James Gang Ch. 02: The James Girls

This story is a continuation of my previous tale, "Mean Darbie". This story, however, is stand-alone and doesn't require you to read the original to follow. I do recommend that you do, however, but in either case, I hope you enjoy this.

Fair warning: Know that this is a romance tale as much as a sex story. Thus, there isn't much porn until the near the end.

******

A while ago, my big brother Kenneth told the story about how he eventually fell in love with his twin sister Darbie and how it made big changes in our family and even in our entire town. But while Kenneth and Darbie more or less had a happy ending (he stopped at the point when they were working on baby number five), Kenneth kind of ended the story without telling what happened to the rest of us afterward. But I think this is a story that deserves to be told.

My name is Caroline James, and I'm the youngest of the 'James Gang'. As you may have read in Kenny's story, we came from a huge family of nine kids, although one of us—my biggest brother, Dwight—died when he was young. I never knew him, because it happened around the time I was born. But all my older siblings have said that things were different before Dwight died. Supposedly, our whole family was a lot more tight-knit. I'll be honest and say it's hard for me to imagine what that was like, because we still ARE tight-knit by most families' standards. My parents, my brothers and sisters . . . we would do anything for each other. I could burn down my home by accident and know that everyone in my family would pitch in to rebuild. But, I suppose that while Dwight's death didn't diminish our love for each other, our family's bonds became based more so around tragedy than triumph afterwards.

The one thing I could plainly see is that Dwight's death had an enormous effect on Mom and Dad. Dwight fell from a treehouse while Dad was working and Mom was busy watching eight other kids alone. Mom suddenly realized she hadn't heard from Dwight in half an hour and when she went out to check, she found him laying under the treehouse with a pool of blood under his skull. She called an ambulance, but they said Dwight was brain-dead before they even got there. They had to pull the plug on him, and my Dad blamed Mom for it.

Dad became a drunk. He started accusing mom of having an affair. Mom denied it, but when Dad got too overbearing, it was Mr. Hines that showed up and knocked Dad flat on his ass. Mom moved in with him and divorced Dad. I don't know if the two of them had been 'improper' before the trouble started, but Mom WAS a bit quick to bunk with the guy.

Dad became an even worse drunk after Mom left, and it was up to my brothers and sisters to practically raise themselves. We did alright, but after a year, Mom moved back into the house because she felt terrible for abandoning us. She and Dad remarried, but Mom never did stop seeing Mr. Hines. I think they really loved each other, but he understood that she had to try and stick out her marriage for the sake of her kids. In the meantime, Mr. Hines married another woman and had some cubs of his own.

I know for a fact that Mom and Mr. Hines still saw each other because I watched them kissing outside when every light in our house was dark and she thought we were all asleep. My brothers and sisters didn't like to believe anything indecent was going on, and eventually I just stopped snooping. I didn't want to come between Mom and Dad, especially with Dad's health starting to fall. I did get a little angry at Mom when she would intentionally blow off Dad and spend a whole day 'styling hair at the salon' just because he made her mad. But like I said, they were my parents and I didn't want to come between them.

I stayed with Mom and Dad because I felt sorry for him. After years of heavy drinking, he finally came down with liver disease and he needed someone to take care of him. Mom already resented him, so that left it to us kids. One by one, though, we began to leave home. Three of us—Kenneth, Darbie and I—stayed in town, but I was the only one who still stayed at home. Mom needed to work, so I couldn't leave Dad to fend for himself, no matter how much I hated seeing our house so empty.

Things were bad for a long time, though. By the time I was 26, Mom and Dad hardly even spoke anymore. It was like they lived in the same house, but didn't even see one-another. Mom became more and more careless about her affair, but I covered up her mistakes for her. Even now, I can't believe she still thought I didn't know. It's hard to miss cum-stained panties when you haven't even had sex with your husband in years.

Things were bad with the rest of the family, too. Rachelle and Chloe, two of my older sisters, were having a hard time forging new lives in New York and Idaho, respectively. Darbie and Kenneth had had it out for a year or so at that point, for some stupid argument or another. With those two, it was impossible to keep up with what new excuse they used to hate each other. All I knew was that even though I lived in town with both my parents and two of my siblings, I had never felt more lonely in my entire life.

