With that assurance from me, Sis gently told me "Well, when she spends the night, maybe you'll get the chance to learn something that'll make it easier for you to get used to it" before standing up and leaving my room.

It wasn't until after she was gone that I realized I could use the peephole from my closet to her room to see for myself how Charlene was different. From the time she came over until then, though, I'd just have to make sure to keep myself under control.

The following Friday night was to be the main event. I could tell that Eva was nervous when she got home from school, but when Charlene showed up to join us for supper, she'd pulled herself together again. All I had to do was act the way I usually did by staying away from the two of them for the most part. The little bit of conversation I had with Charlene during supper was as brief and casual as any other time she'd been over. I'll confess to trying to check her out a couple of times when she wasn't looking, but otherwise avoided causing any embarrassment for her — which earned me a relieved and pleased smile from Sis when all of us were done eating. I don't know if Mom and Dad had heard anything from Charlene's parents; if so, they did a fine job of hiding it.

Charlene and Sis went back to her room almost immediately after supper; I hung around and watched TV for a little while to continue my (pretend) indifference to Charlenes presence in the house. It was an hour and a half before I finally made my way back to my room; as soon as I'd closed the door, I was in my closet and looking into Eva's room. To my disappointment, the two of them were fully dressed and sitting on the bed in animated conversation. From the (very) little I could hear, it was about the usual girl stuff that I'd heard Eva talk to her other friends about. Still, it was getting late in the evening and I stayed where I was in anticipation of the show that I just knew had to be coming.