In Hope for Happiness - One Shot

My sister and I were close. There was never a time where I recalled from an old memory where we weren't getting into trouble together. We were inseparable. From childhood to adulthood, we did everything we could together. When she got married and had a family of her own, I was there by her side. When our parents passed away, it was my sister who consoled me. She was my rock. She was my everything. A picture of stunning grace, beauty and kindness, Sarah was everything I wished I could have found in a woman. But, life likes to put obstacles in front of people. Life likes to treat people like a television show and add suspense and problems for them to solve. When she was thirty-four, my sister and her husband passed tragically in a car accident. I could still recall the phone call that I got in the middle of the night. The most important part of my life had been taken away from me.

My sister was survived by her one and only daughter, Hope. My life changed that first day when Hope was given to my care as her legal guardian. Unlike my sister, I wasn't the successful business type. I was a writer. I tended to stay to myself and brood while I wrote. When Hope came into my life, everything changed. She was thirteen at the time. Nothing made sense to her. The loss of her parents was crushing enough, and then the world told her that the only family she had left was her Uncle Mike. Hope was a spitting image of my sister. She was petite, with ashy gray eyes and long flowing brown locks. She was independent, but still with an overly warm heart for kindness. While Hope and I tried our best to make the situation work, it was Hope who rose to occasion and took care of the adult.

At nineteen, Hope had grown into a beautiful young woman. I sat in my writing room as I stared out into the East River of New York City. I mindlessly tapped on the keys to my laptop as I watched life slowly move on. I heard Hope go through the kitchen cupboards to make a list of things we were supposed to go out and get. Like I said, she was the adult in this, I was merely tagging along.

"Would you like some roasted veggies and quinoa for dinner tonight?" Hope called out from the room that she loved to be in the most. There had been times where I would leave my office to find her asleep at the kitchen table with her books as her pillow while she waited for her bread to finish baking.

"Can I have some meat with my meal?" I asked as I stood from my desk and started towards the kitchen.

"Really?"

I stood before her. My hair was a tangle of a mess. Unlike Sarah and unlike Hope, I never really cared about the details of my visual appearance. I scratched my itchy thin beard and only offered Hope a shrug.

"Mike, all you ever want to eat is meat. Can I try making something for you that tastes almost like meat, but will be healthy for you?"

"What?" I said in mocking shock. "Meat is bad for you?"

Hope rolled her eyes as she playfully whipped her long brown hair back away from her face with a hurried shake of her head. "I'm not saying all meat is bad. I am just saying your constant diet of burgers, chicken wings and steak will end up giving you a coronary. I don't need anymore people in my life disappearing on me."

Well, that grounded me. I was hoping that my semi-childlike display of wanting meat would have yielded me a guilt-free explanation, but then again, Hope being the more mature one needed to land her punches hard when it came to the disciplines of healthy living.

"Ok, ok..." I said as I relented to her. "I will eat whatever you put in front of me."

Hope smiled warmly, "You know I only do this because I care."

I nodded, "I know, hon. I know."

She stood giddily knowing that she had won our little skirmish and walked off to her bedroom. "Go change! I got my list; we can walk to Whole Foods and grab some of the things on it!"

I stood with mock hurt. "My apartment clothes aren't good for walking around?"

Hope looked over to me with a look of disgust. "You have been wearing those shorts for days! There are stains from the sandwich I made you two days ago! Go change!"

I watched as she walked out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Hope was wearing a pair of gym shorts that I thought were way too short to be useful at any gym. It showed off her perfectly shaped and toned legs. Right before she turned at the end of the hallway, she tore off the t-shirt she wore. I could almost make out the shape of her breasts before she disappeared into her room. Hope never shut the door when she changed. Come to think of it, she never shut her bedroom door at all. I wasn't sure if it was because she felt completely secure with me never leaving my writing room, or if it was the fact that she didn't ever care if I walked in on her at a compromising position. But, Hope was confident like Sarah was. She was confident of herself. She was confident of her looks. But, unlike most girls out there with that much confidence, Hope never, ever made anyone feel bad about anything.

