Patience's Virtue

The door opened. Patience stood there, dressed in a burgundy turtleneck sweater and jeans. Her face was slightly flushed. She smiled as soon as she saw him. "Langdon? I can't believe it's you!!" She threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. Langdon was aware of her scent and the feel of her trim, athletic body against his.

"Hi, Sis," he finally managed to say. "It is so good to see you again." He awkwardly held out the wine and flowers and said, "I brought these for you."

Patience took the flowers and the wine, and led Langdon into the small living room. He sat down on the couch, and said, "How have you been?" while she went into the kitchen and bustled about, finding a vase for the flowers, and putting the wine in the refrigerator.

"Oh, I've been okay, I guess," she said. "How about you?"

"Well, I suppose I'm doing all right. I sure did miss you after we were separated."

Patience came into the living room, handed him a glass of red wine, and sat down. "I hope you don't mind steak and baked potatoes for dinner," she said.

Langdon noticed that Patience seemed slightly tense. Happy, but a bit ill at ease.

"Are you all right, Sis?" Langdon asked.

"Yes, I'm all right, but I've got to know something, Langdon," Patience said, taking a nervous sip of her wine.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I need to know why you stopped writing me," Patience said, her eyes getting a little moist.

Langdon set his wine glass carefully down on the living room table. He leaned forward and said, "Patience, I didn't stop writing you. The letters I wrote you began coming back `No longer at this address'. I tried calling you, but the phone had been disconnected. When I tried to talk to my foster parents about it, they just said something about Aunt Ruth and Uncle Tom not approving of them. They wouldn't even try to get back in touch with them. And, by that time we had already moved away, so I just gave up hope. Believe me, Patience, I wanted more than anything to get in touch with you, but I my hands were tied." Langdon himself felt like crying when he remembered his helplessness.

Patience was crying, meanwhile. She came over and sat down beside Langdon on the couch. They hugged and cried for a while, dispelling all the hurt and loneliness which had plagued them for so long.

When they had both regained their composure, they laughed a little, in the joy of being together. It was like it had been in the old days. They were together again, and as close as ever. Langdon gently wiped Patience's tears away and said, "God, it's good to see you again, Sis. I missed you so much! I really needed you for a friend."

Patience said, "I missed you too! There were so many nights that I wanted you to talk to. Sometimes I could almost feel your presence."

"Well, we're never going to be separated again, okay?" Langdon asked.

"Never," Patience replied. They clinked their wine glasses together, and drank. "Let's go into the kitchen. We can talk while I finish dinner."

Langdon sat at the kitchen table and watched her prepare dinner, and they talked, and drank wine. "I can't believe it," she said incredulously. "You've been going to North Central all this time?"

"Yes. I'm in my second semester, just like you," Langdon said.

"What are you majoring in?" Patience asked.

"Physical therapy," he replied. "What about you?"

"Most likely, Fine Arts," Patience replied.

She drank some more wine. Then, while looking at him, her brow suddenly furrowed, and a quizzical look came over her face. "Wait a minute," she said. "I remember. I've seen you on campus. You walked right by me one day, and I looked up to watch."

"You know," Langdon said, "I've seen you on campus before as well, but I never made the connection."

By this time, both of them were a little tipsy. Patience smiled a little coquettishly at him and asked, "Langdon, what did you think of when you saw me on campus?"

Langdon thought for a moment and said, "I thought, `What a good-looking woman'."

Patience laughed heartily and said, "I wonder what you would have thought if you'd known it was your sister."

Langdon looked at her steadily and said, "I would have thought the same thing."

Patience blushed a little, and tried to cover her embarassment by drinking some wine. Then, she got up, a little unsteadily, and went back into the kitchen. Langdon watched her go, admiring the way her jeans fit her.

He was lost in thought when Patience said, "Dinner's ready, Langdon."

They ate and talked and drank some more wine. By the end of dinner, Langdon said, "Sis, I don't think I should drive."

Patience said, "I was hoping you'd stay the night so that we could talk some more over breakfast. I'll fix up the couch for you. How about that?"

Langdon said, "That sounds fine."

