✅ My Sister's Problem

73. My Reward

This chapter is dedicated to realliljennie  with thanks for all the support that you have given me. Thank you!

Gabe was a nice guy, and good with his hands. We saw him almost every year on these trips, and we were always surprised by how much he'd grown. We'd run into him at yearly intervals as he evolved from a gangly, awkward teen into a charming surfer dude. He probably spent more time on the beach than any of the other owners, and he made a habit of doing odd jobs and fixing just about anything that needed repair on the houses.

Last year, I might have spent some time in conversation with Lucie and Pan, speculating about Gabe's apparent lack of a girlfriend. He didn't come with his family now, he was on his own, so it seemed only natural that if he was with someone she would be here. Natural to Lucie, anyway, and we'd hitched a ride on her train of thought. Gabe must be looking for holiday romance, she'd said, so it was just down to which of us could catch his attention first. He hadn't seemed interested, possibly because none of us had been as mature as Lucie liked to think she was. But all my instincts said that he was a guy to impress; the neighbour I most wanted to have a good opinion of me. And also the first one we'd run into this year, which seemed like it must be some kind of omen.

"Hey, ladies!" he called as he skidded down the side of a dune in a spray of dry sand. "You've grown. Except you, of course, Mrs B. You look as young as ever."

"Charmer," Mum smiled a little. There was something about beig complimented by a guy who had both the confidence to make you think he meant it, and the looks that would make anyone jealous.

"So, you hitting the waves this year?"

"Maybe next year," I joked, forgetting how I was dressed for a moment. "Don't think we're old enough to take our lives in our hands just yet." It was the same joke we'd made every year, back to the time a neighbour's cousin had offered surfing lessons, only to decide that I needed to wait a few years before learning. The excuse no longer applied, but it was kind of a running joke that I'd just missed out on growing up like Gabe.

"You need to be out of diapers before you get into watersports," Lindy added with a laugh, pointing at the padding around my waist as if it weren't immediately obvious even through the shorts. Gabe looked down, and I knew there was no way he could have missed it now. "Sally might look older sometimes, but she's just a little baby."

I wanted to come back with some snappy response, but nothing came to mind. No matter what I said, I couldn't see any way this meeting wouldn't end with Gabe laughing at me. My discomfort wasn't helped by another wave of cramps, forcing me to pay more attention to my own body and less to what was going on around me.

"Is she okay?" Gabe asked, and all I could hear in his voice was genuine concern.

"Oh, it looks like the big baby is–"

"She's had this bug that's been going around," Mum cut her off. "I think we'd better get back to the house quickly. And Lindy, you know that's not nice. How would you feel if someone started talking about your problem like that?"

"I'll catch you later, then," Gabe answered, cheerful as ever. "And I really hope that bug clears up. Sounds like it's being a drag for both of you."

"Yeah, especially when she–" Lindy started, and then turned to Mum with anger in her voice. "Hey! You made him think I was in diapers too!" I was confused for about half a second, but then I realised that it was true. Lindy had a towel around her waist over the swimming costume, an easy way to carry it home. It would have been perfect for hiding a diaper, so when Mum mentioned a supposed stomach bug as the reason I might be wearing one, and the way she said it, it would have been only natural for Gabe to assume we were in the same boat.