On arriving home, Roxanne sighed happily, paid the cab driver, and strolled to her home—where her heart indeed was—with the groceries. She glanced at her watch. It read 6.15 p.m.
"Not bad," she said to herself, and rang the doorbell. After a while, Arnold came to answer it.
"Sis, hey. How many necks did you break?" He asked her casually, without bothering to help with the groceries.
"Plenty, and yours will be one of them if you don't help me out here," Roxanne breathed, as her purse slipped from around her shoulder to around her elbow.
"I've got lots of assignments. Sorry," Arnold replied, and dashed upstairs to his room.
"You're such a gentleman," Roxanne called out after him, then carried the groceries to the kitchen and placed them on the counter.
"Hello, dear," Mrs. Simmons said to her, then hugged her. She happily received it.
"Hi, Mom," she replied.
"So how was your first day at work?" Mrs. Simmons asked her after the hug, then turned back to the stew she was preparing.
"It was great, but I'll tell you about it at supper. Let me go and shower now. Isn't Dad home yet?" Roxanne asked.
"He's in the living room watching the big game," her mother replied. Roxanne pranced into the living room.
"Hey, Dad," she greeted her father.
"Hey, sweetie. How was work?" He replied.
"I'll tell you about it at supper," she said, then left when he burst out cheering when the team he supported won.
She never understood what he saw in football. As she climbed the stairs to her room, she could hear faint laughter and voices from her brother's room. At first, she decided to ignore them but when they got out of hand, she decided to investigate by eavesdropping through his bedroom door.
"No one in my family understands me. They all think that I'm still a kid," she could hear her brother's voice say.
"Well, I'll prove to them I'm not. On Saturday, I'll invite Melissa, Cindy, Sandy, and Becky over and make sure that I get them drunk. Dudes, they're like the hottest girls in school," he continued.
"And what about your parents and sister?" Another voice asked him.
"Mom and Dad won't be around. As for Roxanne, she'll be busy," Arnold replied. "I'll make sure I have one of them, if not all of them. Sweet sixteen!" He shouted madly with his friends in unison, then they laughed out loud.
Roxanne groaned in disgust as she made her way to her room.
"Not if I can help it, little brother," she said as she got into her room, shut the door, and began undressing. What she needed was a warm, soothing bath. She wrapped a towel around herself then went to the bathroom and opened up the warm water, which flowed into a bathtub.
She slowly took off the towel and got into the water. It gave her a calm and relaxed feeling. She lathered soap all over herself and relaxed in the water. She outstretched her arms and legs and rested her head on the edge of the bathtub. It felt good.
After a while, she was through bathing and unclogged the sink for the water to go down the drain. She wiped herself, covered herself, and went into her room and clad in a loose T-shirt and tight shorts then styled her hair into a messy ponytail. When she went down for supper, her family had already begun eating.
"We're dying of suspense," Mrs. Simmons said to her as she took her seat.
"My day was the best. I had the time of my life. Did I mention that Bree Javen works with me?" Roxanne started, as she received the food that her mother served her.
"Your friend from school?" Mr. Simmons asked her.
"Exactly," she replied excitedly.
"Can I get her number?" Arnold asked her. Everyone was quiet and looked at him.
"My dear, she's way above you and way too old for you, and FYI, she's taken," Roxanne replied, then stroked his dark, curly hair.
"As I was saying," she continued, "I met a few people, checked the place out, and put a woman named Trish Mae—who is the head of department where I work—in her place."
"Why?" Mrs. Simmons asked her.
"She was telling me to run an errand for her after work hours, Mom. Imagine that!" Roxanne enthused.
"I hope you didn't fight her, honey. That could cost you your job, you know," Mr. Simmons said with a look of concern.
"No. I gave her a stern warning, that's all," she replied.
"That's my girl," her father said proudly.
"Enough of this boring stuff. Tell us about a guy you met and had a crush on. Or is the company a 'females only' institution?" Arnold asked her.
"What plans do you have for Saturday, Arnie?" She fired back. He froze and withdrew.
"None," he whispered, and silently ate his food.
