Lucky

"Get in here you silly man. What were you doing out there?"

Now I was completely confused and looked at her like a dog at a new dish.

Standing close she put her hand on my chest, "I saw the cleaning lady across the lot watching you and wanted to make sure she saw me half dressed. Nothing says married like being half naked in front of your man and thinking nothing of it. Come on, get showered and dressed. Where did you put my face case this morning?"

I pointed to a shelf above the hanging clothes, she slapped my arm and pushed me toward the bathroom.

"I put your clothes on the sink so you can dress right away. We need to get you some new underwear, that pair is almost worn out."

I stopped at the door and turned to face her, "I like that pair of underwear, they don't have any holes, they aren't ratty looking and they're quite comfortable if you must know."

She smiled, "That's okay for now. But as your wife I'll be buying your underwear from here on. Get used to it bucko. Go shower."

It took every bit of fortitude within not to choke the chicken while in the shower. I was hard, dear me was I hard, but I was not going to jerk off with the image of my twin sisters naked body in mind. Visions of our younger life floated through my head. I had always let her get her way within reason and here I was doing the same thing as an adult. To say I was in over my head is an understatement.

Dinner went well. Who would have thought that an old guy like Clarence could eat a 16oz prime, a large bake potato, steamed corn and still want dessert? The cost didn't matter to me, I simply found myself amazed at the mans appetite. I guess once a farm boy always a farm boy. Speaking of farm, we followed him to the homestead. He hadn't exaggerated one bit. The buildings were definitely in need of repairs and the house was seriously outdated. Clean, but outdated. Once again, I let Elka do the talking, hell, I didn't need to be in charge. We would talk it through later anyway.

As they sat on the porch haggling about price I walked around looking into the out buildings. By the way, that porch was something we had always dreamed of. It was three sided and deep, probably eight feet from the edge of the porch to the house. It was obvious that the barn hadn't housed any animals in a very long time. I saw a half dozen barn cats and there was likely another half dozen hiding. Looking in the old machine shed I saw a Farmall M sitting to the side with flat tires all the way around. Since I was familiar with it from my boyhood farm job days I stepped inside to look at it more closely.

Little did I know the treasure awaiting me. To the back of the building behind the tractor sat an old car. I wasn't sure what it was until I was within ten feet. Those were the taillights of a '56 Chevy. My heart was racing as I tried to see what condition it was in under a blanket of pigeon manure and dust. It didn't look beat up or rotted out. The tires were flat, I assumed it must have been sitting a long time. I was walking on air as I made my way back to the porch. Elka stood, put her arms around my neck and gave me quick peck.

"Guess what Romeo, if you're in agreement we're gonna buy this place. Lock, stock and barrel. It's ours when Clarence moves next month."

I was giddy as a school kid. "Does that include the tractor in the shed?" Clarence nodded. "And what about the '56 Chevy, is that included?"

Clarence sat forward, "You don't want that son. Belonged to my boy, he ruined the engine, been sittin in the shed for over 30 years. It's junk, I'll call Stewart the junk picker to come get it."

I wasn't about to let that car get away, "No sir. I want it. I'll pay you double what the junk guy will."

He stared at me, looked at Elka who nodded and spoke, "That'd be four hundred smackeroos son, sure you wanna do that?"

I reached for my wallet, pulled out four crisp hundred dollar bills and handed them to him with the comment, "Damn right I'm sure. Baby, we got us a 1956 Chevy. Always wanted an old car, now I'll have one."

Clarence jumped in, "Yeah but the motors no good."

I laughed, "There are lots of engines out there, and tires and anything else it might need. It will be a good winter project."

He laughed," It's good to see you young love birds excited about livin here."

Elka and I stared at one another longer than normal and then turned away. We shook hands, Clarence said he would contact his lawyer in the morning, we agreed to have $30,000 in escrow along with the offer to purchase. Using his lawyer would save us money and it made sense. The ride back to the motel was quiet, neither said a word until we were getting out of the truck.

"Lars, will you get me a bag of chips from the machine, I feel like something salty. Oh, and a DP to, I'll share it with you."

