Picture Perfect

The reunion went much as Emily had planned. Luckily everybody got along, which is much more than a person can hope for at a family reunion. One would expect lots of arguments, or at least a small one about a very small matter, like families do.

At one point during the event, Richard hugged Bobby, and then he hugged Emily.

~*~*~*~*~

An adolescent boy, looking much like Richard, was wearing a suit with a pastel yellow bow tie. Little Emily, then only approximately five years old, was wearing a white dress and pale pink shoes which somehow matched her dress. Her hair was done up all fancy-for-a-Kindergartener, for some fancy occasion. She was wearing a pink and white ribbon.

The boy was touching her. He told her not to tell anyone, or else Cousin Bobby would not make it to another family event. This was a threat.

*~*~*~*~*

Emily cried out, “Don’t touch me!” As she did, everyone around who could hear looked shocked.

“Emily,” said her mother, “don’t be so rude to your cousin. You two always used to be so close, despite the age difference.”

“It’s alright, Aunt Rachael. I suppose I may have hurt her in our hug,” Richard lied, with a slight grin on his face.

Bobby looked shocked as well. Only, in a different manner than everyone else had been. Like he had been thinking the same thing Emily had when she made her outburst.

Emily got away from Richard and walked slowly and carefully to Bobby, pulling on his arm and pulled him into the building.

- - - - - -

“Emily, do you think —?”

“Think what, Bobby? Think that our older and more mature cousin could actually do something like that?” Emily snapped.

Bobby looked confused, “Do what?”

“How do you feel when Richard hugs us, or looks at us?”

Bobby thought about it for three seconds, “Sick to my stomach.”

“Exactly,” Emily explained. “That’s how I feel. It doesn’t matter whether he’s glancing at me or you, or which one he touches, I feel sick.”

“So do I.”

“I had a flashback, Bobby...”