Then, a few years back, something incredible happened. The Almighty sent a tree through my big sis Darbie's pet shop, and Kenneth, her twin brother, came to help her rebuild. But, since Darbie lived on the floor above the shop, she didn't have a place to stay at the time, so Kenny allowed her to move into his place. He lived in a big house he'd bought on Pine Hill, just at the edge of town, and he had plenty of room for her to live there temporarily.

Well, it ended up being a lot more than "temporary".

From what I read in Kenny's story, Darbie confessed her undying love to him. She told Kenny that she had been pining for him for half her life, and that she saw him as her one and only soulmate. Kenny acted funny about it at first, but eventually came around. The two of them started living together permanently and everybody started talking about seeing the two of them holding hands and kissing. At first, the remarks were of contempt.

"They're brother and sister! That ain't decent!"

"Neither of them could find a date without looking at their own kin?!"

"That's a sure waste of two fine catches! Why couldn't they just court someone else?"

But I was always supportive of them. I loved my big brother and sister. Kenny was always looked over us, and Darbie had helped me whenever I needed some assistance with Dad. If they were both happy, I didn't give a damn what other people thought. People kept saying "there's plenty of other good folks around town without looking at blood", but I think it's all baloney. I tried my hand at dating for a while—even let some guy take my virginity because I thought he loved me. Turned out that he was just an ass, like the others I tried. Eventually, I just gave up and put all of my time into helping Dad.

Eventually, Kenneth had had enough. Kenny had a big thing about doing stuff 'proper' and he basically gave the town an ultimatum in the politest way he could. He told them, "Please, we just want to love each other. We don't aim to be a bother, so I beg you: either get on board or just get out of our way."

Eventually, I think people started to realize that Kenny and Darbie had always been good folk. Kenny, the main contractor in our town, often did extra work for no charge, and Darbie was as sweet as corn syrup and had often babysat other folks' kids for no charge. When everyone saw how serious the two were about each other, I guess it just didn't seem right to heckle them about it anymore. So, they made it up to them by paying for the entire wedding.

In a way, I was jealous of my big sis. Kenneth was a good man, and handsomeness runs in our family. At the wedding, I even got a little tipsy and let slip that I was jealous of her for 'thinking of this first'. Kenneth laughed because he thought I was kidding. Darbie smiled. She understood my feelings, but she knew I wasn't trying to ape my sister's husband. Or, to steal my brother from his wife. Or break up my sibling and in-law or—

Well, however the hell you wanna put it.

But the best part of Kenny and Darbie's wedding was that it made Mom and Dad finally sit down and talk to each other for the first time in years. Mom told Dad all about Mr. Hines, and while I think it hurt his pride a little, he just didn't have it in him to be mad about it anymore. Mom just felt good to get it off of her chest, and she apologized for lying to Dad all those years and for letting Dwight die. Dad told her that he didn't blame her anymore, and the two of them held each other all night long.

I was hopeful that this would rekindle their marriage and maybe let them love each other like they'd done before I was born. Mom tried—bless her, she tried. But after about a year and a half, she just couldn't do it anymore. She was completely in love with Mr. Hines, and he wanted to separate from his wife so that they could be married. My Dad gave them his blessing, but I saw him weeping the whole night afterward. Mom kissed him goodbye, and then she and Mr. Hines moved to another town to be wed. I've heard from Mom occasionally since then, and it appears that since she's too old to have any more kids, she and Mr. Hines adopted a baby to raise as their own. I wish them luck, but I'm not exactly thrilled about it.

Dad's health got even worse after Mom left, and I think he just started to not care anymore. He didn't speak hardly, and the color just drained out of him. I didn't know what scared me more: the thought of losing him forever, or the idea that after everything he'd done for us, this was how his life would end. A wizened, broken shell . . . living all alone with his regret.

******

Another thing that changed after Kenny and Darby's wedding was that all of our sisters came back in town. Some, like Grace and Sarah, only came back to give their blessings to the newlyweds. Grace had already married a successful doctor in France and had her own pair of brats. Sarah had a whopping SIX kids with Tony Dunn, an African-American football player who'd gone pro. I couldn't exactly blame either of them for not wanting to move back to Dullsville. Still, it was nice to see them, and I got to meet eight of my nieces and nephews. They promised to visit more often, but I'm not holding my breath. Sarah and Tony came back after Darbie had her fourth child, but that was mostly so that the cousins could get to know each other.

