head on your shoulders." I tapped her forehead with a finger.
"I'm the fucking valedictorian," she laughed, finally letting go. She moved on to the next person in line.
As it turned out, Tiffany didn't go to any college the next year. It seemed that she considered graduation a license to go a little wild. She started drinking heavily, although I never heard of any drug abuse. She stayed out all hours of the night clubbing, and had been known to go missing for days, finally turning up with little or no explanation. She took a new boyfriend every few days, it seemed, and there was no doubt she had become sexually active. Although I was saddened by the turn of events, I decided it was best to mind my own business. I threw myself into work, keeping updated on Tiffany's misadventures via periodic, hysterical phone calls from Aunt Ella.
It was during one of these calls, that one of the best and worst things that ever happened to me was set in motion. I was at home, having just gone for a dip in the pond, when my cell phone rang. Aunt Ella again.
"She's really done it this time!" she wailed.
"Hi, Aunt Ella," I sighed.
"Jake," she said, "you know what she did last night? Do you want to know what she did?
"What'd she do?" I asked, humoring her, as always.
"She came home wearing nothing but a pair of panties! " she huffed. "Can you imagine that? Came home in her panties!"
I could imagine that, and I was a little disturbed to realize that I liked imagining that. "Well, did she say what happened?" I asked, genuinely intrigued now.
"She wouldn't say," Aunt Ella replied. "She wouldn't even talk to me. She left this afternoon without saying a word."
"You shouldn't have bought her that car," I said.
"I know, but it was a graduation present. Jake, you know she wasn't like this a while ago. What am I gonna do?"
I didn't want to get involved. I was in my sanctuary, trying to relax. When the time was right, I knew Tiff would settle down. Then again, what if she didn't? Her lifestyle was a dangerous one for a pretty young thing; she was just asking for some predator out there to rape her, or worse, if it hadn't already happened. Worry welled up inside me, and I couldn't believe what I said next.
"Why don't you send her down here to live for a while?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Aunt Ella asked, sniffling.
"It's...it's peaceful down here," I said. "It's out in the middle of the country. Fresh air, open space, and no clubs to go to. I think it'd do her good. I have a guest bedroom that's never been used."
"Do you think she'll want to come?" Ella asked.
"I don't know. But she needs to come, whether she wants to or not. This place will do wonders for a person. I bet it'll calm her down a little." I paused. "Plus...I always wanted to get to know her a little better.
"She always looked up to you," Ella said. "She used to talk about you all the time, how she wanted to be like you."
"She did?" I was shocked by the admission.
