Cousin Jenna

Before we got married, Brad made me tell him about every guy I’d been with.

I thought he meant, you know, every guy I’d been intimate with, but Brad wanted to know about every guy I’d kissed, right down to David Golich back in third grade when we went to the Science Museum.

Luckily though, Brad never asked me about girls. Because I’m not really sure I would’ve been able to handle that conversation. And frankly, I’m not sure Brad could have either.

It was the summer of my junior year. I remember the weather had just gotten hot because my dad had uncovered the pool and gotten it ready for use.

We were the only people in the community with a pool, and I spent every free minute in there when I could even though there was a passage in one of my guidebooks about how Satan supposedly “controlled the waters.”

Anyway, we were having dinner I think when my mom dropped a bombshell on me, telling me that my cousin Jenna was coming to stay with us for a few days, and that she’d be staying in my room.

There are few things a teenage girl hates more than having to share a bedroom with someone.

“What?” I splurted. “But why?”

“Never you mind that,” said my mother, giving me a stern look. “Debra and John are having a... crisis of faith, so they’re going on a special retreat, and I agreed that we’d take Jenna.”

“I don’t understand,” I said with a pout. “What’s a crisis of faith?”

“It means they need time to strengthen their connection with the Lord,” said my dad, interrupting my mother. “They’re going with an elder on a special faith trip to the desert.”

“Yes, and we will be saying a prayer for them every single night,” added my mother, giving me a pointed look.

“Anyway, sweetie, I thought you liked Jenna,” said my dad. “You two used to play with your dollies for hours.”

“Dad!” I squealed. “That was, like, years ago. Who knows what she’s like now?”

“Young lady, I expect you to be on your best behavior,” said my mother. “And to be a strong, moral example, especially during your cousin's time of need.”

“Ugh, fine,” I said with a groan.

Thankfully, the topic moved onto something else after that. There were several phone calls over the next few days, and although I wasn’t supposed to eavesdrop, I could tell that something scandalous was going on.

At one point, my dad was having a terse conversation with someone about Jenna’s “baggage” which I didn’t get at first, thinking that she must be bringing a lot of suitcases or something.

Anyway, the day finally arrived for her to come to the house. Initially, I think my parents were going to go to the airport, but at the last minute something changed, and so it was an elder who drove her over to the house.

I remember it was just before dinnertime because my mom was in the kitchen getting the meal ready, and she was getting anxious about what kind of foods Jenna liked.

The doorbell rang, and my dad sprang to answer it, which was unusual. He let himself onto the front porch and closed the door for a minute so he could talk to the elder, which was also unusual.

Eventually, he returned, and I caught a brief glimpse of the elder before he headed off to his car, noting that it wasn’t one I’d ever seen before.

“Okay, here we are,” said my dad, gesturing at our living room. “And you remember your cousin Susan.”

For a moment there, I was frozen with shock. The little girl with pigtails that I dimly remembered had matured into a very full-figured young woman.

And when I say “full-figured,” I mean she had curves popping out all over the place, including shapely hips and a very generous bosom. If I hadn’t known she was only a year older than me, I would’ve thought she was in her mid-20s.

But what really took me aback was the way she was dressed. I didn’t know what a “crisis of faith meant,” but it clearly had something to do with a relaxed attitude towards clothes because Jenna was wearing a low-slung pair of pants that flared near the bottom and a shirt that - gasp - revealed an inch or two of her bare stomach, not to mention the top of her hips.

“Oh, hey,” I said, my heart racing as I stood up to greet her.

“Hey, Suzie, good to see ya,” said Jenna, wrapping me up in a quick hug. That gesture was so unexpected that I just stood there like a wooden board until my manners kicked in.

“Yes, likewise,” I said, my cheeks sizzling with heat as I took a step back.

“Well, there she is,” said my mom, adopting that sickeningly sweet voice she used whenever she was in polite mode. “Welcome to our home, Jenna.”

“Um, thanks, I guess,” said Jenna.

“All right, I’ll bring your things in,” said my dad. “Susan, do you want to give Jenna a little tour?”

“Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes,” chirped my mother. “Hope you like Hamburger Helper!”

I think she was waiting for Jenna to say yes or not, but Jenna just shrugged and followed me as I led her down the carpeted hallway.

“Um, this is the bathroom, of course,” I said, gesturing. “Pretty standard.”

“Yeah,” said Jenna with a little chuckle.

As I continued to narrate the obvious to her on our little tour, I felt my thoughts beginning to whirl. First, I was dying to know what had happened to her parents that resulted in them going off to the desert. Second, I really wanted to ask her about the clothes she was wearing and if they let her into church dressed like that because I was very jealous.

And third, I guess I was taken aback by how beautiful she had become. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, but frankly, she didn’t need to because she had a wide, easy-going face that was absolutely beautiful.

Her hair was a mix of blonde and red in a way that made me think of the treasure horde guarded by the dragon Smaug in The Hobbit, one of my favorite books.

“All right, and this is my room,” I said, pointing. “Oops, I mean our room since you’ll be staying with me.”

“Aww, nice,” said Jenna with a chuckle as she walked into my room, scanning the posters of Donnie and Marie on my wall with an amused smile before assessing my bed. “Say, what’s with all the pink ruffles?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know,” I said, once again feeling my cheeks get warm.

“Let me guess,” said Jenna, turning to look at me. “It’s been like this since you were little, right? And your mom won’t let you redecorate?”

“Yeah, um, something like that,” I said, too embarrassed to admit I’d never asked my mom to change anything in my room.

“Hey, I get it,” said Jenna with a nod. “Moms never want their daughters to grow up. God knows, my mother doesn’t. She about had a fit when I started talking to boys.”

I was a little shocked by her casual language, but out of politeness, I didn’t say anything.

“So, are we sharing a bed or what?” said Jenna, her eyes going wide when she saw the row of stuffed animals on the shelf.

“Um, I can sleep on the floor if you want,” I said.

“Nah, it’s all right,” said Jenna, turning to smile at me. “Relax, Susan. It’s me. I know it’s been a while but I’m sure we’re going to get along just fine.”

“Right. Of course,” I said, not quite sure why I was in such a tizzy. Maybe it was just the contrast between seeing this shapely, fashionably dressed young woman in front of me and remembering the little girl she used to be.

“Come on, girls!” shouted my mother. “Time for dinner!”

I let Jenna wash up as I made my way to the dining room and took a seat at the table. My eyes went wide when I saw that my mother had gone all out, making meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and fried onion salad. And over on the kitchen counter I spied a Jell-O casserole with whipped cream.

Once Jenna had joined us, we linked hands and my dad led us in grace. I don’t remember much of the conversation after that except that we studiously avoided mentioning her parents.

Once dessert was over, my dad suggested that I take Jenna out back to enjoy the breeze. Something about the way the air moved across the water of the pool made it the best place to be on a hot summer night.

“Woah, you have a pool? Right on!” said Jenna, her face lighting up with delight as we walked out onto the concrete terrace.

“Yeah,” I said, feeling a bit sheepish. “My dad says it’s safe to go swimming if you say a prayer first.”

Jenna looked at me for a long moment.

“Oh wow, you’re serious,” she said with a chuckle. “Hey, that’s cool. And here I was thinking you guys were sticks in the mud. But now I see there’s a little more to the Robertsons than meets the eye!”