by Frank Martinet
Curiosity
Kara had been curious about Uncle Rupert since she was little. The adults would only speak about him in hushed whispers, and they would evade her questions. She learned that he was her mother's older brother and was not part of the family any more, though no one would tell her why. The more mysterious he became, the more she wanted to meet him.
When she was sixteen, a letter arrived from Uncle Rupert saying he wanted to visit. Kara's mother was furious and forbade it. Kara protested, but her mom wouldn't be budged.
"He's not coming and that's final," Mom said.
"What's so bad about him?" Kara wanted to know.
"Just know that he's... well, trust me, you wouldn't like him."
But that only convinced Kara that she would like Uncle Rupert.
That afternoon Kara left to go to a friend's house, but halfway there received a text from Stacy saying she wasn't going to be home. Her little brother, who had a million allergies, was having a reaction and the family was taking him to ER.
Bummed, Kara turned around and went home. She didn't see anyone when she came inside, which was a little odd, but then she heard raised voices from the study. The door was closed, but when she put her ear right to the wood she could hear clearly. Kara's mother was arguing with her younger brother, Kara's other uncle, in intense tones.
"It's because of Kara, you know. That's why he wants to come. She's older now, developing."
Kara's eyes widened and her heart beat faster as she crouched down outside the study door. She listened with ultimate concentration, straining to hear every subtle sound.
"You can't know that," said Uncle Jack. "Besides, maybe he's changed. That was an awfully long time ago."
"Not long enough for me," said Eleanor, Kara's mother. "I'll never forget, never forgive."
"Just because he, uh, did that to you doesn't mean he'd do the same to Kara."
"Guys like him don't change. And why is he only contacting us now, huh? When Kara's becoming a woman?"
"It could be a coincidence," said Jack, but his voice betrayed his doubt.
"Have you seen Kara lately? Especially that pert bottom? You think Rupert wouldn't want to have a go at those cheeky buns?"
"But how would he know?"
There was a brief pause, and then an "Ah ha!" as Eleanor found what she was seeking. "Remember this?"
"Kara's yearbook. From last year. What of it?"
There was the rustling of pages turning. "There."
"The gymnastics team?"
"Kara's on it."
Uncle Jack's voice was hard. "I know that. But what does this have to do with Rupert?"
"Look at this picture."
"Christy Swain, team captain, about to perform a-"
"Not her! In the background, right there."
"Is that Kara?"
"Yes, look at that chubby bottom in those tights."
"But you can't see her face. How would Rupert know it's her?"
"Oh, he'd know. Trust me. My buns used to look just like that back when I was her age. It's what attracted Rupert in the first place."
"You're telling me he'd recognize Kara by her butt?" Uncle Jack's voice dripped skepticism.
"You don't know him like I do. He'd know. Besides, if you look at her hair, it matches hers in the team picture, and she's named in the caption there."
Kara heard a soft brushing sound as Uncle Jack scratched his beard. "This is far-fetched, Eleanor. The odds of him finding a copy of the yearbook, noticing her in the gymnastics section, and then guessing that the girl with her back to the camera is Kara are microscopic. Are you sure you're not letting your bias against Rupert cloud your judgment?"
"Jack, you know what that bastard did to me! And not just me, but to several of my friends!"
"I know, I know. But it was a long time ago."
"I'm not putting my daughter at risk, Jack. Not even if the risk is point-oh-oh-one percent!"
"Okay, okay. I'll write Rupert back and tell him it's a no go."
"You do that. And tell him if he shows up, I'm calling the police!"
There were sharp footsteps and Kara bolted, dashing down the hall and around the corner. The study door burst open behind her and she heard her mother's heels click on into the kitchen. Kara darted up the stairs to her room, her heart pounding.
Was her uncle some sort of sex pervert? It sure sounded like it, and it would explain why the family had shunned him. Yet, oddly, this news did little to diminish the teen's curiosity. In fact, it actually increased it. Just what was this Uncle Rupert like? What had he done, not just to Kara's mom, but to her friends as well? And why was Kara's bottom such a big deal? It was perky and prominent, but was that enough to drive a man insane with lust?
This latter thought appealed to the girl and she went to bed that night dreaming strange visions of herself, naked, wagging her bottom so that a masked man in black kept following her. She was frightened, but kept attracting him with the pale moons of her bottom, so that as she ran away he followed those irresistible globes.
The next day, Kara had an idea. She went to Uncle Jack's house. He only lived a couple of miles away, an easy trip on a bike. She popped in as though she was just passing by and wanted to say hi and get a drink of water. Uncle Jack, tall and dark, and thickly bearded, was a kindly man and welcomed her with enthusiasm. They talked for a while, then she excused herself to use the bathroom.