By the time I was back at the room she was in a nightie removing makeup getting ready for bed. I took a whiz and walked to my side of the room. Without thinking I was undressed to my underwear when I heard a soft "a-hmm".

"You do realize you just undressed in front of me don't you?" Elka asked.

I grabbed my laptop, slid between the sheets sitting with my back against the headboard.

"Yup, I know. I didn't think it was an issue, after all you met me at the door half dressed and thought nothing of it."

Sitting next to me on the bed she reached across my body, closed the laptop and announced.

"We need to talk. Aren't you curious as to what I agreed to pay for the farm?"

I chuckled, "Oh yeah. That's right, we bought a farm didn't we? Okay, how much?"

She sat close with her feet tucked under her butt. "It's 270 acres, 240 of it tillable. All but thirty is rented out, he used to run beef on that 30 acres. The house needs a new septic field and the well water is horrible. When the city did improvements for future housing they ran water in front of his property. We can hook up to that which will take care of the nasty smelling water. There are plumbers in town who can contract to have a new leech bed put in for the septic. The furnace is 42 years old and the house hasn't seen a lick of paint since his wife died a decade ago."

I was staring at her, "Holy shit El, what the hell did we get ourselves into?"

"Yeah, see, those were all the things we were haggling about while you were in the sheds. He said one of the real estate firms offered him two seventy-five as is. I brought up all the repairs needed and the fact that we were cash customers, not developers. No surveys, no inspections, no waiting for a mortgage approval, no dealing with lawyers for huge land developers. Then I offered him two twenty."

"Well he obviously said yes since you two were shaking hands when I walked up." I said.

"He did. He will be out by the time his month is over. You and I are going to live in the apartment above the store until he's out and we've made the necessary upgrades and taken care of the water and septic."

I sat back, "Where are we money wise with all this buying stuff?"

She yawned and spoke, "We'll still have over a million in the bank and when we sell the house we can add to that. Don't forget lover boy, this store is going to make us money."

I looked at her and asked, "Lover boy?"

"Get used to it." She said. "It will be the way we live from here on. Remember, we're Mr. and Mrs. Stanley. I need to sleep, can't the computer stuff wait until morning?"

It could. I watched as she moved away from me, then stopped and leaned close. "You're supposed to kiss your wife goodnight. Pucker up buttercup."

With the lights out and the sound of her soft breathing I lay in the dark with my mind moving at warp speed. How was she so comfortable with the situation? Furthermore, why was I so reticent in letting her know my true feelings. But wait, she's my sister. Oh my, what a mess my mind is, I need to find clarity, and soon. Sleep eventually found me although it was already the early hours of morning before it did. I awoke to her moving about the room trying to get ready for the day. When she noticed my eyes were open she flopped onto the bed next to me laying on her tummy with her hands under her chin.

"You were sleeping hard, was it a rough night?" I silently nodded. "Well I slept great. What was worrying you?"

I moved to opposite edge of the bed trying to get from beneath the covers and go pee but she grabbed my arm.

"I'm serious lars. What kept you awake?"

I leaned toward her, kissed the top of her head and whispered, "I don't think you would understand, now please, I need to pee like a racehorse."

I hadn't given thought to the fact that I was sporting morning wood, when I stood I realized it all too late. I quickly looked down to see Elka's face buried in her hands as she giggled like a 12-year-old. In my haste I hadn't grabbed clean underwear or clothes to dress in, thinking I needed to just bite the bullet and just go get those items I heard a knock on the door. Opening it slightly she handed me a pair of underwear and my jeans.

"Thanks, I forgot them." I said.

She smiled, "That's why you need a wife."

Eating breakfast at the diner an older lady approached the table, introduced herself as Ruth, then smiled and asked.

"So how are you two love birds this morning?"

I was silent, Elka looked at me, then the lady, before she said softly, "As much in love as we've ever been. Thanks for asking. What is it that you do Ruth?"

"I'm semi-retired. I worked as a chef for thirty years, moved back here to take care of mother. Who sadly passed away last year. Now I do an occasional catering job but mostly sit on my butt and watch the world go by. After years in a hot crowded kitchen sitting on the porch feels pretty darned good."

