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A friend of mine gave me the idea for this story and I took it and ran with it. I think you'll be surprised. It's also short, and....sweet.   Sharon

THE SECRET I KEEP

by

Sharon Kizziah-Holmes

   Watching the man of my dreams exchange vows with my sister was almost more than I could bare.  Of course the wedding was beautiful, and I was impressed by the many prominent people who attended.  I shook hands with the Mayor, a few city councilmen, a senator, even a rock star.  Still, he dominated my thoughts.

    I think back and can't believe our affair started the way it did.  He walked past me going into the bathroom.  It was the first time I noticed how sexy and inviting he was.  Oh, I'd seen him before, but never that close. 

    The whole liaison probably wouldn't have begun if I'd had the willpower to 'Just Say No'.  But, what can I say?  I've never been fond of Nancy Reagan.

    The weekend we spent in Aspen was the dawning of our love.  Afterward we swore it would never happen again.  He planned to marry my sister, for crissake. 

    Each time we meet I tell myself 'this is wrong', but it doesn't stop me.  As life deals the hands of fate, compromising situations continue to present themselves.  We look at it as a sign from a higher being, but we've pledged no one will ever know our secret. 

    It's a strenuous oath to keep, seeing that all these occasions have happened on group outings.  Somehow, on each one, we find ourselves alone for a few hours.  And wonderful hours they are. 

    After Aspen there was a day at Lake Tahoe, followed by a vacation in Venice, California.  I'll have to admit my favorite time was the business trip to the Florida Keys.  It's hard to believe it's been only twelve days since the Keys rendezvous. 

    Anyway, the wedding's over, and I find myself packing for another trip.  I'm trembling.  Is it nerves or anxiety?  I know it's neither.  Stupidity is what torments me.  Now that he's married, our taboo affair is even more unscrupulous.

    If the sex wasn't so good and the appeal of danger so high, I have no doubt the fun would end in a split second.  Sure we have the similar interests, the same acquaintances.  Now we even have the same relatives.

    Oh, did I mention that our group trips actually involve the entire family?  I guess that would make it more clear why our activity is particularly more risky.

    I have to tell you of a family incident that happened six years ago.  My middle sister--there are four of us--was caught having a fling with my oldest sister's husband. 

De ja vu.  Needless to say, that marriage ended in divorce.

    It took a long while for the family to heal.  Everyone was filled with pain and embarrassment.  The resentment and jealousy my siblings displayed, plays over in my mind now and again.  The heartache's still there, it's just not as evident as when it all exploded.

    My father told us, "In time, all things will wash."  He was a great one for sayings.  Another favorite of his was, "Everything you do comes back in time to you."  That's what I'm worried about.

    Well, the last thing's packed.  My stomach's doing flip flops.  I can't believe I let them talk me into going on this family trip, but when one of us gets married we all go along on the honeymoon.  Why should this one be any different? 

    Except for my secret with the groom, everything is typical.  Not everything, I guess.  My father's adages haunt me today more than ever.  I know my brother-in-law and I will not be able to resist each other when our hours of aloneness come. 

    So far our secret is safe.  I do often wonder, however, what the reaction of our friends and family will be when they figure it out. 

    Do you think they'll be shocked to know that my sister's husband is sleeping with her only brother?