However, my other sisters, Rachelle, Chloe and Barbara, all moved back into town permanently. Rachelle and Chloe had both been struggling with their careers and decided it was time to return to their roots. Barbara, who'd joined the Army and traveled the world after completing her service, had gotten her wanderlust out of her system and wanted to raise a family back where it all began. Her husband was a local boy too, so it made sense. Kenny's team built a new office building where Darbie's pet shop had once been, and Rachelle, Chloe and Barbara all dubbed it the 'James Building' because they each opened a business there.

Rachelle had a restaurant on the first floor, Chloe had her law office on the second floor, and Barbara and Gary had a travel bureau on the third floor. Barbara gave birth their first baby about six months later, and she's due for number two any day now, at the time of this writing.

In the meantime, with two single James Girls back in town, we had an increased number of unmarried women over thirty. Rachelle and I never married, and Chloe had only been married for a short while before she divorced. The irony of a family rights attorney being divorced made me chuckle a bit, but never in front of my sister.

Anyway, the men came out of the damn woodwork. Like I said, I had done a share of dating over the years, so I was yesterday's news. But Rachelle and Chloe were like fresh fish after a famine. Both of my sisters are stunning. Chloe has a beautiful face with lush lips and Rachelle has a rack like a goddess. My sisters couldn't toss a rock out of a window without hitting a suitor, and although they loved the attention, they eventually figured out the same thing that I did—most of the guys who wanted us just didn't feel 'right'. I know that sounds like a lame excuse when you're complaining about being single, but it's the God's honest about how we felt.

Eventually, Rachelle decided to hold an 'emergency meeting' with the three single members of the 'James Gang'. One evening after her restaurant had officially closed, she stayed in the kitchen just for the three of us, so that she could serve coffee, food and drinks.

"So," she began when the meeting finally got underway. "Where do we start, girls?"

Chloe and I looked at each other and Chloe spoke for both of us. "You called us here, so hadn't you better decide?"

"Right," Rachelle said, taking a sip of coffee. "We've got a major crisis on our hands, ladies. We're all single women approaching the big four-oh and we can't find a single guy that's bound to fix that problem."

"Aren't you exaggerating a little bit?" I asked with a mildly concerted gaze.

"No, she's right," Chloe said, taking a drink herself. "You're still the youngest of us, so it doesn't bother you, Carol. But Chelle and I need to solve this, pronto."

I shook my head and laughed. "I'm only two years younger than you, Chloe. And five under Chelle."

"See? You're still a baby. You still have a few years before the crow's feet and the gray start to show. Me? I've resorted to plucking," Rachelle answered sternly.

I sat back and folded my arms. "You two are being stupid."

Rachelle lightly touched Chloe's hand. "Let's ignore littlest sister a tick and talk between grownups, Clo."

"Agreed," Chloe nodded.

The irony here is that, all their lives, Chloe and Rachelle had been the two who LEAST got along in our family. They were ALWAYS fighting. Over toys, over who loved Dad more, over who was taking what boy to prom . . . there was always some problem between the two of them almost every day until Rachelle went off to cooking school. This was the first time I'd seen both of them in the same place at the same time since Kenny and Darb's wedding, and they'd even had it out there.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Rachelle asked poignantly. "I mean, there's a few guys I wouldn't mind cozying with for a night or two, but . . . for forever? I don't know about that."

"What about Ronald Archer?" Chloe asked. "He's good looking and divorced."

"Oh no. I dated that clown in high school and caught him bragging that he'd 'deflower' me at prom. If I got with him now, it'd feel like it just took him a little longer to bed me."

Chloe nodded again and then Rachelle turned a question on her. "What about Johnson Hewlett?"

Chloe burst into uproarious laughter. "Oh please. He still lives with his mama and hasn't held a job in eight years. I didn't pass the bar to marry someone who's that far below my pay-grade."

Rachelle returned the nod, and then she and Chloe turned back toward me. "Hey, littlest sister. You freeload too, right? Why don't you and Johnson have you some nice freeloading kids?"

