The twins went to their room to get out of their gowns before Dad caught them naked underneath them. Mom got out of Dad’s lap and Dad stood up and grabbed his suitcoat from a dining room chair. He pulled out two envelops and placed them on the kitchen bar.
When the girls came out dressed in their terry-cloth robes their attention went to the envelope with their name on it and picked it up. They carried the envelopes to the family room hefting them like they were unusually heavy. Mom passed them on the way to the kitchen.
June and Julie opened their envelopes at the same time and pulled out celebration cards that I could see said something about graduation. June read hers aloud and Julie’s card was the same. They opened the cards and in unison and they both screamed in stereo. Mom hurried into the family room to see what had happened. Together, the twins pulled cash money from their cards. They counted off hundred-dollar bills as their eyes grew wider and wider with each one. They fanned out one thousand dollars and waved them in the air and then hugged each other as they jumped around together.
Julie peeled off from her embrace with June and leaped into Dad’s lap. June followed and did the same. They kissed and hugged Dad and he was very pleased with their reaction. When his lips came free, he said, “I’m so proud of you two. Finishing first and second in GPA is amazing. You worked hard and you earned it.
The girls were so excited that they bounced around the family room and pulled me up to join them. It looked to me like Mom was completely unaware of these gifts.
When things settled down it was getting late and I announced that I was going to bed. I carefully hung up my suit and went to the bathroom. I decided to take a shower tonight rather than tomorrow morning. I was stepping in as I heard Mom and Dad coming up the stairs. I couldn’t hear their words but it sounded like Mom was saying, “Stop that,” and then giggled. They went to their room and shut the door. I finished up in the bathroom and as I was leaving with a towel wrapped around my waist Mom was coming in. She was in her bath robe which she opened to tease me with her naked body. She whispered, “He’s leaving very early in the morning. Come in and see me when you wake up.” She winked and I went down the hall to my room.
Dad crossed the hall in his boxer shorts. Mom crossed back to her room and flashed me again before disappearing in her room. Dad crossed the hall a few minutes later and the hall light went out. All was completely quiet.
I fell asleep thinking about tomorrow morning. I didn’t know what time the party was starting. I woke in pitch dark. The streetlight out front usually lit up my room so I could see forms and shadows on the darkest of nights. It must have burned out or been broken. I had an eerie feeling that someone else was in the room. When I was little, I was certain that there were monsters in my room when I woke to the feeling that I had now. I lifted my head off the pillow and tried to use my peripheral vision which sees better in the dark to pick up any movement.