Display case in Stuff

A couple weeks ago when Olsen was heading out on her camping trip with her boyfriend, I was doing a little shopping and asked her if she wanted me to pick up anything for her. She thought about it for a second and then said she’d take some condoms. I knew she was kind of joking because we’d already established that her trip was going to be more tent sex than anything else. She seems to take great satisfaction these days in being able to have conversations with me about her sex life, and I’ve allowed myself to appreciate that rather than find it awkward. I much prefer this scenario than having her feel like she needs to hide things from me.

So I was in Walgreens that day and happened to find this bulk-size container of 144 condoms. I thought that would be hilarious and knew she would appreciate the humor, so I bought it. I admit even as a sex-positive adult I felt mildly embarrassed going to the cash register with it.

We laughed about it together when I got home and gave it to her. It came in this counter-top display case and she left it sitting next to her bed, in a way that would be disturbing if we both didn’t know she was doing it be silly.

Last night I was in her room talking to her and at some point she gestured to the condoms on her night stand and laughingly said she wasn’t sure what to do with them. Other than the obvious. But she guessed they would probably expire before she could go through them all. I think the shelf life of a condom is two years, so that might be true.

So I said, “Share them with your sister.” And we left it at that. I wasn’t joking, but apparently she thought I was.

Fast forward several hours. It’s the middle of the night and I got up and stumbled to the kitchen to get some water. I’m always taking a bit of a gamble when I get up at night because I’m not properly covered up and I don’t anticipate seeing anyone. So I’m quietly walking down the hallway when Harry’s bedroom door opens and Olsen walks out.

I was startled both because I wasn’t wearing much and because I wasn’t expecting to see Olsen in Harry’s room. She could probably see the confusion on my face so she immediately justified herself by saying she’d gone in there to talk to Harry about sex and ended up falling asleep.

This raised more questions than it answered. She followed me into the kitchen while I got water, leaving all the lights off and trying to stay in the shadows.

She went on to tell me that my comment about sharing condoms with her sister started to get her nervous about Harry being sexually active. I was left unsure how to react. I like that Olsen is concerned, and I like that Harry is able to talk to Olsen about these things and not just me. But I also don’t want Olsen to feel the need to be a mother to Harry. I don’t want her to lose sleep worrying about Harry. That’s my job.

We talked in the kitchen for a long time. If nothing else, I feel like this was the closest she and I have been ever since I told her I wouldn’t pay her rent for her if she moved out. I’m glad we’ve gotten over that hurdle.

Last updated October 26, 2017