The Wrong Sister

The next day, Lisa was already up when I stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen, where she was making breakfast. She glanced up when she heard me. “Good morning. What cute baby dolls.” I looked down at the white nightgown I wore, patterned with vintage roses. “A lot more than I usually sleep in. Want some help?” “Sure. Even if it’s mostly just to tell me where things are.” I smiled at that and we enjoyed French toast together. I was glad she remembered not to make eggs and bacon because of my cholesterol issues. After breakfast and showers, I sat Indian-style on the floor playing with Burke while she checked her email on her laptop. I couldn’t help noticing the way her eyes flicked across one of my thighs as my overly long hair teasingly grazed my inner thigh while I dangled a string for the playful rat. Later, we hiked through some local trails. The air was crisp and cool, refreshing in that invigorating way autumn air often is. “Hey, don’t run too far ahead,” she laughed as I occasionally dashed off ahead of her. Not long after, she noticed my mood darken. “You okay, sweetie?” I nodded. “Just missing Henry. We used to hike a bit, but that was up in Oregon.” Lisa eyed me with sympathy. “Can I ask you something personal?” “Sure.” “What did you tend to lean towards, men or women?” “Definitely women. For every guy I found appealing, there were dozens of women just as appealing. Henry was just one of those rare exceptions. The sex wasn’t all that great, and he often left me starving for it, which proves it’s not always the other way around. He was worth the starvation, though. He had a hell of a personality and was extremely intelligent.” I looked into Lisa’s chocolate eyes. “I guess that was a little more personal than you had in mind?” Lisa laughed, and her laughter was genuine—you could tell by the crinkle of her eyes. “It’s quite okay, ma’am. I think I can handle it.” “Are you gay?” I asked. “Yes,” she admitted. After our hike, we went back to the house and had lunch. Lisa sat in the living room watching TV while I settled on the twin bed in my “playroom” with my laptop and rat. After a while, Lisa appeared in the doorway. “How you doing, hun?” “Fine. Just updating my blog.” “Yeah?” she asked, stepping further into the room and sitting on the corner of the bed. “You’ve got a blog?” I nodded. “A personal one?” I nodded again. “Don’t worry, though. I don’t use last names or any sensitive information.” Lisa shrugged as if to say she wasn’t worried. “What’s this?” she asked, pointing to a small box atop the dresser. “That’s a karaoke machine. Stacey and I go treasure hunting at the Goodwill sometimes, which is where I got it. I just haven’t used it much yet. Want me to show you how it works?” “Sure.” “Oh, that wouldn’t bore you? I like to show people my stuff, but not just anyone, of course.” “No, I’d love to see whatever you want to show me.” “Do you sing?” I asked. “God, no.” “Want to hear your favorite song?” Lisa looked at me, unsure what I meant, and then said, “Sure.” I placed Burke back in his cage. Lisa sat back on the bed, leaning against the wall, hands clasped between her drawn-up knees. I hated to admit it, but she looked kind of sexy. I started the karaoke machine and gave my best rendition of I’m Not Lisa. Lisa’s expression was a mixture of seriousness and surprise. I thought I saw her eyes begin to water. At one point, she slowly put her hands to her face, then rested them on her knees. When I finished, she exhaled slowly. “Oh my God. Wow. Like, really… just wow. Where did you learn to sing like that?” “I had lessons back east.” “You have an amazing talent.” “Thanks.” She looked at me curiously. “Does Stacey know? Hard to believe she wouldn’t have mentioned this if she did.” “I don’t think I’ve ever sung for her before, no.” “Why not?” “It just hasn’t come up, I guess, but maybe someday.” “I hope so. She’d love it.” She got off the bed and gave me a hug. “Thank you for the wonderful concert.” Her phone chirped, and she pulled it out to answer. I could tell it was Stacey. “Everything’s fine. She just gave me an oh-my-freaking-gawd performance on her karaoke. I didn’t know she had a Grammy-winning voice.” A few seconds of silence, then, “Well, you’ll definitely have to hear her when you get back. It’s totally amazing.” She handed me the phone. “She said you used to dance.” “I did.” I put the phone to my ear. “Hey, girlfriend. I haven’t killed your sister yet with my wackiness. How are you doing?” Stacey quickly filled me in on her boring San Diego experience, and I told her, “We went hiking today, and I got my hair caught on a branch because I forgot to put it up.” Lisa, casually leaning against the doorjamb, chuckled softly at that. After another minute or two of chatting, I said goodbye and handed the phone back to Lisa. “Yeah?” she said with an amused smile. “Nah, she’s a cutie. Well, yeah… it was kind of funny—not that she got her hair caught, of course, but just the way she started bouncing up and down and squealing when it startled her. I managed to untangle her and get her free of the very determined branch relatively fast, however. Me? I was smart enough to put my hair in a ponytail.” I giggled as Lisa winked and headed down the hall into the living room.