After clearing the dinner dishes, Patience fixed the couch up with sheets and blankets and a pillow. Langdon, very tired and somewhat drunk by now, collapsed onto it with his clothes on. Patience took off his shoes and his shirt. She took off his trousers after making sure that he was wearing underwear. Langdon was now laying on the couch in just a tee shirt and jockey shorts, and sleeping peacefully. Very briefly, Patience ran her hand over Langdon's flat muscled belly. His skin was warm and smooth. She felt a heavy pulse in her pussy, and a spurt of moisture down there. She felt the heat rise in her face as Langdon began to get an erection.

No, not now. Maybe not ever, she thought. She got up and went to her bedroom. She closed the door, and undressed in front of her mirror. My body's not so bad, she thought. Although she was slender, she was well-proportioned. Her breasts were smallish, but perfectly shaped. She turned a little, admiring her firm, shapely butt. Any man would find me attractive, she thought.

She went to bed naked, and masturbated again and again, thinking about the man sleeping on the couch, and hoping that he found her attractive.

Chapter Nine

The next morning, Langdon was still sleeping when Patience got up. She looked at him on the couch, and felt a surge of happiness.

The Langdon she remembered had been a typical young male of fourteen. He had been, by turns, cocky, arrogant, hardheaded, rebellious, understanding, passionate, and even affectionate. They had fought each other from time to time, as brothers and sisters have always done. But there had never been a doubt in either of their minds that each one loved and cared for the other. The fact that they were fraternal twins, sharing the same womb, and born on the same day, had only intensified the feeling. The loss and separation of each from the other had been a defining moment in their lives. Ever since then, neither had felt completely whole. Even though both Langdon and Patience had had friends and even lovers, both had been conscious of a vague, undefined sense of dissatisfaction.

It was true that Langdon, for example, had feelings for Lauren. No one could have enjoyed the sex they had had together, and not felt something. But even so, Langdon had been aware that he could never really give his heart to her.

Patience had also been aware, possibly even more aware, of the same vague feelings. She had had only two lovers, Richard and Beth, and she had liked them both. But in a way, each had been an experiment of a sort. While Langdon had had more lovers, Patience was probably the more adventurous of the two siblings. She was conscious of a strong sensual side to her makeup. When she chose to turn it on, almost no one could resist her, male or female.

For a while, Patience wrestled with her not-so-sisterly feelings towards her brother. Society said that a relationship such as the one that she craved with her brother was wrong, for many reasons. An intelligent girl, she was under no illusions about the risks of what might happen should she become pregnant by him. For that reason, she knew that she had to wait. But, that did not mean that she would deny herself his presence. She intended that she and Langdon would move in together, as brother and sister at first, and later, well....

In time, Langdon would receive the full force of Patience's sexuality. Patience intended that he enter into it (and her) joyfully and willingly, with his eyes fully open. Patience had lost Langdon once, and it had nearly killed her. She intended never to lose him again.

Langdon stirred on the couch, and sat upright. "Shit," he said softly, rubbing his eyes.

"Got a headache?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said ruefully.

"Here, take these," she said, handing him some ibuprofen and a cup of hot, strong coffee. "I'm making breakfast. What would you like?"

"Nothing right now," he said. She started to protest, and Langdon said quickly, "I'll eat something in a little while. Just let me get some coffee in me."

He sat on the couch drinking coffee and recuperating from last night's wine. "I'm sorry for falling asleep like that."

"Don't worry about it," Patience said. She sat on the couch with him. She was wearing a two-piece sherpa knit lounging outfit that showed her flat belly and her shapely legs. He pulled the blanket over his waist.

"Would you like to take a shower?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, I would," he said.

"Go ahead. It might make you feel better. By the time you get out, I'll have some breakfast ready."

Langdon stumbled off to the bathroom, and Patience cooked Langdon's favorites: scrambled eggs, link sausages, english muffins, orange juice, and more hot coffee.

He came out rubbing his damp hair. He had on his pants but no shirt. Patience couldn't help but admire the way his muscles moved as towelled himself off. He had turned into a very nice-looking man, and a decent guy, too, by the look of things.

