Again, all characters having sex are 18 or above.
I do my own editing, so some errors will exist. If you're a bored English teacher, looking for something to mark-down, I would advise you to move on.
If however, you are looking for a slow burn about a loving brother and sister, do enjoy.
I write for your enjoyment and mine.
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Most boys get toys for their 6th birthday. One of my mates even got a Dirt Bike. Me? I got a little sister, called Molly.
Counting back the dates, I now know that she was conceive during the weekend my parents went away to celebrate their 9th wedding anniversary. Neither of my parents had any siblings, so they left me to stay with my paternal Granny and Grandad.
I was somewhat perturbed to say the least, having to share my life, parents and my everything now after being the baby of the family and had it all to myself.
Now, almost 2 decades later and here I am, sat in a posh hotel on my own as I prepare to 'Give Her Away,' to Glenn. Looking out at the beautiful gardens of the stately home / hotel, where the reception will take place. I can't help but reminisce how we got here, and the journey it has been.
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My so-called, "New-Normal" with my new sister, at home with our parents, lasted mere months. 3 months after my sister was born, we were shipped off to stay with the grandparents for anniversary time again. Number 10 this time, they were off for a week, no doubt to have a go at baby number 3. This all was never to materialise, as It was on the journey to Japan that my parents' airplane fell off the radar, never to be seen again. For months they searched the oceans and lands, finding nothing but a few twisted pieces of metal. I remember Granny taking me in her arms and explaining to me that Mummy and Daddy had gone to heaven.
I cried and hugged at my Granny's pillowy chest, not wanting to come out into the bright light of truth. Then, Molly made a noise. Just a little cooing and gurgling sound and Granny told me she was hungry. She explained that as she was not old enough to know what was going on, we had to be strong for Molly.
Being strong at 6 years old, eh? My grandad must have thought it would be easy as he said, "Alan, that'll not solve anything.....chin up," when he would hear or see me sobbing. I learned to put my emotions in a little box in my head right there and then, and hide the key.
My grandparents were now our legal guardian and looked after us to the level best of their ability. I learned how to change dypers/nappies to help, and also to heat bottles so Granny could feed the little bundle of smiles and happiness. I remember the first time she smiled at me whilst lain on her little mat on the floor with her cute little pixie nose, her cute little brown eyes and......you get the picture, I loved my sister.
Things got into a steady rhythm as we faced the world together, which was different for me. When my friends, as young teenagers, were out drinking on street corners or playing football, I would be mostly at home helping my increasingly struggling grandfather, following the premature death of our grandmother when I was 13, Molly 7. Grandad was good to us, but for things like Molly's recurring nightmare of our parents plane falling from the sky, he was not the best for "Molly Snuggles".
I finally got a little freedom when I was 17 when Grandad bought me a car. I drove everywhere, even round the corner to my friend's house that was literally a minute's walk away. Of course, Lady Molly sat like royalty in the passengers seat. I was now official chauffeur to an 11 year old. Rock n' Roll.
I never really liked to drink alcohol, so when I passed my driving test almost right away, any night out was a money-spinner as I charged all my boozy mates £15 to drive them home from the nearest city, undercutting the local taxi company by half. Having a hand for woodwork, I was planning to go to college and having been left some money by my parents in a trust fund that would be released upon my 21st birthday, I was pretty well set up for the future.
Then, fate was to intervene again. Just 2 months after my 18th birthday, Grandad passed away. He was out at the bookmaker, betting on the horses when he collapsed and died of a heart attack. I remember going to collect Molly from school, telling the 12 year old girl that it was just us against the world now.
With my money not being released for another 3 years we struggled to get by, following all the crap I had to go through with social services in order to keep custody of my reason for living. Thankfully, we were surrounded by caring people. One of the neighbours became our unofficial caterer, cooking for us almost every night. She also tried to enlist me in her Bridge club, not my scene! Another neighbour, Charlie, took me on in his construction company, allowing me to take up an apprenticeship. Those working class people are the reason I'm still here!
As Molly entered her teens, Google became my bible for ALL of the minefields involved in raising a teenage girl. If she asked a question, I was across it within 10 minutes. She talked to me about anything from periods to paintballing, makeup to mathematics. I was no stranger to receiving a text saying, "Bro.....it's that time again. Can you pick up some STs."
Again, Rock n Roll.