I hadn't as yet spoken to Elka about the conversation I'd had with Cindy the day before. I was grinning to myself as Ruth walked away. Elka jabbed me in the ribs.

"What's so funny?" She asked.

"Not here. We can talk at the store. I want to be there right away when Clarence opens. If we leave now we can get there on time walking. What do you think, should we walk to work today?"

Her brows were furrowed and her eyes squinted when she asked, "Are you gonna hold my hand like a good husband?"

My mind was racing, think quick Lars, think quick. "How about this, you can take my arm going and I'll hold your hand walking back later."

She smiled, "Yeah, that'll work. Let's go."

The breakfast had come to just under thirteen dollars. I tossed a twenty on the table, got our waitress attention, pointed to the money and called out. "Thanks."

She nodded and waved goodbye as she took another order. Elka was in her glory as we walked along, greeting folks, rubbing her breast against my arm and acting all lovey dovey. I was in deep shit and I knew it, there would be no way I could keep my hands off her long term. Just before we reached the store she stopped, as we looked at each other she spoke.

"Let's make a rule. How about you take care of the nuts and bolts and all that stuff. You set up the computers and all that junk but let me run the store in general. I know what people want and let's face it, you've never been a people person. One more thing, neither of us makes a purchase or deal over a thousand bucks without talking to the other. That way we're accountable to each other."

I gave it about thirty seconds of thought and agreed. She smiled, kissed me on the cheek and said.

"Great, lets go make some money."

The next week seemed to fly by. We were looking forward to the time we could get contractors involved to upgrade and make the old farmhouse comfy for the upcoming winter months. Most days we spent time on the floor talking with folks, getting to know what was where and what it might be used for. Elka had electricians in right away to install new lighting, what a difference, one could actually see what was on the shelves.

As word got around town that we were modernizing the store as well as the inventory of clothing and work footwear business picked up substantially. After receiving a good report on Earls background check we felt comfortable enough to provide him with keys to the building and the combination to the small safe where we kept the cash register drawer. Elka would go through the receipts at the end of each day and then get the drawer ready for the next morning. It never held more than $150 to start the day.

That first week we were so worn out at the end of each day we did little more than have a meal, shower and sleep. Cindy had given us a long-term rate and told us to stay as long as we needed. Something that did change was Elka's demand that I kiss her goodnight, and good morning the next day. Our attire regulations per se also began to relax dramatically when we w ere in the room. It was nothing for us to see one another in just underwear. One morning she quickly shot from the bathroom bare from the waist up, grabbed a bra, smiled at me and closed the door.

I soon found out what the small three-sided building in the back lot was for. It was where the Amish tied their horses when they came to shop. What I hadn't seen from outside the fence when we were looking was that there was a small stock tank with an automatic watering system for the horses. I remember thinking, yup, old Clarence had considered just about everybody through the years. Including the large number of Amish farmers coming into the area.

Listening to the Amish women talk while the men bought supplies Elka had an epiphany. The closest place to buy sewing materials including fabric was forty miles away. Amish women seldom talk to a man, but they will talk with other women. By the end of the second week Elka knew what the ladies wanted, had Earl consolidate a portion of the store for sewing items and fabric, then placed an order. Because we were willing to pay extra for expedited shipping we had everything save a few notions in the store by the Tuesday following.

It was also the week that Clarence asked if he could head out sooner than we had talked about. He had found a senior citizen park that had a lot available if he could be there in two weeks. Everything at the farm had been cleared out and he was sleeping in the camper. We talked about it a lunch, agreed we should cut him loose and see how quickly we could get contractors busy at the house.

Our plans to move upstairs didn't pan out, the water pipes were in need of replacement, the floor in the bathroom needed to be replaced and the apartment was still wired with an old 60 amp fuse box. The rest of the building had been completely upgraded but never the upstairs and since no one lived there Clarence never gave it a second thought.

Having the extended term rates at the motel helped dramatically at that point. Though we used the room for nothing more than sleeping and showers it became like home in a weird sort of way. Elka's need for closeness had increased as well. The first night she crawled under the covers with me I was about to say something when she whispered.

