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   The Arrangement Chapter 9 By Happy

   I looked next to me at Trudy.  I realized that her fair skin was in much
more danger from the sun than the rest of us.  It could cook her tender
flesh in a short time.

   I asked Trudy, "When was the last time you applied sun block
sweetheart?"

   She answered, "It was well over an hour ago.  Maybe two hours.  I'm not
wearing my watch".

   "And that was obviously while you were wearing your dress too, wasn't
it?", I added.  I reminded myself that her dress departed in the canvas bag
with the jerk.

   Trudy nodded yes.

   I reached into my back pack and pulled out the bottle of sun block.  I
thrust it past Trudy towards Brenda.  Brenda took the bottle from me with a
familiar look of concern on her face.

   "She's fair skinned and in danger from the sun", I began while looking
into Brenda's eyes.  "Coat her with this stuff from the top of her forehead
to her toes.  Front and back.  Meanwhile, I'll work on plan B", I
instructed.

   Brenda gave her nod.  She crawled around behind Trudy and opened the
bottle.

   "Trudy", I began, "Can you tie up or hold up your hair somehow so that
Brenda can cover all of your neck and your shoulders?".

   Trudy didn't answer me verbally, but in five seconds, her hair was tied
up in a bun on the back of her head.

   (How do girls do that?  I guess that's something that I'll never figure
out.  Girls tie, untie, fasten and unfasten a variety of things behind
themselves.  Completely out of their line of sight).

   (They do it fast too.  It takes me over twice as long to do any of those
tasks for them, and I'm looking at what I'm doing).

   (All I do know is that all of that is fascinating for a male to watch.
If the female catches the male's eyes during any of that observation, she
smirks.  That's because she can see that he's fascinated.  It's written all
over his face).

   Brenda began applying lotion.

   I began to take stock of our resources.  I had to get Trudy covered as
much as possible.  Sun block was not going to be enough for such a fair
skinned girl.

   If I didn't come up with a solution soon, we'd be leaving the festival
very early.  That would be no fun and a waste of money.

   My mind raced.  Jillian's top was in my back pack, but that wouldn't
work.  She is a petite girl with a small chest.  She wore an extra small
sized top.

   Trudy was a taller woman.  Comparing her to Brenda, they seemed about
the same size.  I knew that Brenda wore a 'medium'.

   Brenda's top was way back in the car.  Not an option.



   I looked at Tina and remembered that she was wearing a spaghetti
strapped top.  That would leave Trudy's shoulders exposed.  Nope.

   'Knude' started their first song.  At the beginning they announced the
title as "Take Your Clothes Off''.  Within the first ten seconds of the
song, the two pieces of the scarlet red bikini got thrown into two
different places in the crowd.

   It was nothing short of two shark feeding frenzies to see who would get
the pieces of the bikini as a souvenir.

   Then pieces of clothing worn by the audience started to get thrown onto
the stage and landed at the twin's feet.  In normal conditions, this would
have been a distraction to me.  I would be using all of my senses to figure
out who was undressed and what they looked like.

   But, I had a mission to complete.  The clock was ticking.  And then it
hit me.  Sandra.  Even though she had a bigger chest, she was still about
the same size as her mother.  She was wearing a full length pink t-shirt
with sleeves.

   'Best possible solution', I thought to myself.  But, as I looked at her
watching the stage, I realized that it would not be easy to get that
bashful girl to part with her shirt.

   This was going to have to be handled del-i-catly.

   I crept over and asked Jillian to make some room so I could sit between
her and Sandra.  Jillian reluctantly brought her knees together to grant my
request.

   'What a show off', I thought.  I might have to put a leash on Jillian's
exhibitionism.

   Once seated, I leaned close to Sandra so she could hear me over the
music without me shouting.

   I asked, "Sandra, do you know what the phrase 'taking one for the team'
means?"

   Her face changed to a confused look and she shook her head 'no'.

   I explained, "It's a metaphor usually referring to a sports situation
where one individual makes a personal sacrifice for the better good of the
group or the team.  Do you understand?"

   Sandra nodded 'yes'.

   "Honey, I need you to take one for the team", I said while glaring back
at her, waiting for her reaction.

   I could see it in her eyes that she was processing the idea.  Her eyes
looked at the ground for a moment and then back at me.

   "What do you want?", she finally asked.

   I tried hard not to grin.  I was making progress.

   "Look past me at Trudy who is sitting next your mother", I said as
Sandra craned her neck around me.  I continued, "If you didn't notice, her
dress went into the bag carried by the jerk that almost hit her in the face
with his arm.  The bag left in his hands".

   "Your mother invited her to come home with us so that she would have a
safe place to be while we sorted this out", I added.

   I went on, "I'm sure that you've noticed that she is of Irish heritage.
She's not like us honey.  No matter how much or how often we coat her with
sun block, the sun is going to broil her into a hospital situation".

   "Unless and until we get her covered soon, we will all have to leave the
festival real early to get her to the safety of the car.  You don't want
that, do you?  Remember, it's not her fault.  Trudy didn't ask to be
abandoned".

