Eva

When she managed to pull herself together, she offered help with makeup but I told her that I could manage on my own since I had gotten better at applying it. I told her that I would see her for drinks and asked that she tell me if my hair didn't look right as I did not want to embarrass myself or anyone else. She laughed and said, "Of course, my dear."

The dress fit beautifully and once I assembled myself, I looked very presentable. I hoped that Eva would find me so attractive that she would forget about the dress but I knew that that would never happen. I was the last of our little group to arrive for drinks and Eva was the first to see me and comment, "My God, Jackie, you are a knockout. I wonder how we can be related."

"My dear, you are gorgeous," added Stacy.

"I hate you, bitch," came from Anna.

We sat around a coffee table on the patio and Stacy poured Bourbon Old Fashions from a pitcher into elegant short crystal glasses. Eva had waited long enough to be polite and then spoke her mind, "Renfield, you must tell me about your lovely dress." The tone had been set.

"Oh, this ol' thing," I said with a laugh, trying to skirt the issue.

"Why, yes, dahling, that ol' thing," she replied.

"Well, it was a gift from an old friend when we went on a double date almost two years ago," I said. "We had a great time and in the haste of packing the next day, I left it behind. It is so nice that you remembered to return it. Thank you, Stacy."

"Then why would the sight of it bring Stacy to tears almost two years later?" Eva countered, "She was watching out for you in my absence and I sense that there is more to this story and I would like to know what it is."

"She's very nostalgic, you know," I said, trying to make a joke but no one laughed.

"Eva, I told you that I met a girl back then and it's no secret that the slut and I had a one-night stand. Jackie went out with me one evening..." said Stacy before Eva cut her off.

"Dear, I asked Jackie so please let her answer for herself," responded Eva curtly.

"Stacy and I went on a double date, kind of a group date to be precise," I said. "There was a girl named Jasmine who was enamored with Stacy as she said and she set up a dinner for five of us as a cover to entice Stacy into a romantic evening I believe. There were two college guys, Stacy, Jasmine, and me. We went to dinner, had some wine, and then went back to Stacy's apartment for a nightcap. Jasmine had been working on Stacy and from what I could tell, Stacy was very lonely, missing you terribly, and in a moment of weakness, gave in to her advances. I am sure that Stacy regrets that choice but you were living apart, not in a formal relationship, and she probably wanted to feel the warmth and affection of another person for a couple of hours."

"And you, Renfield? Were you also lonely that night?" Eva responded.

I could now see where this was going, and I was getting angry at my sister for doubting Stacy's feelings for her and my family loyalty. "In all candor, yes. I was lonely and horny, but there were two good-looking college boys in the same room with me," I replied. "Before the night was over, I had what I wanted with no remorse," sarcastically adding, "and I don't believe that they complained either judging from my aching butt and the taste in my mouth the next day."

"Why did you leave the dress behind?" said Eva, "You do not simply forget things."

"I kept it on purpose," said Stacy angrily. "I wanted to remember my moment of weakness when I let a sexy slut take my mind off the woman I love. It happened, I cannot take it back and I am sorry that I did what I did."

"Renfield, are you saying that I should believe what Stacy is saying, what you are saying, even though I think that something is being withheld from me? Are you telling me that I should erase all doubt from my mind and trust what I am being told rather than my instincts?" said Eva while staring directly at me.

"Yes, I am! Stacy loves you, probably more than you realize," I replied without hesitation.

"Would you trust her in light of this, Jackie, if you were in my position?" questioned Eva, her legal training coming out.

"I would trust her with my life, mistress, now and always," I said while our eyes locked.

Eva was quiet for a couple of minutes before speaking again. "Very well, my dearest, I accept that you forgot your beautiful dress, but you now have it back. All's well that ends well, n'est pas?"

"Yes, from my perspective, but there was never a question in my mind, Eva," I said. "You were the one who raised unnecessary questions and if I were Stacy I would be terribly hurt and disappointed. She was one of your dearest friends when you asked for her help watching over my wellbeing and now you act like she is some acquaintance you could not trust to be alone in the presence of the family silverware. Love is a two-way street, Eva, you know that."

Silence encapsulated the patio. Eva sat with her eyes uncharacteristically lowered while her fingers traced the rim of her glass. "Jacob, you are right and I behaved foolishly. I could make excuses but they would be hollow so I will not try to justify what I have said. You, my dear sweet brother, sitting here looking like a million dollars in an incredible dress that takes my breath away, deserve better than what I have given you," said Eva quietly while trying to inject some light humor into a difficult, formal conversation.

"I have loved you my entire life," she said, "but in my serious moments growing up, I realized that we are destined to be apart at some point. I wanted to provide you with a safety net when I left for law school and asked my closest friends for their help. It was not a request that I made lightly and they knew it, but they never hesitated in agreeing to participate or wavered in their dedication to you, and to me. Relationships like this come once in a lifetime if they ever come at all; I was extremely fortunate to have two.

"My illness scared me. It made me realize the frailty of life and how much I needed certain people, you in particular, Jacob. If anything ever happened to you I am not sure how I would cope and dark thoughts seeped into my mind. Had I done enough to protect you? Were you in fact being protected? I dissected my decisions, questioned myself, and questioned the loyalty and commitment of those around me. I now see that that was unnecessary and thank you for helping me see the light.

"Stacy, my love, I owe you an apology for all that I have said and done, for taking you for granted, for not loving you enough. I hope that I can make it up to you somehow, someday. I love you so much that my heart is bursting as I sit here and having you in my life has been a blessing."

Stacy's tears rolled down her cheek as Eva reached into her jacket pocket and withdrew a small black box. Opening it Eva exposed a lovely round diamond that glittered like a star. Walking over to Stacy, Eva said, "Stacy, I do not deserve you but, if you will have me, I would like to spend the rest of my life with you as my wife. Will you marry me and put up with more of my nonsense for as long as I inhabit this world?"

Stacy jumped to her feet and grabbed Eva by the sides of her head with both hands, shouting "Yes, yes, you fucking bitch, yes. I love you and have been hoping this day would come from the first day I saw you in college." And then the tears really started. Stacy, Eva, Anna, and me, everyone crying tears of joy and hugging the happy couple.

Anna went into the kitchen and came back with a bottle of champagne and four glasses so that the celebration could start in earnest. As she filled the glasses Anna commented to Eva, "After all that she has done to you, to us, I still think that she gets off too easily and deserves the strap."

"That's your answer to everything, Anna, but we will talk about it later when there are fewer people around," replied Eva in a serious tone while looking into her eyes.

"Promises, my love, always promises," came the response accompanied by a slight smile.