"Shut up and hold me lars. Just hold me."

Sunday morning we would load our laundry into the truck and spend the next two hours conversing as we waited on the machines. It was on one of those mornings that I brought up what Cindy and I had talked about a few weeks earlier. Sitting close enough that our bodies were touching she took my hand and kissed it. There were things about my younger sister by a whole two minutes I never knew, but liked.

"How would we do that though Lars? Neither of us has any skill in the kitchen, much less a family type restaurant. It would be a flop and waste of money, speaking of which, our sales are more than twenty percent higher than Clarence's were this time last year. We're making money baby, why risk it?"

I let go of her hand, put my arm around her shoulder, pulled her tight, tilted my head back and sighed. She had a point, an extremely valid point. Then I heard her soft voice.

"Unless. Maybe we should talk to that Ruth lady and see if she would be willing to run the place. Not have to cook, just run it and hire whoever she wanted for the kitchen."

I went into default mode, I bent my head kissed the top of hers and said softly.

"Excellent idea, see, there's one more reason why I love you so much."

Then I caught myself. "You know what I mean. Right?"

She smiled, softly stroked my cheek with the back of her fingers and cooed, "I know what you mean, because I feel the same way."

Just then the buzzer on the dryer went off. Saved by the buzzer, we folded the last load, put the baskets in the truck and went for an early lunch. Lo and behold who should we run into but Ruth and a younger version of her at a table toward the back. She motioned to us to join them as they hadn't yet ordered. The younger version of Ruth was her daughter, also a chef working in a 3 star hotel on the east coast home for a visit and desperately trying to find work nearby to be closer to her mother. We looked at each other, then the two of them, and grinned.

Ruth broke the silence. "What? What are you guys grinning about? Tell me."

My darling sister answered, "Would you two be willing to sit with us after the meal and talk?"

Ruth answered, "What's wrong with here and now?"

It was time for me to enter the conversation. "Not here. Too many ears. The store is closed on Sunday, no one will be able to hear us there. Would you two be willing to follow us there after we're through eating?"

Ruth looked at her daughter Sylvia, raised her eyebrows and waited. Syl as she preferred to be called uttered one word. "Sure."

At the store I told them we were speaking speculatively and anything discussed would need to remain between the four of us. They agreed and we proceeded to talk about what Cindy had said. Neither uttered a word as they sat listening, when we were done explaining our vision Ruth looked at Syl, who nodded and then asked.

"Can we see the building?"

For the next 90 minutes we watched as they walked every foot of the establishment making notes along the way, both mental and written. We were sitting on a pair of rickety chairs left over from the long ago nonexistent pizza place when they walked up to us.

"Are you guys still staying at the Sunset?" We nodded. "Give us a few hours to mull this over, why don't you guys have dinner with us and we'll talk more. Sylvia give them our address."

Sylvia huffed, "Mom, it's Syl."

Ruth chuckled, "You may be Syl to everybody else, but you will always be Sylvia to me. Give her the address, we need to get home and start prepping. Six o'clock, sharp. Beer, wine, or whatever?" she asked.

Elka spoke first, "Milk for him at the meal, a beer afterwards probably. Water and a beer for me as well please."

Not another word was said as they turned and walked from the building. Elka looked at me and smiled.

"That went well, I can hardly wait to hear what they have to say this evening."

I gave her a wondering look, "What makes you think it went well? They didn't say a thing about it to us."

"I know because I'm a woman and I know how other women think. Besides, I watched their facial expressions and body language while you were checking that goofy phone. I'm telling you Lars, you better be buckled in tonight, those two have ideas we never thought of."

As we were locking up we were approached by a woman with a small girl. Both looked disheveled, unkempt and dirty. With shame in her eyes she asked, "Mister would you have a dollar we might have? She's hungry and all I have is a dollar thirty-seven in change."

I looked at her with sadness, "What about you ma'am, aren't you hungry?"

"Yes, yes I am but her needs come before mine."

Elka took her hand, "Where's your stuff? Do you have any belongings?"

"Um, they're hidden in a bag by the bakery. We were too late to get bread yesterday, we haven't eaten in two days."