She grinned as she squeezed my hand gently.
“She’s happy now, she knows she’s got a big brother now, if you’ll be that for her, and she’s feeling truly safe for the first time ever. If for nothing else, then thank you for that, Richard, you’ve made a big difference in her, and I’m happy.”
She paused to brush my hair back off my forehead with her fingers, a gentle, intimate gesture.
“Even Shereen’s coming around, now she’s gotten past the memories a little and accepted that you are indeed her little brother, that you’re not like that man, and that in your own way you’re just as injured and traumatised as she was. Remember one thing; Shereen’s always had to be the strong one, the protective big sister, but she needs you too, I can see that, and if you let her, she’ll probably care as much for you as she does Yasmin. Both your sisters need you. You may be a complete stranger to her, but there’s something about you, and no matter how hard she pushes back against it, Shereen knows you’re part of this too, part of her and us.
She shook her head wonderingly.
“She can be so hard-headed at times, and she probably can’t even admit it to herself right now, but it’s clear to me you being here makes her feel safe too.”
She gave me that enigmatic smile again and once more flicked my hair out of my eyes.
“Remember, and keep it top of mind, Richard, she won’t let go of the ‘big sister’ thing easily; she’s been the big sister to Yasmin all her life, and now she’s going to be your big sister too, and she’ll push it. That’s just the way she is, so try and not push back too hard; don’t let her walk all over you, but give her space to be your big sister, and she’ll include you and make sure you know you’re part of this family.”
This constant harping about the girls always being scared had struck a chord inside me; if my father, the man they’d been afraid of (with good cause, I had to admit, if half what I’d been told was true) was in jail and wasn’t ever getting out, what did they have to be scared of? Something she’d said earlier had registered but I couldn’t winkle it out, but it gave me a feeling of vague, unformed dread; there was something else here, more evil still waiting to be revealed.
“Why is Yasmin so scared?” I asked, unwilling to ask the question but unable to let it go and Ayesha stared at me, her forehead knitted, before nodding slowly, like she’d had to make a hard decision.
“I told you, Robert Davies, your… her father, threatened to… sell her to his friends, whatever they were, and she doesn’t know I know, but once, he nearly… he nearly…”
She paused to clear her throat, her eyes bright and scared.
“She got away, Shereen and her, they got away from him before he could… do anything, but only because he was so drunk… they think I don’t know what happened, don’t tell them; let them tell you when they’re ready.
She drew a deep, ragged breath.
“That’s why Yasmin feels so drawn to you, that’s why you make her feel safe, because she already trusts you; she sees something in you that makes her believe you won’t let anything happen to her. I hope to God she’s right… ”
The sound of the front door opening put an end to our conversation, along with a warning glare from Ayesha. The sitting room door opened and Yasmin poked her head around the door, her eyes lighting up as she grinned cheekily at me.
“You stayed, good, I hoped you would!” she chirped, “Mummy, is Ricky going to stay for a while?”
Ayesha smiled at me. “I don’t know; is Ricky going to stay for a while?”
I stared at her, nonplussed, and Yasmin raised her eyebrow and nodded, so I nodded back.
“Yes, I’d like that very much… if it’s not too much trouble…?”
Yasmin stepped fully into the room and I got my very first proper look at her, uncoloured by any state of apprehension or puzzlement, and I have to say I was awestruck; my little sister was gorgeous! Her long, thick hair, flowing in tumbled curls almost to the small of her back was a rich mahogany-red, not Titian, nor auburn, but a lustrous, red-bronze somewhere between the two. Her eyes were like her mother’s, a vivid green-hazel, and so bright that, like Ayesha’s, they appeared to be lit from behind. Her skin was a pale olive with a faint golden blush, pale and sleek, giving her a lush, exotic look, and she was tall and slender, with a tiny waist and small breasts (and I blushed guiltily as I realised I was thinking about my kid sister’s boobs!), her long, slender legs encased in skin-tight jeans that showed off the curve of her hips and long thighs, and her round, firm little bottom.
I realised with a sudden burst of insight just how hot my kid sister was, the thought followed closely by wondering if she had a boyfriend, and a quickly suppressed snap of jealousy at the thought, which made no sense to me; she was my sister, I should protect her, yes, not feel jealous of boys who might be dating her!
“Ricky Davies, you’re my big brother, you only just got here, and you look like you need a good feed and a good sleep, so no, it’s not too much trouble, we’d be glad to have you here, isn’t that right, mum?” she grinned, her grin widening into a big smile when Ayesha grinned back at her.
“You’re welcome to stay, Richard, you seem like a nice boy, your sisters and I would be glad of the company. Stay as long as you like.”
“Shereen… what does Shereen think, she doesn’t like me much…” I mumbled, and Yasmin beamed at me.
“All sorted, Ricky, we discussed this last night while you were out cold, whatever that… that man did, it wasn’t you, you’re not the enemy here, so she’s fine with you staying here, don’t worry about her, just let her boss you around a bit and you’ll be fine.”
“Anything else I should know…?” I asked, and again Yasmin grinned at me.
“Just take it easy around her; she’ll let you in, just give her time, OK? You’re her kid brother, remember? She’s just raring to push you around, just go with the flow.”
As if on cue, I heard the front door open, and Shereen call out “Mum, I’m home!”
The sitting room door swung open and Shereen stepped into the room, giving me a quick once over, then, in a classic ‘double-take’ her eyes locked on my face and her eyes widened.
“Jesus, you look like that… wow, wow, just look at you, it’s scary… ” she stammered, her face flushing.
Yasmin leaned over and poked my arm, grinning at her sister.
“Ricky Davies, meet your big sister, Shereen Shahida, and Shari, meet your kid brother and my big brother, Ricky Davies; please try not to kill him, I haven’t finished with him yet!”