Even after the passing of years, we refer to it only as "The Incident." That is, on those rare occasions when we do mention it. It's a deep secret, shared only by Gayle and me and we dare not tell anyone else, not even our spouses, but it is by no means one we're ashamed of. On the contrary, it's a happy memory, this secret of ours, and we believe it has brought us closer together. It doesn't make us unique, but it is unusual.
The complicating factor in all this is that Gayle is my younger sister -- by three years -- and "The Incident" took place in the early 00s, when I was a rising senior at our state's flagship university, and Gayle had just graduated from high school. Even before The Incident, I had to admit that Gayle had blossomed into a stunner. She was self-conscious about her nose, but I thought it had great character and enhanced her attractiveness. Her hair was long and wavy and a shiny light brown, her eyes were hazel and she had a bright and toothsome smile. Gayle was not without admirers. Even some of my braver friends commented about her looks to me which made me a little uncomfortable but I couldn't argue their point.
Around Memorial Day of that year I had plans to spend a week at our parents' lakeside cottage, but Gayle made similar plans with her sometime boyfriend, whom I liked to refer to as "Gorgeous George" behind his back because of his incessant preening. Their arrival wasn't a huge deal, but it did put a damper on my plans for some uninhibited sex with Donna, my girlfriend from college. Donna was a sweet and attractive girl, but we both knew our situation was not long-term. In the meantime, we enjoyed spending some no-obligation time together. She did my reputation no harm and I was a steady and reliable presence.
The cottage was small and cozy, set by a large lake in New England where my family had summered for three generations. The lake was dotted by a few modest cottages and cabins, but was otherwise uninhabited. The surrounding terrain was rugged, with hundreds of acres of deep, piney forest that gave off an enchanting aroma. Inside, there were just two bedrooms, one on the ground floor behind the kitchen, and a loft upstairs. A nook right off the living room that could also sleep two people if they didn't mind snuggling. Like I said, it could be cozy, especially with several people bunking down together. Since Gayle and George arrived before we did, they called dibs on the loft while Donna and I moved into the downstairs bedroom. Donna had not met my sister and her boyfriend yet, and I could tell from the moment we arrived that she was taken with George's matinee-idol looks. If I'd been more serious about her it might have annoyed me, but I let it pass.
We spent the first couple of days doing the things people do when they get near water. We swam and hiked some of the surrounding trails. Gayle and George mostly did their own thing while Donna and I did ours. I would cook out on the grill for dinner, but other meals were pretty much catch as catch can. On Tuesday I spent the morning in the boat house getting my dad's beautiful Chris-Craft ready to take out in the afternoon. After lunch, Donna climbed in the front seat next to me while Gayle and Gorgeous piled into the stern seats.
I took our guests on a tour of the lake, which used up a substantial part of the afternoon. After dinner I mixed some drinks from dad's liquor cabinet and we relaxed on the back porch, enjoying a glorious sunset. Later in the evening a sliver of moon rose in the east and the sky was full of stars. Donna and I were in the living room dozing on the couch when Gayle and George came downstairs. They carried beach towels and were dressed in their swimsuits (Gayle in a very flattering yellow bikini).
"We're going for a midnight swim," Gayle said enthusiastically. "Why don't you come with?"
I wasn't in the mood, but Donna sat bolt upright and said, "Sounds great!" She practically ran to the bedroom to change. The way she had been flirting with George in the boat that afternoon, I didn't doubt she wanted another look at him in swim trunks before turning in for the evening, even if it was pitch black outside. But her effervescent personality has a way of carrying me along, even when I'm hesitant, so I joined the party.
I was the last one down to the dock. Though I was familiar with the ground, I had to carefully pick my way along the wooded path from the cottage to the lake. By the time I arrived towels and swimsuits had been dropped on the dock. Now I was presented with a dilemma. Being a little shy, I lacked the requisite courage to joyously jump in the water naked and despite the darkness there was the little matter of swimming around in the same water as my naked sister. But the three of them were cavorting and laughing without being self-conscious at all so I figured, what the hell, why not jump in?
I had to admit as I came up for air that it was a glorious evening. The canopy of stars overhead and the dark shapes of the tall trees around the lake's edge gave us a sense of privacy and security. Gorgeous George was probably congratulating himself that he was swimming with two beautiful naked women and I had to admit it sent a surge through me as well. I had the impression that he was no stranger to this kind of risque activity. There was a lot of laughter among us as we swam around, though I couldn't help worrying about a passing turtle taking a fancy to my shvantz.
