A Vacation to Remember

Angela had been unsure when her little sister, Gael, booked a vacation to Hawaii for them and their daughters. With Gael's husband away on business, and with the girls about to start college, this would likely be their last opportunity. It was only after Angela broached the idea with her daughter, Anna, and saw the excitement on her face, did she agree.
Gael paid for the whole thing. Angela could not be expected to pay for half when she could barely afford to make rent on her cleaner's salary. Gael had just received a promotion at the firm and was delighted to share her success with her less fortunate, older sister. It was no doubt just a bonus that it reminded Angela just how much more successful she was of course.
Angela made no argument against her belittling remarks. Gael would only accuse her of bitterness if she said anything and Angela did not want to risk Anna's disappointment by having Gael cancel the whole thing. Anna had never even been out of state, never mind to such a luxurious destination as Hawaii.
It was true that Angela had always been a pushover where Gael was concerned. Growing up, they always did the things Gael wanted to do. Angela knew it was easier to just agree with her and avoid the tantrums, the screaming, the hair pulling, the kicking, and the destruction. Gael had been a true terror, and Angela had been terrified.
It made it worse that Gael had been Dad's obvious favorite. She reminded him too much of their mom. She had died when they were children and he had never gotten over it. Gael's exuberance, liveliness, Mediterranean complexion, black hair, and blue eyes, were cloned from Mom. Unfortunately, Angela took after Dad. Ratty brown hair, sallow skin, and difficulty controlling weight. It was hard for people to accept the sisters were from the same genetic pool.
It was unfair. Not only did Gael always get her way, but she was also blessed with mom's good looks. She was popular and charming. She was intelligent enough to be accepted into an Ivy League College. She married a handsome, rich, CEO of a multinational. She drove a Mercedes S-Class. She lived in a mansion in Paradise Hills. She had personal trainers, botox, surgery, and a life of endless comfort.
What did Angela have? A rented studio apartment and a 1997 Mercury Sable with over two hundred thousand miles on the clock.
Angela knew it would not have been anything for Gael to pay for first-class tickets for them all. Instead, Gael had handed over economy-class for Angela and Anna, reserving first-class as the exclusive treat for herself and her own daughter, Lucy. Clearly, it was meant as an insult. Angela and Anna didn't deserve first class. They were lesser than Gael and Lucy. Angela ought to have been mad, but as always, she just took it with a smile and thank you, hating her own spinelessness.
It was impossible to stand up to Gael. Her little sister made her feel things inside she knew were wrong. Gael was so beautiful. Unfairly beautiful. Painfully beautiful. Angela's stomach wrenched every time she saw her. Her poreless, glowing skin; her glossy black hair, and haunting blue eyes. Her Chanel sunglasses, Bottega Veneta calfskin bag costing more than the contents of Angela's entire case, and how her sculpted buttocks appeared inside her tight white jeans. She couldn't help but imagine pressing her nose against them, inhaling, kissing, and licking.
The more Gael teased and exploited her, the more she wanted it. There was a thrill in the unfairness of her life. Gael won, Angela lost. It was as it should be. It was exciting. It made her tingle in her pussy. She had touched herself plenty of times to Gael's triumphs, especially when she considered they had come at her own expense.
Angela had never been to college. When Dad had gotten sick, she had stayed home to take care of him. Ivy League-bound Gael was never going to sacrifice her own advancement when mediocre Angela had nothing else going on in her life.
His deterioration made him harder and harder to deal with. When Gael finally graduated law school and landed a high-paying role in the firm, Angela had hoped Gael would offer to take the burden away from Angela and pay for Dad's care. To finally allow Angela to do something with her life. It never happened. It was convenient for Gael to let Angela handle it. She had her work, marriage, and pregnancy to think of.
Angela squirmed as she listened to Gael's rant. Angela was selfish for trying to pawn Dad off to a stranger. She was selfish to try and stress Gael when she was pregnant. Angela apologized as she secretly fingered herself to climax. Her place was to ensure Gael continued to live her best life, away from worry and stress.
That night she had gone to a bar. She had needed to forget about Dad and Gael for one night or risk going insane. She had met a nameless drifter who took her back to his motel room. They fucked and she never saw him again.
