Chapter 12

Mum had to come back upstairs and wake both of us for breakfast the next morning; neither of us had heard them moving about as we normally did.

Because breakfast was almost ready, and it was a Sunday, she let us come downstairs in our dressing gowns.

"Not like you two to be worn out and sleep so long?"

I told her that it had been quite a change for us; working hard physically at demolition and stripping wallpapering, while chattering constantly, and taking some exercise in the fresh air along the grassy area above the Gorge and Brunel's bridge which was known as Clifton Downs.

"But you are always chattering!"

"Not at the vegetable factory, we don't, Mum, there's too much going on and too much noise. Besides, we had to do a lot of thinking, because Adrian and Sheila were asking all sorts of questions about fending for yourself at Uni, and that set Jen thinking too, and asking more questions herself."

"And I suppose you were also talking late into the night?"

"Yeah, I suppose so; we worked until the light started to go, then we went out to eat, and then had a beer at the pub, and then we got talking once we were in our sleeping bags, and of course we had to be up early for the electrician."

"YES not YEAH, please!"

"Sorry, Mum!"

"Pass the butter, please, Jon."

"Sorry, Sis, here it is."

"Anyway, your father and I are glad you enjoyed yourselves, and even more pleased that you are back home again. The place seems very empty without you, but I suppose we'd better get used to that!"

There wasn't much we could say to that; Mum and Dad wanted us to go to Uni and have the opportunities in life that they hadn't had, and that meant leaving home. They were happy enough with their lot, but they wanted us to have a chance to do even better for ourselves, which is why they had encouraged us to study hard.

I was lying on my bed that afternoon, partly dozing as my body digested another of Mum's massive Sunday lunches, and partly skip-reading one of my old paperbacks, when Jen knocked softly on my door and came in.

"Jon, have you got a couple of minutes?"

"For my favourite sister, I've got all the time in the world!"

"That's the oldest joke in the book - I'm your only sister!"

She carefully checked that she had properly closed the door behind her, and sat down on the edge of my bed. She moved a little bit gingerly, and I was a touch concerned about her.

"Are your tummy muscles okay now, Sis?"

"They were pretty sore this morning, but they are probably okay now, except that I ate far too much at lunch!"

"Me too! It seems rude not to have seconds when Mum has taken all the trouble, and she takes it as a compliment when there aren't any leftovers. Anyway, I'm glad that you are okay."

"Jon, I just wanted to say thank you so much for arranging that trip to Clifton! I'm SO very glad I've done it for the first time that way, instead of a fumble on a sofa while babysitting, or some of the other ways I've heard about at school. It was really special, and I'll never forget it!"

"I'm just delighted that you enjoyed it, Sis. It should be a joyous occasion, and from what I hear, all too often it isn't."

"Oh god, it was more than joyous, big brother, now I understand why people get so excited about sex!"

"I just hope that it hasn't raised your expectations unreasonably high."

"That's what I really wanted to talk to you about, if you don't mind. Adrian made me come every time we fucked, and I had more than a dozen wonderful orgasms in two days! Every one of them was miles better than anything I've ever managed to give myself! I suspect I've already experienced something that most women never do in their lifetime. I've discovered that I really enjoy having sex. I think that Adrian is probably an exceptionally good lover, because he's like you, naturally kind and considerate. How do I make great sex happen all the time?"

I blushed a bright crimson and could feel my ears burning; I was still REALLY not at all comfortable with my kid sister telling me about her orgasms.

But she was asking for my advice, and I wanted to help her to the best of my ability.

After all, I had promised Julie that I would.

"Hmmm. That is the million-dollar question! I'll tell you what we worked out, and you can learn from it what you will. I have to admit that I've been incredibly lucky!"

I moved my head and body a little bit, so that she could sit more comfortably on the bed, and I could see her without squinting.

"Sian and I first met by pure chance; I had just joined the queue at the blood donor session and she came in next, we were on adjacent beds and started chatting while our bags were filling up, we had a glass of beer afterwards and got on well, and when I bumped into her a few days later, I somehow plucked up the courage to ask her to come for another beer with me. You know that I've always been really shy around girls, but as I had talked to her already, it wasn't nearly so difficult."

"We became mates first, and then one night she asked me to stay. I was horribly shy and kept my pants on that night, but she was patient and got me to promise to stay the next night, which is when we first did the deed. God, I can't believe I'm telling my kid sister all this!"