I dutifully walked to my bedroom which was across from Hope's. I turned into my room while making a conscious effort to not look into her opened bedroom door. I closed mine and tossed off the ratty t-shirt that I had been wearing for the past three days and stood in front of the full length mirror that hung on the back of my bedroom door. I had lost a significant amount of weight ever since Hope had taken over the duties as my dietitian. I stood at five foot nine. I wasn't fat, but I wasn't the solid young man that I remembered. I reached up and tied my fading brown hair into a short ponytail and dug into my dresser for a change of clothes. I pulled out a pair of cargo shorts and a polo that Hope had purchased for me.

"Are you dressed yet?" Hope called out from the other side of my bedroom door.

"Almost." I answered as I pulled on the shorts, rubbed on some deodorant and threw on the shirt. I opened my bedroom door and was stunned at Hope's appearance. She stood wearing a short brown skirt that ended several inches above her knees and a soft pink blouse. Her hair was pulled into a loose and messy bun. Hope cocked her head as I stood staring at her.

"Is something wrong, Mike?"

"Nope."

"How do I look?" She said smiling and twirled for me.

"Good as usual."

"Thanks!" Hope said happily, hooked her arm around mine and pointed towards the door out of our home. "To Whole Foods!"

*

There were times when I watched Hope doing what she did best and I wished I could take credit for how well she turned out as an adult. But, with great sadness in knowing that my parental-adult skills were extremely lacking when Hope came into the picture, I am relieved that Hope already came the way she was. I walked through the isles of the mega-organic good-for-your-health supermarket while trailing Hope like a child just trying to see what kind of junk food I could get away with. Hope was like a powerful speedboat in life, and I was just some guy trying not to drown in her wake of enthusiasm.

She turned to me and held up a package of dried lentils. "Ooh, these would make a great stew."

I nodded and continued to follow her as the basket I was carrying grew heavy from the contents she kept tossing into it. I looked around me and realized I was surrounded by hipsters. I rolled my eyes as I watched two men arguing about whether or not organic meat was truly organic. They looked over the label on the package of beef and took out their phones to research if the farm the label had stated the beef was sourced from was truly organic or not. I groaned as I continued to follow Hope.

As if sensing my frustration, Hope waited for me to catch up to her. She hooked her arm around mine and leaned into me. She rested her head on my shoulder as we walked down the isle looking through some more things she had wanted. I tensed up slightly when I felt her breasts press up against my arm as she steered us into another isle. As uncomfortable as I was about how she acted half the time, I usually just took the back seat to it all. She had taken away the formality of calling me 'Uncle'. She didn't want to waste time calling me by my family title when the only family left was her and I. She had once told me that she had mentally totaled the time it would take to include the word 'Uncle' to our conversations and declared that it was too much time lost in formalities. Again with most things that became a debate with Hope, I gave up in thinking I was going to win by any means.

"I know you are having some issues about dinner."

I shrugged, "I know you only mean well."

"How about I take you out for dinner tonight?"

I looked over to her, "Oh yeah?"

Hope nodded cutely, "Sure."

I nodded, "That sounds good. I am almost done with my manuscript. I could use a night off to grab something that doesn't have quinoa in it."

Hope giggled. "Ok, but you have to promise me one thing, Mike."

I held out pinky, "Gonna take the promise to this level."

She spied the pinky finger I held out for her. "Are you sure? I don't take pinky promises lightly, Mike."

"Does this promise require blood?" I asked jokingly as I fumbled around my cargo shorts for the small pocket knife I always carried with me. "I can grab my knife and do a blood oath right here and now."

Hope rolled her eyes, "No blood is required."

"Ok, hit me, hon."

Hope tightened her grip around my arm as we walked to the cashier area to pay for our groceries. "I will take you to a place where I know you will eat like a king. But, after tonight, I want you to promise that you will eat healthily with or without me being around."

"Plan on going for a vacation?"

She shook her head.

"Then what?"

"Life is short..."

"Hope..."

She shrugged, "You know what I mean. I knew mom was healthy, but dad wasn't the ideal picture of good health. If it weren't for his heart attack that night..."

"Ok, Hope, I promise." I said cutting her off. "I'm not going anywhere for a while. You're stuck with me, ok?"