They had breakfast together, and talked more. Langdon told Patience that he liked his foster parents, the Garroways, and maybe even loved them some. But, he still missed their real parents. Patience felt completely different about Aunt Ruth and Uncle Tom. She had begun to hate them not long after she and Langdon had been separated.

"I don't know how many times they asked me to release my trust fund to them for their `safekeeping'," she said bitterly, "but I told them `no'. I think that made them pretty mad. Uncle Tom was always losing his job, or quitting his job, or wanting to make some kind of stupid investment. He really wanted my money to do it with, but I held out. If I had released that money to them, I knew that they would have lost it, and I would have ended up working at some discount store. I wanted to go to college, and that trust fund was the only way I was ever going to go. Boy, that really killed them. I moved out as soon as I could. Now, I have full control of the money."

"I was lucky," Langdon said. "My folks--the Garroways, I mean, never made a move or even mentioned my trust fund. I mean, I couldn't have asked for better foster parents. It wasn't their fault that they weren't my real parents. I love them, though, in a way. They took good care of me."

At around eleven that morning, Patience said, "Langdon, I don't want to run you off, but I have a test to study for."

"Hey, Sis, I understand. I have some stuff to work on, too."

"Listen," she said, "it's Sunday. My test is tomorrow. Why don't you come back over Tuesday night for dinner? I want to talk some more to you. In fact, I have a proposition for you."

"Well," Langdon said, "I don't get many propositions from beautiful women. Want to give me a hint?"

"Not yet," she said, smiling her best smile.

* * *

The next day, Patience went to see her gynecologist. She got a prescription for birth-control pills. She had had a bad couple of days after making love to Richard. He could have easily made her pregnant when he came inside her. But, luckily, she had gotten her period right on time afterward. She hadn't been back to bed with a man since that time. But, with Langdon back in her life, she intended to take no risks. She knew, however, that she would have to hold out for a while, maybe as long as a month. She felt certain she could do it, but it would be difficult. In the meantime, she would be the demure, lady-like sister.

That afternoon, she took the test she had been studying for and, as she expected, blew it away. Then she went to the grocery store and stocked up on a few more things that she remembered Langdon liking. Then she went over to Beth's place.

The two women made love that night, but afterward, Patience broke it off with her. Beth was a little teary-eyed, but she took it fairly well. She had realized from the start that Patience was going to be a short-term lover, and it came as no surprise when Patience ended the relationship. But it still hurt, and Patience could tell. She felt a little bad about it, but it had to be that way. They kissed affectionately when she left.

The next day, on campus, she saw Langdon, and reminded him that they had a dinner date for that evening. "I wouldn't miss it," he told her.

She went away smiling, thinking: Langdon, you will be mine.

* * *

She met him at the door wearing white tights and a oversized cowl necked sweater. She was barefooted, and Langdon noticed that she had very nice feet, and that her toes were painted. She wore no makeup, but her eyes shone in the light from the candles she had lit.

"Hi," Patience said, "come on in."

"I didn't bring any wine this time," he said.

"No problem. We'll drink water or tea."

"What's for dinner?" he asked, sitting down on the couch.

"Homemade soup, crusty bread, and salad," Patience said.

"Is it that vegetable soup that Mom used to make?"

"The very same," she replied.

"Great!" Langdon said. "I had almost forgotten how it tasted. I'm glad you have the recipe."

Patience came and stood in the entrance to the kitchen. She said, "I remember lots of things about Mom. Like the way she made soup, and the way she read to me, and even the way she yelled at us sometimes."

Langdon laughed. "Yeah, she had a temper, didn't she. Mom didn't take any crap from anybody." He paused for a moment. "I sure do miss her sometimes."

"Me too, Brother, me too."

There was more talk over dinner, mostly catching up and reminiscing about family. When they were once again settled into the living room, Patience put on a record, and dimmed the lights. It was an album they had both listened to together when they were thirteen years old.

"Wow! I can't believe you still have this," Langdon said.

"Yeah. I kept all our old records. I'm glad to have someone to listen to them with," Patience said, smiling at him. She looked at him very closely for a moment, and Langdon thought he saw her eyes become moist.

