CHAPTER 24

I like Kyle's family immediately. His father, a hefty, broad-shouldered and handsome retired army officer sometimes indulged us with amusing tales of his army days.

While Kyle inherited most of his father's good looks, the soft limpid brown eyes were definitely his mother's. She was a petite, youthful lady, and stood a good foot shorter than her husband. Even so, it was clear from the first night I was with them that it was she who ruled the household, the pillar of strength not only to her three sons but also to her doting husband. Kyle's two older brothers were studying abroad.

The first week I stayed with the family, Kyle introduced me to Lisa, his Caucasian neighbour's 19-year-old daughter who was back from college for Christmas. She brought home her room-mate Trish, who wanted to spend her first Christmas in the tropics.

Lisa was a vivacious girl who had a habit of tossing back her long, blond tresses whenever she laughed, showing off her white, elegant neck. She was pretty, but I found Trish more intriguing. A brunette, she was about five-foot-four, and weighed not more than a hundred pounds. Her pale blue eyes were carefully penciled with eye-liner of the same shade, and her lips were glossed pink.

That day, when Lisa invited Kyle and I over for a game of tennis, Trish was wearing a white tube top and a very short tennis skirt. The pink panties she had on underneath matched the colour of her lips.

After a couple of games, we declared Lisa and Kyle winners of the day and adjourned to the poolside where the maid had placed a pitcher of lemonade and some glasses before she went off to the market. Lisa and Kyle then opted to resume the game, to work out more sweat. Trish and I decided to cool off in the den instead.

We took our drinks along, and once inside Trish pushed the sliding glass doors shut and turned on the air-conditioner. We sat down apart on the sofa, facing each other, kicked our shoes off and got to talking about school, college, and eventually ourselves.

Trish propped up one foot onto the sofa, her toes touching my knee. Her skirt was hiked up in the process, revealing a generous view of her pink panties.

I shyly looked away.