"When will you kids get along? You're always on each other's necks! That aside, so is there a Mr. Someone that we should know about, Roxy?" Mrs. Simmons asked. Roxanne glared at Arnold. He smiled and looked on at her for her answer.
"No, Mom, there isn't. At least not yet," she breathed as she remembered Charlie Wright. She was going to cut ties with him gently to avoid breaking his heart.
"And how was school today, Pumpkin?" Her mother asked Arnold.
"I'm Arnold, Mom. School was usual. Nothing big; learning, gym class, assignments…" he said, then refocused on his food.
"And those boys you were with upstairs?" Roxanne asked him with a straight look into his brown eyes.
"They are my friends and study mates," he replied curtly.
"So what were you studying? Girls?" She asked again. Arnold shifted uneasily and gave her a look.
"Roxanne! That's enough! What's with the questions? My boy couldn't have been studying girls. He's way too young and innocent for that kind of stuff," Mrs. Simmons intruded, then went and hugged Arnold.
"If you say so, Mom," Roxanne replied, and stared at Arnold then got up from her seat.
"Thanks for the supper, Mom. It was terrific," she added.
"You're welcome. Have some more," her mother suggested.
"No, thanks. I'm full," she replied, and energetically went off to her room. Her brother watched her as she left.
"I hope you don't have some girl stashed up in your room," Mrs. Simmons told him.
"No way, Mom. I'm a good boy. Girls are trouble," he recited casually.
"That's my baby," Mrs. Simmons rejoiced, and smothered him a big kiss on his cheek. Mr. Simmons fixed him with a look of disbelief. He knew their son better than his wife did.
"Thanks, Mom, for the supper. I'm full and I'm off," Arnold said, and rushed off upstairs. After he left, Mr. Simmons cleared his throat.
"Honey, Arnold is no longer a kid. Stop treating him like one. And I'm sorry to say, but girls are a natural part of a young man's life," he said lovingly to his wife as she cleared the table.
"Not my Arnold. He is a good boy," she insisted. Mr. Simmons rolled his eyes and got up from his seat.
"I'm going to bed," he said as he went. Mrs. Simmons finished with the table and joined him. She was convinced that he was wrong about Arnold and was waiting for the right moment to prove it.
Upstairs, Arnold knocked on the door of his sister's room heavily. He heard a "Come in" and slowly opened the door. His sister was outstretched on her bed, reading a magazine with crossed legs while listening to music. She looked at him, sat up, and turned off the stereo.
"What do you want?" She rudely inquired.
"To talk to you," he replied, then shut her door and went and sat at the foot of her king-size bed.
"Shoot," Roxanne encouraged, then tossed the magazine aside and faced him.
"I know you heard about Saturday, right?" Arnold asked.
"You bet. And I must say I'm very disappointed in you. Sex? Alcohol? At your age?" Roxanne replied.
"Just don't tell Mom and Dad about this, please," Arnold begged.
"What do you want me to do? Sit back and fold my arms while my sixteen-year-old brother enters into an adult realm while still technically in diapers?" His sister asked him.
"Yes," he replied imploringly with a humble voice.
"Forget it," she said briefly.
"Please, Roxy. Just mind your own business and I'll mind mine. Let's not meddle in each other's affairs," Arnold begged, then held her hands.
"You're my business, Arnie. From the time that Mom and Dad told me that I have a little brother," she paused then continued, "Tell you what: I'll let you have your fun on Saturday, but with zero booze and drugs. Invite the girls and mingle with them. No kissing or cuddling, and no sex."
"But it won't be fun!" Arnold protested, and let go of her hands. She sighed heavily.
"Well, it's either that or Mom and Dad know their little Pumpkin to be indeed a rotten, perverted teenager," she said.
"Alright! Just put a lid on it," he said moodily and rose to go.
"And you too, stay out of my business. Got it?" Roxanne said as she once again outstretched herself on the bed and took the magazine she was reading.
"Got it," he mumbled.
"Good night," Roxanne whispered to him as he opened her door.
"Good night," he replied, and got out then shut the door.
It didn't matter how he looked at it, Roxanne thought, she did good and felt proud of herself. She turned on the stereo and continued with her reading to the late hours of the night when eventually she called it a day.