A moment later, she frowned slightly and took several deep breaths. Langdon heard her wheeze. Patience got up from the couch and went into her bathroom. He heard her rummaging around in the medicine cabinet. Then she came back out and sat down on the couch again. She put an asthma inhaler in her mouth, and gave herself a puff. A minute later, she repeated the process. Langdon watched without saying anything. When she was through, and had calmed down some, he said, "How much is your asthma bothering you, Patience?"

"Most of the time, I have no trouble. But lately it's been acting up a bit. The inhaler usually takes care of it, though."

Her wheezing went away. She appeared to be breathing easier. After awhile, Patience said, "There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Yeah? Okay, what?"

"I want you to know that I really, really missed you while you were gone. You were my only real friend. Now that we're together again, I don't want to lose you. Langdon, I think that we should move in together."

She sat back on the couch, watching his face closely. He appeared to be considering it carefully. Finally, he sat forward, looked at her, and said, "Well, Sis, I'm used to being alone. I set my own schedule. I clean up when I want to. In general, I sort of enjoy my privacy, my freedom, and my solitude."

Patience's heart began to sink. She said, "But we won't be in each other's way if we get a bigger apartment. I'll respect your privacy, Langdon. It's just that I thought that, well since we found each other again, that we could live together as sister and..."

Langdon interrupted her to say, "So, if anybody else, male or female, had asked me to share an apartment, even a large one, I would say no. But you are the one person in the world that I would consider moving in with. Yes, I think we should move in together. We'll pool our money and buy a place big enough for two. I feel the same as you. I'm never going to lose you again. Let's do it."

Patience was so happy that she leapt up from the chair in which she was sitting, and gave him a big hug.

"I'm so glad, Langdon! It will be great to be together again! We'll have parties, and study together, and, well, just be together again, just like a little family!"

"When does your lease for this place run out?" he asked.

"Not till May," Patience replied, "but I can get out of it sooner if I want to. How about yours?"

"Same here. I may have to pay a penalty, but I don't care. We'll go apartment hunting this week, and see what's out there."

"Sounds great!" Patience said, giving him another hug. Damn! she thought, he smells good.

At the same time, he was thinking: I don't think my sister is wearing a bra under that sweater.

Chapter Ten

One month later, Patience and Langdon moved into a nice, two-bedroom apartment in a good area of town, not far from campus. The weather was still cold, but it was late March, and the tiniest hint of spring was in the air.

Both Langdon's and Patience's friends helped them move. They could hardly believe the story about the siblings being separated for so long, but once they saw them together, and realized the resemblance, they believed.

One of Patience's friends caught Langdon's eye. Her name was Melody Hansen. She was a beautiful blonde with straight hair, long, slender legs and big green eyes. She was much sought-after on the campus, by both men and women. The rumor was that she was bisexual. When Langdon spoke privately to Patience about it, she said, "Oh, I heard that, too. Well, Melody's a friend, and she's never made a pass or anything like that at me." And that was that, for the time being.

The first month together in the apartment was slightly hectic. Both Langdon and Patience had mid-terms, and they couldn't spend too much time together. And, they had their occasional squabbles, as roommates do. But mostly they got along very well together.

Patience kept their relationship close and affectionate, but not intimate. She wanted to wait a little while longer. She wanted the time to be just right, perhaps when summer vacation began.

In the meantime, they studied, they worked--he at a movie theater, she at a gym--they partied, they both participated in intramurals, and they lived together as brother and sister.

Things were going as planned until something happened that caused her to decide to make her move early. During an intramural softball game, Patience hurt her shoulder diving for the ball. She immediately left the game, although the injury initially didn't hurt too much. She even went to work at the gym. But over the course of the evening, her shoulder became more and more painful. At nine o'clock, the gym closed. It was her responsibility to lock up that night. She ran everybody out, locked the front door, turned off the lights, then went back to the office, and called Langdon at home.

"Hello," he said.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi, Sis. What's up?"

"Can you come to the gym?" she asked.

"Uh, I guess so. What's going on?"

"I hurt myself playing softball today. Could you come look at it?"

"Why don't you come home?" Langdon sounded concerned.