When she came out, Jack was back at his computer. He worked from home as a technical consultant. She didn't disturb him, but slipped out to the foyer where she found a stack of mail ready to go out. She flipped through. Most were bills, but there was one letter addressed to a Rupert Donald. Her heart surged.
"Hey, Uncle Jack, I'm getting ready to go," she called out. "I've got a couple items my mom wanted me to mail at the post office. Do you want me to drop off this mail by the door? It looks like it's all stamped and ready to go."
Jack appeared in the entryway. "Say, thanks, Kara. That would be great! Save me a trip later."
Kara gave him a wave and gathered up the envelopes. She left, a huge smile on her face. It was no trouble to drop off the stuff at the post office, except she didn't mail Rupert's letter. That she took home.
In her room she opened it, careful not to tear the envelope. Uncle Jack's letter was brief to the point of rudeness:
Rupert:
You are not to come. I repeat, you are not to come under any circumstances. Your sister has threatened to call the police if you show up, so please don't and spare us all the drama.
Jack
It was easy enough for Kara to create a similar letter on her computer. She named it something innocuous and put it in with her school stuff in case her parents snooped. Her letter read:
Rupert:
Enough time has passed that I think it would be okay for you to come. My niece Kara really wants to meet you. However, our sister is still not convinced this is a good idea. It would be best if you meet me in private away from the family. Let's meet at the Starbucks on Owl Street at 11 a.m. on Friday the 29th.
Please don't write again. I don't want Eleanor to know we're meeting.
Jack
Kara printed out the letter along with an old school paper, just in case someone came along while the printer was working. No one did. She mimicked Uncle Jack's scrawled signature and folded the new letter up and put it back in the original envelope. She sealed it with a glue stick and then put on a piece of tape to make sure it would stay closed. Then, after tearing up the original letter into tiny pieces and throwing it away, she went to her bike and rode to the post office a second time, mailing the letter.
In two weeks she'd meet her Uncle Rupert!
The Meeting
On Friday the 29th of June, Kara rode her bike to Starbucks. It was only ten and she was early, but she couldn't wait. She bought a small coffee and installed herself in a corner and watched everyone, wondering if each man she saw was her Uncle Rupert.
There was a fat red-headed man with bad acne. She sure hoped it wasn't him. There was a handsome college age man, clean cut and athletic, and she wouldn't have minded if that was Uncle Rupert, even though she knew he was much too young.
As eleven approached, Kara grew more and more nervous. She worried he wasn't coming. Then it occurred to her that she had no idea what Uncle Rupert looked like and wondered if she'd even be able to recognize him. She should have told him to wear something distinctive, like a Red Sox baseball cap, except that she'd been writing as Uncle Jack, and he wouldn't need a detail like that to recognize his own brother.
Then, just before the hour, a tall dark-haired man entered. For a split second, Kara was terrified, thinking that Uncle Jack had found out and was coming to confront her. Then she realized the man wasn't Uncle Jack, though he was remarkably similar. He was bulkier and a little older, she decided. And she knew she was looking at Uncle Rupert.
She waited until he'd bought a coffee and then she waved him over. She stood up. "I'm Kara, your niece."
The man stared at her. "Kara! Oh my God, look at you. You're all grown up!" He threw his arms around her and hugged her hard. She hugged back, liking him already.
"Where's Jack?" he asked, looking around.
"Jack's not here."
"He couldn't make it?" Rupert looked disappointed.
"He doesn't know you're here."
"What do you mean? He wrote me a letter-"
"I wrote you that letter. His letter was more like 'fuck off and die.'"
Uncle Rupert's face darkened. His jaw tightened, then he nodded. "That sounds like Jack," he said softly. "Care of your mother, I presume?"
"She really hates you. What did you do to her?"
"It's... complicated."
"I've got all day and I want to know everything."
Rupert sighed. "How much do you know?"
"Nothing. They won't tell me a thing. Mom acts like you raped her."
"It was nothing like that, though I did... overstep my bounds."
"What do you mean?"
Uncle Rupert looked around. "Do you mind if we get out here? It's a little crowded and I bet it will get worse closer to lunchtime."
"Sure. How about we take a walk? There's a park down the block."
"Perfect."
Outside it was a lovely warm summer day and the two, from a distance, looked like an ideal uncle and niece. Kara was tiny compared to his 6'2", but she had the same jet-black hair. The tight jeans and skimpy shirt she wore showed off her lean, curvy body. She moved with athletic grace, a little pixie dancing around the man.
"You know our parents died when we were young," he began. When Kara nodded, he continued. "When they had their accident I was a senior in high school, your mom a sophomore. Jack was a freshman. I was eighteen, so I took over guardianship of my brother and sister. If I hadn't, they'd have gone into foster homes."
"That was nice of you."
"My siblings didn't think so. But that was because I bossed them around and punished them when they didn't obey."
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