The first days of our holiday together passed without awkwardness and we could relax together as I showed her around the Island. She saw first-hand that there was no lover waiting for me and it was that, I think, that opened the doors to a cautious reawakening of our brother sister relationship.
Did I say "cautious?"
Cautious would be a fitting description of my feelings but Janet seemed to fling caution to the winds and quickly resumed her role of boss, director, adjudicator in all things and not least, big sister. It was as if she now, having lost her hopeless husband, needed to turn the clock back and take charge of looking after me again. Having never had a successful long term relationship these 30 years I fell easily in with her wishes and realised I had found my soul mate again.
The third night, after a successful happy day where with her assistance I found and photographed my 61st species of Orchid on the Island she insisted she treat me to dinner away from the hotel. After the meal and on the way back through the village she slung her arm round mine and pressing herself up to me whispered,
"We still go together as well as we did in the old days."
And though I was suddenly and overwhelmingly glad and luxuriated in her femininity I could also taste the guilt way back in my mind and in a moment of guilty weakness I stopped and turning her towards me whispered that I had a confession to make and that I owed her 30 years of apologies. She threw her arm round my shoulders and shushed me;
"It's waited this long, it will wait until we get to our room."
So with her in charge we continued the walk back to the hotel.
We'd got quickly into the holiday routine of sharing bathroom and bedroom and moved easily and without embarrassment between the one or the other half clothed though by no means going naked. I had had the chance to catch a few discrete glances at her as she got ready for bed and tonight was no exception. She was looking good and as I lay there in my bed reading and stealing glances as she moved around I felt a stirring in my groin; yes, she was looking good.
At last she was finished and leaving the bathroom she closed door fully leaving only a chink of light. It was as dark as could be and as she approached her bed she bumped into mine and reached out to steady herself. My hand flew out to catch her and for a brief moment we held each other before she moved safely into her bed.
"Careful," I said, "Its more than dark enough."
"Well," she said, "So it should be, if we are going to discuss what.s bothering you."
I found the resulting silence awkward. I had intended confessing abusing her sexually while she slept and yet I was still getting horny at the sight of her getting ready for bed!
I could hear her breathing in her bed and struggled to find something sensible to say.
"Was the funeral a shock to you?"
"The cost of it perhaps, but he had more than enough insurance."
I could sense she didn't want to talk about her dead husband and I searched for another subject, anything that could lead back to the easy banter we used to enjoy but it was Janet who broke the ice.
"Why did you never marry? Not gay are you?"
"Gay? Me? Course not; You remember Jane don't you?"
Jane had been the least catastrophic of my several failed long term relationships.
"Jane?" She said with an echo of innocence that bordered on sarcasm. I wondered what remark was coming next.
"Was that the dark one?"
She paused a while then continued slyly,
"The one that looked like me?"
I realised she was right. Had I been trying to recreate in the desire I felt for Jane the greater desire I'd felt for my sister, Janet?
Christ, even the names were alike! Did she suspect my incestuous desire for her?
My conscience was making itself felt but despite the shame, I realised I had an erection.
I tried unsuccessfully to turn the conversation back to her and joked back
"Why do you ask if I am gay, Sis; are you lesbian?"
She answered scornfully,
"I might well have been for all the interest my now deceased husband had in me."
"Lesbianism? Is that the right word, Janet? Could it be ok for you then?"
She remained silent and I knew then she was waiting for me to bring out my confession. I could only continue weakly, trying to delay the awful moment of confession as long as possible,
"Wouldn't you both, being women, know what you wanted and how to get it?"
"No I don't think so" she said,
"I don't lust after softness," she said "And you don't lust after an erect penis, do you?" She laughed and as if an afterthought muttered,
"No, I suspect you lust after something else."
I said the first thing that came into my head and exclaimed out into the all-enveloping darkness,
"I lust after our closeness, the good closeness we lost when you married him."
After a long thoughtful pause, she replied sadly;
"Marrying him was a mistake but what's done is done. We are together again now."
That made me sadder; My confession would surely destroy the closeness we had regained these past weeks?
"Sis, I said I had something I had to confess to you. I want to drop it so we can let it go and continue as before?"
She said nothing.
She was good at the interrogative silences and after a while her silence had me unreservedly babbling meaningless nonsense until I was finally compelled to confide in her;
"Sis, I want your forgiveness."
In the silence that followed I heard her turn towards me and the covers rustled.
"Hand." She said.
I didn't catch on at first and she repeated her demand that I stretch out and grasp her hand.
"Hand," she said quietly.
I groped out into the darkness and found her hand and was immediately transported back to our life as youngsters in the flat; Her demand for darkness; The holding of hands when the difficult worries threatened to overwhelm us. This was what we'd done when serious and intimate thoughts that needed our unity as brother and sister presented themselves.
"Well? She said. Tell me what's bothering you brother."
"No" I answered.
"No, I think its best left unsaid."
"Come on now" she said,
"I think you need to get this off your chest, tell me what you feel you have to confess."
"I abused you." I said brutally.
"I abused you sexually while you slept."
In the resulting silence I was sure she could hear my heart beating. But at least she hadn't let go of my hand in disgust.
"No, I don't think you did."
You don't understand Janet. I touched your body when you were fast asleep....
I struggled for the words.
"When I was fast asleep?"
"I came to feel you up, to explore your body. I knelt beside your bed in the darkness and touched you."
This was horrible and I wanted it all to be over.
"I even,......."
I just couldn't bring myself to say it