Hope nodded and smiled. As we walked up to pay for our groceries, Hope held me back for a brief moment, stood on her toes and kissed me. I wasn't sure if it was the angle or how I turned to look at her when she had tugged on my shirt, but her lips met mine. The kiss was brief, but she never took her lips away when they met mine. When she broke the kiss, her face was flushed red.

"Next?" the cashier said slightly annoyed at our public display of affection.

I controlled my own flush and walked up to pay.

*

I dressed quietly in my room. After the grocery shopping trip, Hope was oddly quiet. She would usually talk my head off with things she would want to make for me to try or tell me some sort of tale about her friends. But, the walk home was strange to say the least. Hope walked close to me. Her hand would occasionally touch mine. I wasn't sure if it was just an absent-minded thing, or if there was intention in it. As I buckled my belt, I decided to let the matter drop. I glanced at the mirror before I opened it, I didn't look half bad. I could clean up and look nice if I put in the effort. When I looked up and stepped in the hallway, I found Hope in her room. Her bedroom door was opened per usual. She sat on her bed with a summer dress that had a soft pink floral pattern on it. I noticed the neckline was a little low for a casual dinner with an uncle. I swallowed the lump in my throat hard when I noticed that she was pulling on stockings. Hope looked up and made eye contact with me as she pulled the sheer material of the stocking up past her knees and to her thighs. In doing so, she showed a generous portion of her legs.

I cleared my throat and walked to the kitchen, but before I broke the eye contact Hope and I had made, I discovered a little smile on her lips. I shook my head as I got into the kitchen and looked in the refrigerator for something. I pulled out a bottle of ginger beer that Hope had allowed me to purchase, popped the top and sucked down the spicy alcoholic beverage quickly. My heart was beating wildly. My hands were sweaty. I set the empty bottle of ginger beer into the sink and took a deep breath. Gather yourself man! My inner thoughts were commanding me to stay focused. I let out my deep breath and turned to find Hope standing behind me.

"Are you ok, Mike?"

I nodded, "Yes. I'm fine. The ginger beer stung a little."

Hope smiled slyly, "Most people don't down it all at once."

"I know. I just needed to different."

Hope did a slow twirl for me. "Am I presentable for our dinner?"

"You?" I asked as it mimicked her turn. "Am I?"

"You always are to me, Mike."

I stood still and swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I nodded, grabbed a light jacket and extended my arm. Hope took it gently and we walked out of my apartment. The early autumn night greeted us as we left the building. It was surprisingly cool for New York City. A cool and gentle breeze swept through Manhattan as Hope led me to the restaurant. The ebb and flow of the city drowned us. Cabs drove by aggressively as they fought for customers. Tourists walked about in large groups as they took pictures. The smell of hot dog vendors peddling their meat in tube form as their slowly roasting pretzels filled the air. The sounds, the sights and the smells of the city were truly a breath-taking experience alone. As we walked, I glanced over to Hope. She had a glow to her that I had never noticed before. She felt my eyes on her and turned to look up at me.

"Mike?"

"Hope?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Always." I said as I moved us around a group of tourists that had stopped to take pictures of a local monument.

"You haven't dated ever since I came into your life. Don't you want to find someone?"

I shrugged, "Your uncle hasn't really been the dating type, Hope. I just don't have the time with all the books I am writing."

"No time?"

I shook my head. "And, having a teenager to raise and watch over, my priorities shifted. Besides, who would want to date a brooding writer like myself?"

Hope shrugged, "It isn't that bad."

"Oh?"

"You're funny. You're kind. I don't see what is so bad."

I smiled. "It is because you're my niece and you don't see me like how other women see me."

We halted at a stop light and watched. Hope pulled herself close to me and shrugged. "I see you like how other women see you."

I cocked my head in confusion.

"You're handsome when you aren't walking around in your dirty writing clothes. You listen. You're smart. And, when you don't try so hard, you're funny. I don't see bad qualities there. I may be your niece, but I am not blind to a man's looks nor am I ignorant of a man's good qualities."

"Well, thanks." I said trying not to show that I was uncomfortable. I leaned down to her and kissed her softly on her forehead, "I think you're kinda ok yourself."