   I could see in Sandra's eyes that she was still processing the
information I'd given her.

   I interrupted her thoughts by saying, "Sandra, I need your shirt to let
Trudy be covered by it.  I've eliminated all the other possibilities. 
Yours is the only one that will fit her and give her significant coverage.
I know that you are very shy sweetheart, but take one for the team".

   Sandra looked at me with pleading eyes and said, "I'm wearing a lacy
white bra under this shirt.  People might be able to see parts of my
nipples through it".

   Now it was doubly difficult not to grin.  But, I managed somehow.

   'Knude' finished the song 'Take Your Clothes Off'.  Just before
beginning the next cut, they announced the title as 'Shake Your Bare
Boobies'.  I glanced at the stage and witnessed a new wave of female tops
and bras land at the twin's feet.

   Apparently, this wasn't just a song.  There was a choreographed dance to
go with it.  The evidence wasn't just the fact that two identical pair of
gum drop shaped nipples were moving about synchronously.  I was drawn to
the number of bare female backs between me and the stage who were moving
exactly the same way as the twins were.

   I looked back at Sandra.  She was bending forward to look sideways at
Trudy one more time.  I could tell her that she was torn between choices in
this decision.  She was terribly shy about giving up her shirt.  But, she
has a good heart and didn't want to say 'no' to helping Trudy in a time of
need.

   "Do you remember the first day that you came to live in my apartment?",
I asked.

   "Yes", she replied.

   "I had to help you.  Do I need to help you again?", I asked gently.

   Sandra looked straight forward at the stage.  You could see the
reflection going on in her eyes just like I could.  Suddenly, she
simultaneously closed her eyes and threw her arms in the air above her
head.

   "Take it Dad", she said.

   I moved slowly from my seated position between the two girls to kneeling
in front of Sandra.  I very carefully pulled her pink t-shirt up and off of
her head.  By that time there was one tear falling down her cheek.  And I
could feel one running down mine as well.

   I'm sure that Sandra's tear was due to reluctantly giving up her shirt.
Mine was for a much different reason.  Neither one of my step-daughters had
ever called me 'Dad'.  It felt good.  It felt good enough to make me shed a
tear of joy.  I rarely cry.

   I leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead.  As I backed my
face away, Sandra opened her eyes.

   I met her eyes and silently mouthed the words 'thank you'.  I hadn't
wiped my tear away yet.  She had to have seen it.

   "You've made a generous sacrifice honey", I began, "I'm so proud of you
and you should be proud of yourself".  "There's just one problem".

   Sandra looked back at me with an expression of curiosity.

   "Your bra is see-through as you said", I continued, "If I can see your
nipples, so can the sun.  I'm about to send your mother over here to apply
some sun block.  You need that.  The bra needs to be taken out of the way
so that your most tender parts don't get burned".

   I went on, "I'll keep it safe in my back pack.  You can have it back
later".

   Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kevin knock Tina down from seated to
laying on her back.  He threw himself on top of her and began to kiss her
passionately.  I was about to say 'get a room' when I realized it was a
rouse on Kevin's part.

   As soon as Tina raised her arms above her waist with the intention of
hugging him back, Kevin made his move.  Her shorts and panties went down
and off of her toes in a few milliseconds.  She didn't even have time to
squeal this time.

   Tina laid on her back panting as the last of her clothes disappeared
into their bag.  Kevin then rewarded her patience by continuing the kiss
that exposed her pussy in public.

   I looked away from this distraction back to Sandra.  She was dangling
her recently removed bra on one index finger with a coy look on her face.

   As I accepted her offered bra, I had to wonder if I had over estimated
Sandra's bashfulness.

   I nodded to Sandra.

   I didn't stand.  Instead I started crawling back towards Brenda and
Trudy.  I stopped in front of Jillian.  She was once again, absorbed in a
text conversation.  I knelt and used my free hand to physically, but gently
moved her knees as wide apart as they were before I asked her for room to
sit.

   She looked up at me and smiled broadly.  To hell with putting a leash on
her exhibitionism.  I'd rather see her be happy as long as she's safe.  I
gave her a kiss on the forehead as well.

   I moved along the ground and made it to my previous sitting spot next to
Trudy.  I handed her Sandra's pink shirt.

   "Put that on.  That's not a request.  That's an order, because it's for
your safety", I instructed.  Trudy started the process of pulling it on
over her head.

   "Brenda?", I called out because Trudy blocked my sight of her.

   Brenda heard me and curled her head around Trudy to listen to me.

   "Sandra gave up her shirt to help Trudy.  She needs a lot of sun block.
Handle that please", I requested.  Brenda looked towards her older daughter
and grabbed the bottle before she crawled quickly towards Sandra.  I
marveled at how her bare breasts jiggled under her as she crawled.

   "She's still hot", I repeated in my mind.

   As I pushed Sandra's bra into my back pack, 'Knude' finished 'Shake Your
Bare Boobies'.  They announced that their next song would be a cover of the
classic rock song 'Love The One You're With'.

   I zipped my back pack shut and looked again at my group of females. 
'How appropriate", I said to myself referring to the song title.