Happy Valentine's, Baby Sister

"I want to stay sober in case my sister gives me a call," I replied as I took the trey the bartender had helpfully supplied us with.

"Oh? Why, is something the matter?"

"She's come over to visit but she's spending the evening in town with friends. Only got one set of keys, you see."

"How old is she?" she inquired politely.

"18."

"Wow, that is young."

Her reaction made me uneasy. Maybe I should've forbid her to go with her friends. To me Vancouver had never appeared so threatening, but to a young girl like Ellen?

"Yeah," I sighed.

A sweet smiled appeared on Karen's lips. She placed a sympathetic hand on my shoulder.

"I'm sure that she's fine," she assured me. "Should anything come up, I'm sure she will call."

We took the drinks to the table and for a moment I forgot my worries about Ellen. A few more songs were sang, a few more drinks. Since I started with the company I had had few opportunities to truly spend time with my co-workers. I felt that they were good people with more humour than I had granted them.

I was just listening to Calvin's story about a time when he had dated a transvestite when I felt my phone finally buzzed. I excused myself off the table, running quickly into the bathrooms where the music wasn't as loud.

"Hello?" I spoke into the receiver.

"Hey, it's Ellen here..." she said quietly on the phone.

There was something fundamentally wrong in her voice. "Is everything ok?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine... It's just I'd be ready to go home now."

"Where are you?"

"In South Cambie," she sighed her voice clearly exhausted.

Her answer surprised me. South Cambie wasn't anywhere near the city centre, a residential area good 20 min bus right away. I looked at my watch and saw that it was already past midnight.

"Listen, I think I'd like you to stay put. I'll come pick you up with Uber."

"Ok."

"Do you know the address?"

She muttered out an address.

"Can you wait there for me?"

She assured me that she was safe and that everything was fine but I felt she was eager to leave.

"I'm leaving right now. I'll see you very soon."

At that point I was already outside, looking around for cabs. On a Friday night it might take 30 minutes to get an Uber. Before I was able to catch one, I heard the sound of heels tapping against wet concrete. It Karen appeared at my side.

"Andy! Is everything alright?" she asked me with a worried expression on her face.

"I just talked with my sister on the phone. She wants me to pick her up," I told her as I tried to catch the attention of a cab.

"Do you think something may have happened?" Karen asked me carefully.

I looked at her helplessly, trying to find the words for my fears. But in the end, all I could say was "Maybe."

Karen took me in for a hug. Because of her height it wasn't like hugging Ellen. She was more slender, the scent of her hair rich with hairspray.

"It will be fine, I'm sure of it," she said as she stood there in my arms, her breath warm on my ear.

I nodded as our embrace ended. She waved a taxi for me and one immediately parked by the sidewalk next to us.

"Benefits of being a woman," she shrugged smiling. I couldn't help but to return it.

"Thank you, Karen."

"Don't mention it. Go get your sister home safe."

- - -

As the cab slowly pulled in front of an opulent looking home in the residential area, I wonder if I had been given the right address. I had assumed there'd be a house party but there was no music or mess, nobody having a smoke, no parked vehicles. Still yellow light was shining through the windows, indicating that someone was home and awake.

I was getting ready to ask the driver to keep the engine running when the door opened and the small figure of Ellen appeared at the doorframe. I open the cab door and wave. Another girl, presumably Fiona, appeared behind her. They both looked stiff as they wished each other goodnight, no hugs were exchanged or smiles. I wondered if they'd had an argument.

"Hey," Ellen sighed as a greeting as sat next to be on the backseat.

"Everything alright?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm just tired."

"Ok then," I said. Whatever it was she probably didn't wish to discuss it in the presence of the cab driver.

We didn't exchange another word during the drive home and that silence seemed to follow us into the apartment.

"Would you like something to drink?" I asked as she was taking off her outerwear.

"Sure."

I grabbed two cans of Canada Dry out of the fridge and took a seat on the sofa. One of the cans I placed on the coffee table. Somewhat hesitantly Ellen finally took a place next to me.

"Did you have a fight?"

Tiredly Ellen shook her head but then stopped.

"Well," she sighed, "I suppose we did."

"What was it about?"

