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“Stephanie is my family now too. You can tell them that.”
“It’s that serious, huh!”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Now I really have to meet her.”
“By the way, I’m not trying to accuse you of spoiling Roz; we all had a hand in that. I’m just saying that maybe she needs help before she gets worst.”
“That’s what the rest of you are there for. I won’t say a word to her until she genuinely reflects on her actions and apologizes.”
“You really like this girl; you’re not bullshitting. When am I going to meet her? Just because you’re mad at Roz doesn’t mean I can’t meet my sister-in-law, does it?”
Hearing her called that was almost jarring. He was a couple of steps ahead of me there. “Why’d you call her that?”
“Please, I know you; you wouldn’t have reacted this way if she wasn’t the one. You wouldn’t be this hurt over what Roz did, either. So, when can I meet her? Sis wants to meet her too; she feels the same way I do; she’s just too afraid of your wrath to come here right now.”
It was good to know that my sister Jackie was not an ass. “I have to admit; I’m a bit surprised that you’re taking my side. I thought for sure you’d side with our parents, blindly supporting Roz.”
“You can’t really fault them for that, she’s their youngest, after all, and you’re their golden child; of course, they don’t want friction within the family. You know how they are; they’re rug sweepers. And you’ve got to admit; this is the first time you’ve taken things this far.”
“There’s some truth in what you say; I’ve always let things slide, but not this time. This time it involves someone I….” What the hell had I been about to say? His smirk said he knew as well as I did. “Don’t you have to go to work?” He looked at his watch and downed the last of his poison.
“I guess I was here long enough to make it look good. Anything you want me to tell the parents?”
“Nope, I said all I needed to.” I wasn’t worried that I’d gone too far, but I was glad to know that not everyone in my family was an asshole. And more, I was happy to know that I could give Steph, at least in part, something that she’s been hungry for without even realizing it; family.
Between her words and the little tidbits I get from Jaxx, I knew that she didn’t have much of one and that her in-laws had been horrible to her. I don’t just want to give her me; I want her to have the whole shebang. I want her to find her place in my life completely, and that’s why what Roz has done upsets me so much.
I want to see her laughing with my mom and sisters around the dinner table. Want to see her face light up when she walks through the door and is greeted with warmth and love the way I am. I want to give her that and more, but it won’t happen unless or until they choose right from wrong.
I feel bad that my parents are caught in the middle. But my main concern right now is Stephanie. She’d fast taken over that place in me that had been reserved for those closest to my heart.
I don’t even regret the fact that she’d snuck up on me the way she had or that she’d come to mean more to me in such a short space of time when I’d always worked hard to safeguard myself from entanglement bullshit.
“So, when can I meet my new sister?” I started to answer, filled with excitement about showing off my girl but stopped short. If I introduce her to him and not the others, that might raise questions that I’m not ready or willing to answer at this point. But on the other hand, I can’t wait for him to meet her, can’t wait to see my girl ensconced among my family, sharing the joy and love I’ve always known.
“We’ll see. I’m not sure about the timing. I don’t want her to know anything about what Roz has done.”
“I get your point, but it’s not fair to the rest of us to keep someone this important to you away from us. I want to meet her, and like I said, Jackie does too, so make a plan for us to get together.”
We saluted each other with our cups, and that was my way of telling him sure. When that would be, though, is left to be seen.
“I’ll think about it.” He nodded and downed the last of his coffee, which made me wince. I walked him to the door feeling a lot better than I did before he came.
I thought of our parents as I walked back to my bedroom to get ready for the day. This is the time mom would call before I left the house just to chat before we got the day started. The fact that she hadn’t called spoke volumes, and I was a little bit disappointed in her. Sure, Roz is her daughter, but the mother I know has never been one to stand for injustice.