Anna was the gift he left behind. She was the one thing Angela's life she had never allowed Gael köle escort to control. Anna was the best thing she had ever done. She was her best friend. She was her life. She was what made her keep going. She loved her more than anything.
She had tried to set an example for her daughter. Anna did not need to see her mom subservient to her auntie. Of course, that was easier said than done when Angela found herself in Gael's presence, crumbling to whatever whim Gael had decided that day.
She worried she had unconsciously imparted her docility upon Anna since Anna seemingly adopted a "go along to get along" mentality regarding her interactions with Gael's daughter, Lucy. Lucy took full advantage of Anna's easygoing nature, bossing her around like Anna was her personal assistant.
Lucy carried herself with all the confidence of a young woman who had never known anything but to have her own way. She had the worst kind of pretty, rich girl privilege, groomed since birth with private tutors and elite schools to eventually take her place at the top of whatever field she chose to excel in.
Gael had imparted to Lucy the life lesson that people treated you how you looked. Angela had thought it a toxic message to give to an impressionable mind. But the way Lucy confidently took the welcoming smiles and greetings of the airline staff as her right for being herself as she followed her mother through the jetbridge to board the plane, Angela knew Gael had been right.
She glanced at Anna, dressed in her too baggy shorts and T-shirt, huddled into herself as if afraid someone might look at her. She lacked confidence. She was shy and found it hard to make friends. It was a shame. Angela wanted so much for Anna and she had failed her as a mother. At least she could give her a wonderful vacation. She was determined to make it an experience they would never forget.
*
The flight found Angela trapped in the middle seat of the middle row, wedged between a severely overweight man who invaded her space with his overlapping gut, and an old woman who spent the long hours nasally snoring. Gael's charity apparently did not extend to paying the small amount of extra money to reserve seats.
Angela had walked past Gael and Lucy after boarding the plane. They were both luxuriating in their first-class cubicles, on individual recliners, with enough legroom to satisfy an NBA star. Gael sipped a glass of champagne and smiled as she met Angela's eyes, raising her glass in a toast.
Gael would be served the highest quality food from a menu prepared by an award-winning chef. She would have her unlimited pick of snacks and beverages. She would watch movies on a 32" LED screen with noise-canceling, acoustic-enhancing, headphones, and her seat would flatten into a bed with memory foam pillows.
Angela meanwhile, would get a warm can of coke and microwave chicken pasta, somehow boiling and freezing at the same time.
Still, it was Gael's money. If Angela cared so much, maybe she should have scraped the money to pay for her own seats? Oh, wait. Angela was poor. Embarrassingly poor.
It was sad, but she was thankful Anna was going to community college. It was local and more importantly, cheap. She would still have to take out loans and work to pay her way, but at least it was feasible. Lucy of course could focus all her attention on her social life as a member of an elite sorority and on her studies. She would not even have to waste her precious time on chores since poorer girls would take up the slack as a means of paying their way. It was just one more advantage Lucy had over her.
Angela crossed her legs to try and ease the tingle in her pussy at the unfairness of it all. When the old woman next to her collapsed her sleepy head on Angela's shoulder and began to drool, she started counting the seconds of the longest trip of her life.
*
Angela met up with Anna once the plane finally landed and they made their way to baggage claim together. Anna had fared no better than Angela. A creepy old man had spent the whole trip staring at her legs, occasionally smacking his lips. She was terrified he would start getting handsy with her. Angela tried to reassure her that she was safe. Somehow, she would find the money to reserve their seats for the return flight.
A notification on her phone alerted her to a message from Gael on her phone.
-Hi, sis. You don't mind picking up our bags when you get yours, do you? We're on our way to the hotel.
She wasn't surprised. Few people would have had the gall to ask such a thing, and even fewer people would have texted back with a lame:
-No problem.
As much of a turn-on as it was to obey Gael, she could not let her know how pathetic she truly was, especially since Anna was with her. What would Lucy think if she saw Angela obey her mother without any sign of self-respect? Angela had decided upon sarcasm as a reasonable defense. She added:
-Your Majesty. Followed by a bowing emoji, köle escort bayan and an eye roll.
Gael responded with a winking face and Angela felt satisfied she had handled it as well as she could. It wasn't as if she could say no and just leave Gael and Lucy's bags at the airport. Angela had no stomach for an argument she could never win. Not when Gael could just cut her off any time she liked. How could Angela ever afford a week in Hawaii without Gael bankrolling her?