She scratched her head silently like she was trying to find the right words for it. Her eyes were fixed on the can of soda as if it was the subject of our conversation.

"She, um," Ellen paused. "So, we were going to this club. We were me, Fiona, Fiona's brother Alex and some friend of his named Mark."

"Okay..."

"Fiona's practically dating Mark and the whole thing was supposed to be this big double date."

I nodded, my heart beating rapidly deep in my chest.

"And?" I prompted her, eager to have her spit it out.

"And this Alex was really charming and kind of hot as well," she admitted. "So when we failed to get into the club his friend Mark just suggested we'd go to his place as his parents were out of town anyway."

As she spoke, her voice was very matter-of-factly and she explained these things with a blank expression on her face that frightened me.

"So we got there and drunk some wine while just discussing different subjects and getting to know each other. But then as soon as we were alone he began to act... gropey."

I took a deep breath. "Gropey?"

"Yeah, he seemed to have this notion that the moment we'd be left alone would result in us fucking." She rolled her eyes. "Like yeah, you're hot but you're also a fucking moron."

"What happened then?"

"He acted offended. I suggested he'd just apologize and we'd move on. For that he called me a demanding bitch." She let out a pained laughter.

At that point tears slowly began to form to her eyes and I pulled her in for a hug. We sat there like that for a moment, she slowly sobbing against my chest. I had forgotten how small she was. Had she always been so small?

"You said it yourself," I finally whispered, "That guy was a moron."

She was quiet or quietly crying. Her arms wrapped around tighter around me. My shirt felt damp.

"He was just upset you turned him down. Otherwise he wouldn't have said that."

"What if," her voice was hoarse. She really had to concentrate to make her voice sound intelligible through her uneven breathing. "What if I am a demanding bitch?"

"Well you're not. I should know best since I've been stuck with you most of my life," I jested.

She turned to look at me, her eyes slightly red under the messy black lashes. She let out an involuntarily little laugh at my joke.

"Seriously though," I went on. "You're rather silly to have taken it to heart. There's nothing demanding about you. It's only right of you to turn down scum like him."

It felt like she was finally finished with her crying. Her small body was no longer convulsed with hurt. She took a deep breathe as she finally entangled herself from me to allow herself some room to breathe. Her face was flushed.

I got her a tissue. She blew her nose into it rather ungraciously which made me chuckle a little.

"What?" she looked at me annoyed.

"Nothing," I smiled.

"Can't I fucking even blow my nose around you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"What's with the language?" I asked her teasingly. "Something you picked up from the cool kids at prep school?"

She only gazed at me with a sour frown on her face. It suited her better than sobbing, I thought with a grin.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" I said after she took a sip from her soda.

She merely shrugged in a reply.

"You're not seeing anyone?"

"I was supposed to, but I don't really feel like seeing Fiona after tonight."

"Is everything cool between you two?"

"She was trying to excuse his behaviour. She was being apologetic, but I was just so disappointed in her," Ellen said flatly, clearly offended.

This made me wonder. Whoever this Alex was, from Ellen's description he did come off like an asshole. But perhaps there was something redeemable about him for his sister to defend him. I know I'd defend Ellen against accusations I'd know to be true of her. I had done so in the past, taken a few bullets for the accidents she'd had growing up. Like that time when she had forgotten her gym gear at the bus stop: I later told our parents that I had been the one carrying her bag for her, that I was the one been the one who had been negligent.

Despite this I merely nodded. After all, I don't know how out of line he was since I wasn't even there.

"You got any plans?" Ellen asks me carefully, her large eyes looking at me.

"None, really. Maybe we could do something together," I suggested.

"Yeah, definitely."

We agree that we would talk about the details tomorrow, as we seemed both rather tired. Ellen decided she'd like a shower before bed, so she disappeared in the bathroom, leaving me alone in the living room.

Absent-mindedly I picked up my phone, thinking I might check a Youtube video or two while waiting for my turn. To my surprise there was a message from a new number:

Hey Andy, it's Karen. Just wanted to check up on you to see if everything went alright with your sister. I got your number from Calvin. Hope all is good. Goodnight x

I smiled. It was sweet of Karen to be concerned about my sister, even if it probably was the wine talking. For a moment, I even considered the possibility of Karen being genuinely interested in me. She was rather flirty with guys around the office and I was practically fresh meat. I should consider myself lucky to have a woman as attractive as Karen to notice me.

