The stepsister

15> Hawaii

"Come on, we won't make it!" I yelled nervously.

"I'm coming!"

The poor thing couldn't find a way to close her suitcase and I was making her more nervous with my impatience. Fortunately, after a thousand unsuccessful attempts, she managed to close it but we were startled when she, while zipping, made a creaking sound. The very beast almost split it in two.

"Well, it's done, isn't it?" Let's go!

Our parents were waiting for us outside. Smiling, excited and my mother, as on many occasions, somewhat excited and with a long list of "Be careful with...", "Remember this...remember the other" and endless tourist advice. Paul just looked at us smiling and nodded to everything she said. They seemed very happy about keeping the house to themselves <I'm sure they'll do a party>.

We said goodbye between kisses and hugs, and got in the car to the airport. Melanie didn't take long to turn on the radio and put on her own music, the kind that is capable of traumatizing a child, and she did nothing but dance like crazy and laugh when she saw my face.

We had advanced to a spectacularly wide highway. We were in a downtown lane where some cars were passing us on the left and where we were passing those on the right. Precisely in one of those cars was traveling a poor child who, leaning innocently out the window, witnessed the delirious movements made by my traveling companion or, as she says: dance with passion.

After much laughter and goofing around, we arrived at the airport. It was the first time I entered one but I wasn't nervous about flying or anything, just lost, I didn't know where we should go. Melanie, who apparently was the "understood" in the matter, was the one who was in charge of guiding me.

We were already seated, on the moving plane, I had hardly noticed. I guess it was because Melanie talked to me non-stop, on any topic with the sole intention of distracting me, but she had been quiet for a moment, and I ended up looking out the window by accident. I only saw the sky...

"Hey! Don't look, it will be worse" I turned to look at her.

"Yes, it flies high, doesn't it?" I made a scared face.

"Do not be afraid" She took hold of my hand, looked at it and said "How soft"

"That doesn't help me much"

"In that case" she moved closer to me "close your eyes"

I closed them. I felt how she caressed my cheek gently and she gave me a kiss, followed by another, and another... To, in the end, end up giving me the last one on my forehead. Then, she wrapped her left arm around my back and I leaned on her chest hugging her around the waist.

We seemed like a normal couple, although I wasn't sure if we were or not. It is true that we have kissed several times, but we never talk about it. She hadn't told me how she felt about me, I didn't even know if she felt something or if it was just temporary. I wanted to sleep on the flight for a bit but, with all this on my mind, there was no way to do it.

***

We arrived in the city of Honolulu, it was very hot. We went up to the hotel, the "Otani Kaimana" or something like that, and entered what was to be our room for the entire trip. By "room" I mean mansion. It was huge! It had a bed surrounded by red silk curtains (Melanie gave me a wink), a balcony with a view of the beach, and generally beautiful decor.
We entered the bathroom whose dimensions resembled those of the room itself. I noticed how well lit it was, the mirrors taking up an entire wall, and the gigantic bathtub... (at which Melanie winked and smiled again) and I, in all my innocence, still didn't know why she was doing it.