'Is everything okay, Mom?' said Anna.
Angela nodded and smiled. 'We're going to meet your Aunt Gael and Lucy later. We're going to pick up all the bags while they get things ready for us at the hotel.'
Anna seemed satisfied with the make-believe arrangement. Angela just hoped Lucy did not rub it in Anna's face. That girl had an attitude problem, especially where Anna was concerned.
Being the same age, Angela had hoped they might have become friends. But Lucy's constant bragging and teasing had quickly put an end to that delusion. They were just too different. Lucy was brash, entitled, and borderline cruel. Anna tried to be nice to everyone. It had created a definite power imbalance between the two of them. Lucy had no problem ordering Anna around, and Anna had no problem obeying. Anna was not one for confrontation, and Lucy, like her mother, could explode with little provocation.
It was to Angela's shame that the few times she took Lucy and Anna out, they always did what Lucy wanted. Angela did not want to deal with Lucy's temper any more than she had wanted to deal with Gael's. It was permissive, but Angela was not Lucy's mother, it was not her problem. She only had to interact with the monster when she came to visit her Granddad anyway.
She had always thought Gael would come to regret spoiling Lucy as she had. Lucy would one day find herself in the real world where you could not just scream and yell to get your way. Except Lucy seemed to go from one achievement to the next with no indication her life would ever be anything but success and privilege. Regardless, Angela held out hope that there might one day be some kind of comeuppance for Lucy's behavior. Karma was a thing, right?
Angela was glad the girls would see little of each other once they started college. Their lives were on different trajectories. Their shared granddad was the only real link between them. Now he had passed, they would live their lives with little to no interaction. It was for the best. Anna could not avoid comparing herself unfairly to Lucy. Lucy had all the advantages in the world and Anna had none. Obviously, Lucy had a massive head start on life, and the sooner Anna escaped negatively comparing herself to her the better off she would be. those comparisons the better off she would be.
They just had to get through this vacation.
*
They collected Gael and Lucy's Prada and Gucci labeled luggage along with their own generic $20 cases and took a cab to the hotel.
Anna looked out the window in awe at the palm trees, turquoise seas, and golden beaches. It brought Angela pleasure to see her daughter so entranced. It eased her doubts about the trip and made the ordeal on the plane worth it.
Their hotel was an imposing palace situated directly on the private, pristine beachfront. It was once the favored residence of Hawaiian royalty, now the jaunt of the rich, powerful, and famous.
Angela had to admit that Gael had really come through for them. The resort was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for her and especially for Anna. It was something she would remember for the rest of her life. She was grateful Gael had the single-minded drive and natural charisma to reach the pinnacle of society to afford a place like this. Angela could have tried to save for a hundred years on her salary and still fallen short.
The lobby had polished marble floors and high domed ceilings muraled to celebrate traditional Hawaiian culture. Botanical gardens and inviting swimming pools showed through circular archways that filled the hall with natural light and air.
Angela felt out of place in her baggy, brandless travel clothes. She desperately needed a shower. All around her were attractive people in designer outfits. They were Gael's people. Angela and Anna could not have been more out of place if they had smeared themselves in excrement. With the looks they were being given, Angela began to wonder if she accidentally soiled herself.
They approached the counter and the receptionist smiled at them, immaculately and questioningly.
'May I help you?' she said in a way that made it seem the "help" was to direct them to a hotel better suited to their status.
'Yes,' said Angela, aware her daughter was watching her reaction to this uncomfortable exchange. She would not allow Anna to see her mother's shame. They had as much right to be here as anyone...if only that was true. They were here because her richer, more successful sister had paid for them to escort köle be here. 'We have a reservation. Bennet. Angela Bennet?'
The receptionist cocked her head and typed on her keyboard.
'I'm sorry,' she said patronizingly, 'we have no reservation under that name. Perhaps you have the wrong hotel?'
Angela felt her cheeks pinken despite her effort. 'Then it must be under my sister's name. Gael LeMarr?'
'Hmm, Mrs. LeMarr did book a separate double queen. Of course, I'll need confirmation. One moment please.'
Angela smiled with clenched teeth. She heard impatient sighs from the customers in line behind her.