I quickly came up with a response:

Hey Karen. Yes, everything is fine. We are both home now. Thank you for your concern. Goodnight.

Hesitated whether I should add an x at the end but finally decided against it. Abbreviations like that never came natural to me.

The bathroom door opens and the wet figure of Ellen walks into my view. Wrapped in a blue towel, her soaked hair is slightly curly and combed back over her back. She always looked flawless to me. She had been blessed with a skin that didn't require thick layers of make-up. The dark eyelashes that framed her eyes were naturally long and voluminous. There are still droplets of water distinguishable on her skin, the result of lazy drying. If only I could kiss those translucent pearls off her skin.

I sit there, feeling like a wolf looking at it's prey, so I turn my gaze quickly away.

"So the bath's free?" I ask, trying to sound casual.

"All yours."

All yours. Before I even think of a naughty question I'd like her to answer with those exact words, I feel the guilt stab me in the heart. What is wrong with me?

"Ok," I merely say, getting up and rushing up into the bathroom. My member had begun to stiffen the moment my imagination had the best of me. Could it have been the little alcohol I had?

I set the shower on a colder temperature, hoping it will wash off the thoughts out of my head. I rub the shampoo into my hair as if it might remove the filth from my head. But it's like telling oneself not to think of a pink elephant. The image only becomes more vivid.

- - -

"Wake up, bro!" Ellen chimed cheerfully as she jerks open the curtains of the living room. The sudden light burns my eyes, making me only pinch my eye lids shut.

"What are you doing?" I complained.

"We have a lot to do today. And I don't want us to miss the brunch."

"What brunch?"

"You see there's this Instagram account..." and she went on to explain about some internet celebrity who has posted some images about some nice restaurant or café. At that moment I was more concerned about hiding my morning wood. Stealthily, I pulled some more blanket over my crotch.

She was already fully dressed in skinny jeans and a warm-looking grey pullover. It was a simple outfit but it made her look casually cute.

"That's all very well," I said when she had finished with her excited chatter, "but could I get some privacy to get dressed? You can't just barge in like that."

There's a moment of slow comprehension that is visible on her face. "Oh," she mouths.

"You know, I could be changing here..."

"Right, right, sorry," she giggles girlishly, slowly backing away from the room. "Just somehow forgot."

"It's fine. Just give me five."

That is literally as much time as she gave me, as we were out of the house within 15 minutes, waiting for an Uber she had ordered for us.

The café was in the trendy part of town, in the vicinity of Robson. As I was handed the menu card I learned the place specialized in granola bowls and waffles.

"I'm not sure whether or not to be get the Matcha Supreme Bowl or Berry Explosion," she muttered as she studied the menu.

"Berry Explosion is waffles, right?"

"Yup."

"We both know you want the waffles."

She grins at me conspiringly. No point pretending to her own brother.

"What about you?" she asks as she closes the menu in front of her.

"I'll have the Banaffle Split"

"I'm not sure if I love or hate these names they've made up."

"They are pretty cringeworthy."

I looked around me. The location itself was comfortable, much like what I imagined a European café to look like. The tables were small around to save space, all of them looking recycle and customed to fit the look of the colourful café. Everything was painted in shades of pastel, but the worn-out look of the furniture and other decorative elements salvaged it from looking-like something out of Barbie's Dreamhouse. Jazz music was playing in the background, but it was drowned by the chatter of the hipsters occupying the other tables.

As we received our waffles and smoothies we began to plan out our day. It was an absurdly nice weather, more akin to April than February, so we decided it might be a good day to visit the vicinity of the University. We'd visit MOA, maybe after that go walk along the beach from where we could admire the North Shore Mountains.

"Is there anything worth seeing in Stanley Park?" Ellen asked me, her mouth full of waffle.

"Lots of trees," I tell her. "I'd rather forget about it. You don't have proper shoes to do anything worthwhile in there."

"Could always go buy new shoes," she suggested innocently.

"Dream on."

After we were finished with our lunch we took the bus to the university. We were lucky to be seated next to each other, even if I did later offer my seat to an old lady with a cane.