I paddled over to shallower water where I could comfortably stand. In the darkness it was difficult to discern who was who, but from the other side of the outcropping of trees I could hear splashing and laughter. I wondered if Gayle and George had slithered off for a little action. I didn't see Donna anywhere, which made me wonder if they were playing a joke on me. I then noticed her swim quietly past me and climb up the ladder and onto the dock. She sat down, her feet dangling in the water.
"Psst!" I heard from that direction so I swam quietly over and climbed up. I still couldn't see or hear Gayle and George. The water was cool, but it didn't seem to have a dampening effect on the half-erection that all this nudity gave me. (Ah, the vigor of youth, how I miss it!)
I wasn't bothered by my condition because I hoped Donna would notice and we could then steal back to the cabin for a bit of sex before drifting off to sleep.
Then I got the shock of my life. The girl I plopped down next to wasn't Donna but my sister Gayle! In the enveloping darkness I hadn't been able to see, I just assumed. She leaned back casually, absently kicking at the water with one foot, looking entirely comfortable with her body and the situation.
Gayle glanced down at my hardening member and said, "Looks like you're happy to see me."
I was painfully aware of the circumstances and my embarrassment.
"Sorry," I said, sheepishly. "I thought you were Donna."
"Speaking of which, where did she go?"
We strained our eyes trying to see beyond where we were, as Donna's peals of laughter had faded into a deep quiet. Gayle and I became suspicious. Then we heard a guttural female moan from behind the trees, which was just as quickly stifled, as if the moaner forgot herself for a brief second.
"What's going on over there?" Gayle asked, starting to suspect the same thing as me.
"You don't think they're at it, do you?" I asked incredulously.
Gayle's comment about my semi-arousal was soon forgotten as we tried to decide what to do. Should we just gather our suits and head back to the house, or investigate?
Probably contravening our better judgment, we headed over to the small inlet on the other side of the outcropping of our property. It was tricky going among the trees, wrapped in towels and carrying our wet suits, coupled with the need for stealth, but we finally reached the other side and peered toward the lake. There, standing knee deep in water and grabbing an overhead limb was the dark outline of naked Donna, and standing close behind, ramming into her with gusto, was Gorgeous George.
Gayle had to stifle a gasp. I had to swallow my pride. I shouldn't have been surprised, given how Donna was practically drooling over George all afternoon. Gayle silently grabbed my hand and pulled me back in the direction of the house. When we arrived we separated to dry off and dress and then returned to the kitchen, where I made us both a drink. It seemed like we needed one.
Rather than confront George and Donna, we decided to adjourn to our respective beds and pretend to be asleep when they came back. It seemed like the best way to avoid a scene and we resolved to be nonchalant about this indiscretion so they wouldn't have the satisfaction of seeing us upset. It was sometime later when I heard the screen door creak and within a few minutes I felt Donna stealthily climb into bed with me. I pretended to be asleep and she appeared none the wiser. As soon as I heard her rhythmic slumber breathing, I drifted off.
When I awoke the next morning it was already 9:30 and I was amazed at how refreshed I felt. Some of the best sleep I've ever had was in the cabin, waking to cool, clear mornings and the myriad songs of birds in the trees. I stretched and reached over to the other side to feel Donna's body but that side of the bed was empty. Perhaps she rose early to have breakfast. All that huffing and puffing down by the lake last night must have built up an appetite in my soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend. I had hoped to rouse her for a little sex, but then my ardor was cooled significantly by the memory of Gorgeous George taking her from behind. I wondered how Gayle and I were going to navigate this awkward development, knowing what we knew. We should have gotten our stories straight before going to sleep last night. I had no idea how she would deal with George and what these potential explosions might do to the rest of the week. It seemed like a good idea to stay in bed for a while.
There was a tentative knock on the door. At first I wasn't sure if I had heard anything at all, but the second knock was marginally louder. It couldn't be Donna because she would have simply walked in.
"Come in," I said quietly as Gayle entered the room. "What's up?"
"They're drove back to the city early this morning," Gayle said
"Oh really?" I was shocked. "Did you see them?"
"Yeah, I talked to George. He apologized on his way out the door, saying they couldn't help themselves, swimming around naked." Gayle seemed more upset than I was, perhaps because her thing with George hadn't quite run as far down the course as what Donna and I had going.
I laid back on my pillow, shirtless but wearing gym shorts. I wasn't feeling all that worried about modesty since Gayle and I had seen each other naked the evening before, albeit, in inky darkness. On the subject of Donna and George, however, I was embarrassed, too, and we wondered how we would handle this betrayal once word got around in our circle of friends, just as we knew it would.
Gayle got busy making a memorable breakfast of French Toast, bacon, and hash brown potatoes. For a few minutes we sat quietly, enjoying our meal, then Gayle spoke.
"Wanna flip for the upstairs room?"
I shook my head. "You take it. I'm fine where I am."