The receptionist continued to stare at her as she held the receiver to her ear, raising a single suspicious manicured eyebrow.
'Mrs. LeMarr?' she said deferentially, 'I'm so sorry to disturb you, but there is a...person here who claims to be your sister? Mrs. Angela Bennett? I apologize. Miss. Not Mrs.'
Why was it necessary for Gael to correct that? Angela felt hot at the beatific smile the receptionist was giving her.
'Mom?' said Anna, clutching her phone. 'Lucy wants to know what's taking so long.'
Angela sighed. 'This is not the time.'
Anna stared, wide-eyed.
'Look, we'll be there in a minute.'
'But...she wants it now. What should I say?'
'I don't care!'
Her outburst brought the attention of the lobby to her. There were mutters of disapproval around her. The receptionist gently placed the phone down, frowning. A large man in a pressed white shirt appeared next to her. His nametag showed he was the manager.
'Is there a problem here?' he said, folding his intimidatingly large arms over his large chest. His muscles appeared to flex beneath the tight cotton.
Angela gulped and smiled nervously out of embarrassment.
The receptionist stared at her like she was a bug. 'Mrs. LeMarr's sister, Miss. Bennet will be staying with us.'
'Will she now?' said the manager. 'Then she ought to know we have zero tolerance for abuse against our staff.'
'No, no,' said Angela, waving her hands and smiling as brightly as she could to disarm the situation, 'I wasn't...I wasn't yelling at her. She is doing a wonderful job. She's been so helpful. I've just had a long journey. Just a little stressed. I'm sorry. I meant no offense.' She was practically bowing.
Anna hopped forward. 'She was yelling at me.' She gave a nervous laugh. 'I asked a dumb question. Sorry. I'm kind of dumb.'
Angela was grateful for the backup. Even if it did come at Anna's self-deprecation. They just had to get through this moment without being expelled. Where would they even go? They both smiled submissively.
The manager inhaled slowly through his nose, glancing at the receptionist to gauge her reaction. She gave him a shrug.
'Fine,' he said, exhaling to deflate his chest. 'As a favor to Mrs. LeMarr, we can let you off with a warning. But in the future, I expect my staff to be treated with dignity and respect.'
'Absolutely,' said Angela, 'you won't need to worry about us. Thank you so much.'
He grunted and moved away. Angela tingled with excitement at being so thoroughly put in her place.
The receptionist slid the card keys over the counter and Angela picked them up with a grateful smile.
'Mrs. LeMarr expects her luggage,' said the receptionist firmly. 'She's in the Presidential suite over in the east tower.'
'Of course,' said Angela, happy to be escaping even if it was as her sister's servant. 'Thank you so much.'
She and Anna dropped their chins and trundled Gael and Lucy's designer cases over the glossy marble floor, trying to ignore the slow head shakes and disdainful stares from the hotel's elite clientele.
*
Gael's spacious suite was hardwood and toned in tropical, designer furnishings. It came with a fully stocked bar, a 75" plasma screen, ensuites, and a wraparound balcony with panoramic views of the ocean.
Gael wore a Turkish, white cotton bathrobe. She carried the subtle aromas of coconut and lavender oil. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and her supple skin glistened with products. It was hard to believe there was only a year between them. Gael could have easily passed for a decade younger. Angela felt like an old woman in her presence. It was as if Gael was more than human. How was it possible for someone to look so perfect all the time? Did she never just lounge around in sweatpants eating greasy food and ice cream?
'I hope they didn't give you too many problems downstairs,' said Gael sitting herself down on the couch and crossing her legs, showing skin. 'It completely slipped my mind to tell them you were coming. Isn't that funny?'
Angela wanted to forget about the altercation as quickly as possible. She was here to relax. Not dwell on her inadequacy. 'It's all fine, Gael,' she said, pulling Gael's case into the middle of the room.
Anna cleared her throat. 'Um, Aunt Gael? Is...uh, Lucy here?'
Gael smiled at her and nodded to a closed door that led to one of the double bedrooms.
Anna moved toward it with both her own and Lucy's case. She lightly tapped on the door and waited. It opened harshly to reveal a king-sized four-poster bed and a peeved-looking Lucy. Anna appeared small as she made her way inside with an apologetic smile.