I had been sitting at the booth with my arms folded, doing my best to sit out of such a dumb conversation, but that comment forced my hand. "For your information, I look after Dad."

"That's not a job," Chloe said, taking another drink. "You guys are living off of his social benefits and Mom's alimony."

It was true—Mom had been the breadwinner of the household once Dad became too sick to work, and she still paid Dad alimony. Not because the court ordered her to, but because she did still genuinely care for him after all these years. She wasn't in love with him anymore, but they'd stuck it out for over four decades minus one hiccup. She was paying us enough to keep us comfortable, and even Mr. Hines pitched in to send a few things our way.

Like I said, I didn't have any ill-will toward either of them, but my loyalties were to Dad. No matter how they tried to pretty it up, I couldn't forgive Mom for abandoning him or Mr. Hines for stealing his wife. Seeing Dad get worse and worse each day only made the resentment I felt grow stronger, and I didn't like resenting the woman who'd raised me for eighteen years and beyond. I was glad that she had finally stopped cheating and followed her heart, but I couldn't help but feel that she followed it the wrong direction.

That said, Chloe's flippant remark pissed me off. "Have you SEEN what Dad's been like for the past ten years, Clo?! Oh, that's right—you couldn't—because you were too busy helping destroy OTHER peoples' marriages while still failing at your own!"

Chloe looked at me and her eyes went red. For a moment, I think that she was sincerely deciding against splashing that mug of coffee in my face.

"You don't get to talk to me like that! I do my damn job and help people settle cases they'd be helpless against without me! And my marriage with Darren is none of your goddamn business!"

"I'm just saying," I said, not backing down. "It's awfully indignant of you to state what I'm NOT doing after you failed at everything you tried to do—both a marriage and a career—in Idaho."

"You little witch, I made over a hundred thousand a year! I was a HELL of an attorney. I brought in more revenue than anyone in this family not married to a doctor or a linebacker. The only reason I moved back here was because I missed this place and it felt lonely so far from home!"

Rachelle tried to pipe in and calm us down. "Girls—"

"If you're so good, why didn't you handle Mom and Dad's case, too? Why only sit back and spectate while the marriage of the two people who raised you crashed and burned!? Why not nail the coffin with your own hands!?"

"Girls . . . .!"

"That's a low blow, Carol! Would you have felt better if I'd told Mom, 'No sweetie, you don't have to pay that much alimony! Here, let's shave a few hundred off of your poor heartbroken, disabled husband's check!"

"Oh, so you mean you weren't 'doing your job'!? Way to prove yourself as a 'HELL of an attorney', sis!"

"GIRLS!!!!!!!!"

We both turned and burned a hole in Chelle, who was easily just as upset. She took a long breath and darted her eyes between the both of us.

"We are too tight of a family to have these kinds of petty arguments! Now, normally, it would be Darbie doing this sort of thing, but since she's not here, it falls on ME to say: 'You two kiss and make up right now!'"

Chloe and I were still bitter, but we knew that Chelle was right. Begrudingly, Chloe and I leaned over, hugged, and kissed each other on the cheek. But afterward, we didn't bother with eye contact or have any apologies to say.

Rachelle sighed. "Look, maybe it's better if we call this off tonight. You girls had better go home. I'll clean up shop and we can try again some other time. We won't even have to talk about guys or anything, but us 'James Girls' should definitely do this again."

"Yeah," we both said simultaneously.

Chloe and I started to head out, still not speaking or even looking at each other aside from her arbitrarily asking me if I wanted a lift home. I declined, biting my tongue to remain polite, and told her that I was used to walking. It took me about an hour to make it back to my house, and when I did, there was just a solitary light in my Dad's room.

I entered the room and came to check on him. I found him in the wheelchair facing the window. At first, I thought he was asleep but then I heard a soft voice say, "Hey, Lil C."

Dad had always called me 'Little C'. Mostly because I was the youngest, but also because of Chloe. She, of course, was 'Big C'. My usual nicknames in the family were either 'Carol' or 'CJ', but only Dad ever called me 'Little C'. I started to hate that nickname when I was in junior high, but after Dad got sick, I slowly lost the will to resist it. Now, the name 'Little C' was one of the most important things in the world to me. Because I didn't know how much longer I'd be able to hear it.