"Just kinda?"

I shrugged, "For a pain in the ass quasi-vegan, yeah, I think you're ok."

Hope rolled her eyes. She motioned for me to follow her lead. She pulled me along as we made our way to a small restaurant. She smiled to the seating hostess and told her that she had reservations. I looked around the place. It was modern. It was one of the new places that hipsters needed to eat at. It was one of those places that people needed to take pictures of their food and post it on whatever social media website they belonged to. As we were seated, I found the industrial themed décor fit the mood of the place. The sounds and smells coming from the opened kitchen were amazing. The scent of cooking meat almost aroused me. We were handed menus by a fetching waitress with breasts that almost spilled out of her shirt. My glance at the cleavage became a stare as the waitress waited for us to order our drinks. I felt a slight nudge from under the table that snapped me out of my stare. Hope ordered a cola while I asked for a beer. The waitress nodded and walked off to get our drinks while giving us some time to decide.

"Mike!" Hope hissed.

"What?"

"You were staring at her chest!" Hope said using her menu to shield her mouth from the couple that sat at a table next to us.

"Sorry." I said with my face completely flushed from embarrassment.

"Has it been that long?"

I nodded in shame.

Hope shook her head in mock shame of me. I watched as she brought a hand up to the neckline of her dress and rubbed the lacey fabric. "Focus."

My eyes settled on the trance-inducing way she rubbed the fabric. It was then did I notice her well shaped and youthful breasts. Two perfectly shaped B-cups stood proudly under her dress as she kept the rhythmic touching of the fabric. Hope noticed that I was staring again, but the focus was now on her and not the waitress. She sat with her back straight and puffed her chest out for me to view. I cleared my throat as the waitress came back with our drinks. My face felt boiling hot. I was just leering at my own niece. A sense of guilt and shame riddled me to the core.

"Do you two need a few more minutes?" The waitress asked.

"Yes, please." Hope said sweetly as she noticed that I was unhinged. "He never knows what he wants. It's always meat, meat, meat, but he never knows what kind."

The waitress laughed as she touched Hope on the shoulder. "My boyfriend is the same. Aren't they all a lost cause? Good luck with yours. I will give you a few more minutes."

Before I could interject, the waitress walked away. I looked over to Hope, "She thought we're a couple?"

Hope shrugged. "It wouldn't be that shocking, Mike."

"Why?"

Hope motioned around us, "This is a popular dating place. We are dressed nicely. We don't look half bad sitting across from one another."

"But..."

Hope tilted her head side to side, "It is ok. I will allow these people to think you have a pretty young woman as your consort for the night."

I smiled. "Thanks for sparing me the shame and playing along."

Hope reached across the table and touched my hand warmly. She gave it a firm squeeze, "You're welcome."

"Should we order?" I asked.

Hope nodded.

We ordered. We ate. True to her word, Hope didn't give me any guff as I devoured a burger that was almost the size of my head. We talked about life. We talked about everything that we could have conjured up over dinner. Hope sat there between bites of her food and played with her hair as she listened to every word I had to say. In the dim industrial setting of the restaurant, the light played with her features. The lighting danced about her. It made her fetching soft features even more so. Her eyes locked constantly with mine as she ate. She was attractive. She was stunning. She wasn't the little teenager that showed up at my door. She was a beautiful woman. During the course of our meal, I constantly felt her foot touching my leg. Hope made a conscious effort to constantly break the touch barrier. I wasn't a fool. My niece was smitten with me and that made me nervous. When the bill came, Hope paid and refused any kind of protest from me. We got up from the table, stuffed to the gills with amazing food and left.

The evening breeze was cooler than we had expected. Hope wasn't dressed for it. I pulled my jacket off and draped it over her shoulders. She held it tight and smiled in thanks. We stood silently in front of the restaurant. Hope looked into my eyes longingly and stood on her toes. She kissed me lightly on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming to dinner with me." She said softly when she broke her kiss.

"Thanks for treating me to a fantastic meal."

Hope stood back down and nodded. "I treated you to dinner. Could you treat me to dessert?"