"You have a charming boyfriend, sweetheart," she said approvingly.

Ellen didn't bother to correct her. "I know," she winked at me.

The bus fared slowly up the hill, our surrounds turning slowly more colourful, as if we were ascending out of the city dust. It's easy to forget that not all of Vancouver is as monochrome as the downtown and its nearby surroundings. The buildings get smaller, the sky appears larger.

We got off at last stop. The amount of people by the university was striking for a Saturday. Perhaps it was popular as a hang-out spot on lovely days like this.

"Man, look at those mountains!" Ellen exclaimed in delight. She skipped joyously ahead of me, stretching her legs after the long sit in the bus.

The landscape that presented itself in front of us was indeed magnificent. Somehow up here, where there were fewer skyscrapers and industrials buildings blocking the view. The mountains had a snow cap that made them pop out against the baby blue canvas. They looked larger than I remembered.

After a short walk around the campus, breathing in the air that seemed clearer and enjoying the rays of sun that were so precious, we finally decided to walk down to Museum of Anthropology, more commonly known as MOA.

I was pleased by how fascinated Ellen seemed to be by the indigenous art they had on display in there. Her large eyes were admiring the craftmanship that had went into the woven textiles and dresses. We took several pictures of her standing next to fabulously painted canoes and totem poles. A bright smile was on her face, more genuine than any I had seen on her the last few days. I felt I was smiling more as well. I was feeling better than I had in months.

There was also a Japanese art display that seemed to excite Ellen more than anything. She seemed knowledgeable about culture, explaining to me how what we were viewing was contemporary art that borrowed heavily from Japanese history, mixing modern pop culture with traditional Japanese art. She was incredibly animated as she spoke, and I hung on to every word. With that shine in her eyes, I couldn't but think how beautiful she was.

"I feel a little dizzy," she laughed as we finally left the museum.

"I admit I feel a little overwhelmed as well." It felt like I had been on a merry-go-around for hours and hours, new things being displayed to me one after another.

"It's almost as if we'd raced around the world during the last couple of hours."

"You really are into this stuff, aren't you?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "I wish I could travel around the world."

"You and me both."

"Why won't we then?" she said with a teasing smile spread across her face. "We should have our own travel show."

"Just need to cash in my lottery ticket."

"So it's a deal!" She took hold of my arm. "Thank you for taking me in there. It was a lot of fun."

"The pleasure was all mine."

"Are you as hungry as I am?" she asked, her brows knitted together like it was some greater philosophical riddle.

"Famished. Should we get the bus back?"

"Yeah, let's do that."

The bus was almost empty when we got in but it slowly filled up as we got closer to the city centre. Drowsily Ellen leaned her head against my shoulder as I watched traffic go by outside the window. She felt comfortably warm next to me. It made me contented.

"Andy?" came a female voice from a head of me.

I looked and saw the familiar blonde hair that stood out from the masses of the busy bus. I felt Ellen raise her head off my shoulder, alert as if it had been her name that was being called.

"Karen," I greeted her, as she moved closer for us to be able to talk. "What are the odds?"

"What are the odds indeed! How are you?"

We engaged in the compulsory small talk before I introduced Ellen and Karen to each other. Karen seemed overly polite, like she was trying to impress Ellen. However, Ellen merely smiled a kind but tired smile.

"And where are you off to?" Karen said as she noticed that her energies were better spent with me.

"We just came from MOA. We were thinking of getting some dinner in town before going home."

"Oh? That's a nice coincidence. Maybe I could join you? I need to have some dinner too before meeting up with some friends. There's this one excellent pizza place on Smithe Street..."

I felt a bit hesitant. Something about having Karen and Ellen sit down around one table made me feel anxious.

"What do you think, Ellen?" I asked her carefully.

"I'd rather have sushi," she replied lazily.

"Well, there's also a..." Karen began.

"Take-away." Ellen's tone was harsh.

"Very well," Karen said disappointedly with annoyance creeping into her voice. The smile had vanished off her face.

"We are both a bit tired," I muttered apologetically. I wondered if Ellen was simply too tired to realize how rude she was acting.

"Maybe tomorrow then?" Karen suggested, her eyes locking in with mine.