Sisters Love. Part 1

Marcia met Howard Collins at the church. Marcia was thirty-five years old, Howard was forty-one. Howard lived with his mother in a small house on the south side of the town. Marcia lived with her sister and father in an apartment, three street way.

Marcia did not work. Her father, George Grant, was ill and never left the apartment. He stayed in bed most of the time and always needed somebody with him. So Marcia stayed at home with her father, and only went out when her sister Karin was in the house.

The two sisters were very different. Marcia was short with a small round face and short black hair. Karin was ten years younger. She was tall, had long brown hair, and good legs, and a suntan all through the summer. People often said to Marcia, ‘Your sister is very beautiful.’ There were always lots of men ready to take Karin out to dinner or to cinema. But Marcia stayed at home.

Karin worked in a shop in the town. When she was at home, she liked to sit up on the roof garden of their apartment building.

It was one Sunday in May when Marcia came home with Howard the first time. She took him to see her father. George Grant was in bed. He had grey hair and a grey face. Sometimes he read a book, but mostly he just sat in bed and watched television.

‘This is Howard, father,’ Marcia said. ‘He works at the hospital, and we met at church. I told you about him last week. Do you remember?’

‘No,’ her father said. And he turned his face away, back to his television. He was not interested in new people or his daughter’s friends.

Just then, Karin came into the room. She wore a white bikini and white shoes. She smiled at Howard.

‘So you’re Howard,’ she said. ‘My big sister has got a boyfriend at last!’
Howard’s face went red and he looked down at his feet.

Karin laughed. ‘Come on up to the roof garden and have some wine. The sun is wonderful this morning.’

‘Oh, I…’ Howard began.

Marcia looked angrily at her sister. But then she said, ‘Yes, I must get father a drink. See you in a minute, Howard. Go up to the roof and talk to Karin.’

The sun was hot on the roof and Howard took off his coat. He looked around. There were three chairs, a sun umbrella, a sunbed, and a table with three glasses and a bottle of wine on it. There were tiles on the floor, and next to the little wall around the edge of the roof there were some flowers in boxes. This was the ‘garden’.

‘Very nice,’ said Howard.

Karin smiled at him.

‘We don’t see mane good-looking men up here,’ she said. ‘Sit down and have a drink.’

Howard’s face went o red again. He gave a shy little laugh. ‘Oh, er… thank you,’ he said. He tried not to look at Karin’s long suntanned legs, but it was not easy.

‘I come up here all the time when it’s sunny,’ Karin said. She began to put suntan oil on her arms and legs.

Howard watched.

Then Marcia arrived, and the three of them sat in the sun and drank wine. Marcia looked at Howard with love in her eyes. She did not look at Karin.

Karin watched them. Her eyes went from her sister, to Howard, and back again to her sister. She smiled.

It was not a nice smile.

Every Sunday morning after that, Marcia brought Howard home for a glass of wine after church. Howard stopped his car in the street outside the apartment building, and Marcia said, ‘Sound the horn, Howard. Tell Karin we’re here, then she can get the wine ready.’

So Howard gave three little toots on his car horn. On sunny days Karin always came to the wall at the edge of the roof, and looked over to wave at them. Then she went to get a wine.

She always wore her bikini or a very short skirt. Marcia never wore short skirt or a bikini.

‘My legs are too fat for bikinis,’ she told Howard.

‘Your legs are… very nice,’ he said shyly.

One day in June Karin asked Howard, ‘What time do you finish work, Howard?’

‘About six o’clock,’ he said.

‘Could you bring me home after work?’ Karin said. ‘My shop’s very near the hospital – you drive right past it. And you only live three streets away from us.’

‘There’s a very good bus,’ said Marcia quickly. ‘It stops outside our building.’

‘But the bus is so slow!’ Karin said. ‘Please, Howard!’

Howard looked from one sister to the other. ‘Oh, well… er, yes, all right then,’ he said.

‘Thank you!’ Karin said, and gave him a quick kiss.

So every evening Howard drove Karin home. On the first Friday they were an hour late. When they arrived, Marcia was at the door of the apartment building.

‘What happened?’ she asked. ‘Why are you so late?’

‘There was an accident,’ Karin said. ‘Three cars, all across the road – on that hill by the cinema, you know. We couldn’t go back. There were so many cars! Nobody could move!’

Howard said nothing.