Also in her early teens, she found religion and told me off regularly for taking the lord's name in vain. She said it made her feel closer to Mum and Dad, whom we have spoken of almost daily since before Molly could understand or talk.
My own personal life has always taken a back seat. Friends got fed up with me not going out as I had to be there for my sister.
Girlfriends? They also didn't want to know. It seemed sweet to them at first, a teenage boy being the only carer of his kid sister. This wore off rather quickly as the, "Sorry, we can't go out tonight, I need to collect Molly from Church/school/friend's house/dance class/hockey," soon sent them looking for fun elsewhere.
At 21, my inheritance became accessible, but as I now had a reasonably well paid job with our neighbour Charlie's firm, I mostly invested it. I treated myself to a new car, however. Trading my little VW Polo for a used Ford Focus. Molly reliably informed me that she was looking forward to learning to drive in it. Of course I said it wasn't happening but we both knew, as eventually turned out, I would give in.
By the time Molly turned 17, she continually made me proud to be her brother. Straight A student at school, accomplished sports person, musician, and although I didn't share her faith, still a devout Christian. Not once did I ever have to hold her hair while she threw up in the toilet, or even collect her from a party or nightclub. Like me, she drove everywhere, when I bought her her first car.
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Soon, her 18th birthday arrived. I threw a big party for all her friends, some of whom were and are really hot, like the tall, hot supermodel, Jasmine. Sadly she wasn't one of them trying to drunk kiss me all night.
By this stage, I had already been engaged once. Emma Roach was her name and after almost 2 years together, 6 months officially living together, I proposed. Initially all went well. Then one night, Molly had one of her regular nightmares about her parents final moments and came in to me for a hug. Emma, being naked, started screaming at her to get out, saying she was a teenager and needed to grow up.
Emma packed her bags and left the next morning, at my request. I would go on to hear the, "You're a really lovely guy but I don't want to be Mum to a teenager," story so often, that I just didn't bother anymore.
As Molly stood on the stage that night of her party in her blue, knee length dress, talking into the DJ's microphone, I fought back tears as I looked at the petite, black haired, deep brown eyed woman in front of me, as she thanked me for organising all this and told me she loved me for being her everything, never leaving her or taking any easy option out.
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Soon, she was off to university to become a nurse. I drove up with her, taking both my car and hers to transport her alleged, "Bare minimum." After we arrived at her apartment I had rented for her, we had lunch together and I told her that the guys from work wanted me to go out that night. I wasn't keen, but when she told me me that I might bump into her friends, as they were also out in the town centre, my interest picked up a little. It still couldn't numb the reality of losing my little Molly.
It felt like I was saying goodbye to my little girl. Then she gave me one of her hugs that makes everything better and I picked her up and held her like I used to do when we were kids. When I set her down again, she looked back at me, still holding onto me with tears in her eyes and said, "I can never thank you enough. I thank God every day that he gave me such an amazing man for a brother."
When I got into my car and drove off, leaving her standing at her door, I got about 10 metres down the road when I just had to hug her one more time. As she saw my car reversing, she came back down to the kerb and as I got out, looking at me with a worried expression, she said, "What's wrong, what did you forget?"
I flung my arms around her again and hugged her 5ft 0 body into mine as she cried into my lower chest and said, "That I really am going to miss you. I love you, Molly. You make me proud every day."
She parted us and looked up at my face through her tear-strewn eyes, cupping my cheeks with her small hands and said, "I'll miss you so much more than I can say. You are the reason I'm here, Ally. Telling you I Love you, it doesn't really cover it."
We stood there holding each other, stroking each others arms in a loose embrace. I hugged her tightly a final time and said, "I'll have to go before it gets too late."
"Ok," she dreamily sighed, letting go of me and I saw her biting her lip that she has always did when anxious or nervous.
"Don't worry, you've got this,"I reassured her, bopping her nose with my finger and she smiled with her beautiful, perfectly straight white teeth that lit up even my sadness.
I was just turning, stepping off the kerb to get into my car when she taps me on the shoulder and as I turn around and look at her, she lunged at me with her arms around my neck, kisses me in a tight lip lock like never before and presses her tiny body into mine. I step back And lean on the side of the car as she has taken me by surprise. The kiss ended as quickly as it started and she looked at me, slightly blushing. "What was that for?" I say, half stunned and sounding abrupt.
"Sorry," she said, lowering her eyes and continued, "I just needed to tell you I love you so much."