‘Managing my sister,’ also meant taking care of Catherine. The assault and attempted rape did a lot to her mind. Within a week, I set up appointments for her to see a therapist. At first she would only go, if I was there; which was fine. It actually worked out well, because I found I needed a few sessions as well; killing a man is not an easy thing to do. And it isn’t something I would ever wish upon anyone. Even after speaking with the therapist, I still occasionally get nightmares about that eventful day, and I can still see his face when I close my eyes.
So, in the following months the routine we fell into was: get up and ready for the day, and make sure Karl left for work. Catherine and I would head into town, I’d drop her off at the therapist, or lawyer, or whatever appointment she had each day. I’d head to class, practice, or whatever appointment I had. Catherine and I would meet for lunch. If I had an afternoon appointment, game or practice we’d stay in town until afterwards. If I had afternoon classes, I would rush Catherine home, then head back to class.
As soon as I got home in the afternoon, I tried to do whatever hunting I could before dark. On the days when I had afternoon classes, games, or practices, I didn’t get much opportunity to hunt.
Catherine would have dinner waiting for Karl and I when we got back. The evening was the only time we had free time. At bedtime, more often than not, my sister would join me, and not her husband. Then we would start it all again the next day.
The weekends were when we caught up on the things the various appointments kept us from. I processed my kills, and tanned the hides. Catherine cleaned the house, and, at my insistence, Karl maintained the house and helped clean.
I just couldn’t wait for the legal meetings to come to an end. Going to hearings, and talking with the lawyers took up so much time and money, even with Karl working full time, and my extra hunting income, we were hard pressed to make ends meet.
The only good thing through all the legal troubles was they were mostly Karl’s. With the charges against me being dropped, Catherine and I were only called on for testimony in the case Karl was dealing with.
Other than having to act as a taskmaster over my gambling addicted brother-in-law, it was a somewhat comfortable arrangement… at least for the first three months.
As I mentioned, most nights my sister ended up in my bed. She claimed she couldn’t sleep next to Karl. The first two weeks she was with me. After that she tried sleeping with her husband, but still ended curling up with me.
In the second month after the attack Catherine did manage to spend a couple of nights with Karl, but never consecutively, and she looked like death warmed over the next day. As the second month drew to a close, she stopped sharing his bed at all. For the third month my sister was in my bed, and my bed alone. When getting ready for bed she would go to the room she used to share with Karl, get changed, then join me in my room.
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