"It's all good experience which will help me! That's what big brothers are for, to give advice and encouragement!"

"What I'm trying to say is that in the normal course of events, our paths wouldn't even have crossed. Boys and girls tend to read different subjects; I think there are maybe three girls in my Chemistry year, and they've all got thick horn-rimmed NHS glasses and determined expressions. I've no idea how many boys you will come across; in a way you want to avoid the ones you study with, in case you try them and it doesn't work out; you don't want to keep having to see them every day."

"I don't know how you will meet people in a Hall of Residence; you will have neighbours but you won't get thrown into instant friendships like you do sharing a room or house - though if I'm honest, I didn't get on especially well with my male housemates because we had very little in common after I met Sian. You can try joining a club if you want to meet like minded people, or you can rely on luck like I did, but I wouldn't recommend going to pubs, clubs and concerts just in the hope of being chatted up. That has never worked well for the girls I know."

"I've never had sex with a girl I didn't already know and like; apart from Sheila that is, and she came very highly recommended by Sian, and we're all great friends still. I think that liking the person you're having sex with is really important, because you both want to please each other more than you want to please yourself. I suspect that's partly why Vee's one night stands never worked out for her, because the blokes were selfish and just wanted to add another notch to their bedposts, and didn't care if they never saw her again afterwards, as long as they got their end away."

I could see Jen cringe at the thought of becoming one of a Casanova's tally.

"There is also still a lot of prejudice out there, many people who believe that a woman shouldn't ever enjoy having sex. You'll hear men describing girls who have sex as sluts, and assuming that they are easy. Remember those two idiots at the factory, telling everyone what their date had been like? I wouldn't have gone near that girl afterwards, knowing that she couldn't keep it quiet, and I've warned you about stupid boys who boast."

"Once you have found a partner who will put you first, you need to work on making it fun, and becoming good mates as well. Julie and I go out together a lot; we even went to a cricket match together, and I want to take her dancing more often. Making love is not a chore, and we have lots of fun trying out different positions, so it doesn't get stale and boring. Some work, some don't. Vee's fiance doesn't do anything but missionary, and she's not impressed. Did Julie tell you that we went to watch some porn films to get new ideas?"

"Yes, and she also said that you know some amazing sexual positions, that she enjoys very much. Sheila says you're pretty damn good in bed too. I did notice yesterday morning that all three of you were naked together in the same bed, and that they were both looking very happy with the results! I presume you had sex with both of them?"

I blushed despite my best efforts.

"Is nothing secret any more?"

"Not really, no. And I also noticed that you are quite a big boy now! Are you going to tell me about these different positions? Perhaps you could demonstrate them to me?"

"No, I'm NOT going to demonstrate them! You're my little sister, for christs sake!"

She got to her feet and sashayed out of my room, deliberately rolling her hips and swaying her bottom at me. At the door, she turned round, smiled, and blew me a kiss.

"Maybe I'm not that little any more?"

This was not looking at all good. I probably had created a monster. Jen had obviously really enjoyed having had sex with Adrian, and she was clearly already keen to try it again.

I knew that Julie and I had done our best for Jen; she would now be going to University knowing what it was like to have good sex, and I knew that she wouldn't fall victim to the kind of pond-life that trawled our Union bars in search of fresh young meat.

I hoped that she would soon be able to overcome her natural shyness and find herself a nice boyfriend; Adrian had clearly given her self-confidence one hell of a boost, and with a bit of luck, she should soon find the happiness that I had with Julie.

That evening, and at breakfast on Monday, Jen behaved as if we hadn't had that conversation at all.

I tried not to show my nervousness, and was talking to her about the arrangements for going back to the factory the next morning when Mum gave us our food.

That afternoon when Mum went out, Jen asked me for Julie's phone number, and had a very long - and often very giggly - conversation with her. Then she called me to the phone.

We exchanged the usual remarks between lovers who haven't seen each other for nearly three whole days, and haven't spoken on the phone for almost 24 hours. Then I had an idea.

"My darling, I can't thank you enough for helping Jen, she's over the moon that it all went so well, and without your encouragement she probably wouldn't have done it. Can I buy you a small present as a thank-you? What I'm thinking of is a return ticket to Bristol this week, so you can help Adrian decide what colour to paint the ceiling of his bedroom?"