Chapter Seventeen

Martin Lauren, or as we know him, Uncle Martin, was a blond man of average looks. Although he was 29, he resembled his late brother, who would have been 35, in both face and behavior. They had the same smile. They both cleared their throats whenever they faced an awkward silence. Martin, being the younger of the two, used to wear his hair in a more modern fashion, but over the years since his brother's death, his hair and clothes began to transform more and more into the kind that Stan preferred. But could the same be said about their natures?

 

When he was 7 years old, Martin had a new neighbor. She was a 13 year old girl named Julie, who had instantly captured the hearts of both the Lauren brothers. She was pretty. She wasn't extraordinarily beautiful. But she was a girl, and that was all that mattered to teenage Stan. Despite his age, this was something that thrilled young Martin too. So when the girl in the Flintstones T-shirt came out that evening to sit in her frontyard, the boys skipped dinner to stare at her from the window in their room, being careful she didn't see them.

 

Of course, eventually, time would come for Stan to actually talk to this Julie. And that time came when Mr. and Mrs. Lauren decided to go welcome the new family into the neighborhood. Not so many years from then, she would bear his child. Once they formally met, they hit it off, being the same age, and young Stan made it a habit of visiting her in her house more and more frequently. And little Martin never missed an opportunity to tag along. No matter how many times his older brother would try to get rid of him, Martin would follow like a lost little puppy.

 

Like most teenage boys, puberty was a time when young Stan had started collecting obscene pictures of women, which he poorly hid. Martin happened to be as curious as a cat back then, and found them, causing him to form questions in his mind, and somewhat altering his personality in terms of decency. It would be safe to say it scarred him mentally, and robbed him of his innocence. He had never been able to think the same after that. To this day, every thought of his would somehow redirect to the topic we so politely title "The Facts Of Life".

 

Of course, like any boy, just pictures weren't enough for little Martin. He wanted to see what a woman was underneath all that apparel upclose. And who was the most preferable female he had close at hand? Julie. Once Martin realized what he wanted, he couldn't think about anything else. Everyday, he would insist on going next door with his brother, in hopes of having the chance to turn his dreams into reality. But of course, Julie wouldn't simply take her clothes off while talking to them. He had to start scheming.

 

Whenever he was there, Stan would kick him out of her room or distract him with something and the two teens would then enjoy their privacy. They didn't exactly notice where Martin was as long as he wasn't in their way. Stan would be there for hours, completely ignoring his little brother. Martin figured, if he was at her house long enough, and hiding in a place that was convenient for his purpose, he could catch her changing clothes. He thought hiding under her bed was a good idea. His size was definitely an advantage.

 

He ran in there when Julie and Stan were stuck at the door, saying their hellos as romantically as possible. He stayed there and waited.  He was there for hours. Then finally, the moment he was waiting for arrived, causing him great excitement. He came closer to the edge of the bed for a better view. He saw everything he had wanted to see, and discovered things he didn't expect to be there. He felt his eyes would pop out of his head. Sadly, his joy did not last much longer.

 

When she was done, she sat down on her bed, still not having noticed Martin's head behind her ankles. That is, until he breathed on them. She gasped, but that was only because she was startled, and hadn't exactly formed an idea of what could have been her stimulation. Imagine her screams when she discovered it was the little boy she thought of as a baby, watching her while she was naked. She was furious to find she had been violated. She immediately took him to her parents, and then they to his.

 

He was told to apologize, which he did. But he only regretted getting caught. Since that day, he tried his level best to get her to undress in his presence again. He was desperate, and he made it really obvious that he was. He begged her to marry him, he told her he would put his hand above his eyes if she changed clothes, and promised not to peek-lying of course. He followed her around and tried to touch her inappropriately, every opportunity he got.

 

If asked now, though nobody would dare, Martin will tell them that was a time of his life he really isn't proud of, and that he has changed completely. He will then change the subject. Unfortunately, only the first part of that is true. Martin realized if he stayed the way he was, he would only get in trouble. He even got sent to therapy for his misbehaviour. He decided, it was wiser to keep his intentions a secret. And so, he spent the next 6 years getting closer to Julie, which is the only way he has manged to become so important in her life.

 

Over the years, he met other women, and eventually, he grew out of his obsession with his brother's girl. He had to. Neither Stan nor Julie lived near him anymore. They stayed in touch with Martin, though they didn't bother doing the same with their parents, so he saw them from time to time. Especially after Melissa was born. That was a point when his involvement in their lives became greater. Although he tried to ignore it, his attraction towards Julie remained.

 

His brother's death brought him great grief, but it also reawakened the idea of trying to have the woman he'd wanted for so long. He had honestly tried. However, he discovered she truly was in love with her late husband, and was no longer the jubilant girl that she once was. Stan's death had left her broken apart, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't take his place in Julie's mind. Though she still holds a high place in his heart, Martin realizes it would not be rational to keep loving something that once was.

Besides, lately, someone else had been on his mind. Someone not so deviated from his ideals. So what if it seemed Julie would be passing away soon? She was leaving behind a young version of herself. One as beautiful as she used to be, and one with more passion. This young Julie had caught his attention quite recently, and he had a feeling that it wouldn't take him much effort to let her see their relationship the way he did. She knew he was caring. She knew he was good. She probably even loved him. She just needed to say. That's right. I need to hear her say it...

Reviews

[Lexi Villanueva]

Very detailed and clever in many ways

[Leslie Philibert]

A clever, well-written treatment of a difficult theme, you do well here.

[Blue Ivory]

Thank you so much for the fast response. I appreciate your reviews greatly.