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I stopped for a moment and stared at my sister. I blinked, taking her in, feeling like I was seeing my little sister for the first time.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing, just… I’m just realizing how much of your life I’ve missed out on.”
So much. I missed Stephanie’s first date, her first kiss, her first heartbreak. I missed her meeting Maya and having the realization that she was interested in women. I missed being able to support her through that time, especially since I knew our parents wouldn’t have.
Stephanie put her arms around me and gave me a hug.
“It’s okay,” she assured me. “You’re here now. And you’re staying in town for good, right?”
“We’ll see.”
A woman was already seated at the table, and her face lit up when she saw us. Well, when she saw Stephanie. She was tall and clearly spent some time in the gym. She greeted my sister with a warm hug and a kiss on the lips before turning to me.
“Maya, this is my sister, Cindy,” Stephanie said. “Cindy, my girlfriend, Maya.”
I offered her my hand, but both women looked at me like I’d just gone and sprouted a second head.
“Right, right,” I muttered before opening my arms to hug her. Normal life sure involved a crap-ton of hugging. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too. Steph’s told me so much about you,” Maya said cheerfully.
“They’ve got a great wine list here,” Stephanie said, showing me. “Let’s pick one.”
I sat down, grateful for the segue, and the three of us chatted pleasantly about the merits of Cabernet versus Pinot Noir.
As we finishedup dessert and a second bottle of wine, I felt myself really start to relax. Laughing with Maya and Stephanie was easy. For the first time since I returned to Blue Creek, I thought for a moment that Imightbe able to do the normal person thing. Get a regular job. Make friends. Laugh over a glass of wine.
Maybe returning to Blue Creek wasn’t a mistake. Maybe it was the first step toward finding who I was outside of the military. And outside of the shy, tomboy pathetically in love with a boy she couldn’t have. Maybe being here could help me figure out my future instead of yanking me back into the past.
Stephanie excused herself to use the restroom and left Maya and me alone together.
It was clear Maya had something she needed to discuss, and she barely waited until my sister was out of earshot before pouncing.
“I want to propose to Stephanie,” she blurted.
“W-what?”
“I want to marry your sister. And I wanted to ask you for your blessing,” she continued. “Stephanie told me that your parents aren’t really in the picture anymore and they weren’t too supportive of her and my relationship.”
“Yeah. Our parents stayed together till Stephanie graduated high school, then kind of… checked out.” Our mother moved to Florida with her new boyfriend a few years ago and only occasionally took Stephanie’s or my phone calls. Our father was reliving his youth in a bachelor apartment complex outside of Las Vegas where most of his friends were overgrown frat boys.
Maya nodded. “But I know that Steph is kind of traditional, so I wanted to ask someone in her family for their permission to ask for her hand.”
“And I guess it’s me by default.”
“It’s you because you’re the one she respects.”
That made me smile.
“And I know you and I haven’t known each other long, but I respect your opinion too. Your blessing on this means something to me,” she added.
“Oh,” I told her, sincerely flattered. “I, um, I guess I actually have to do the wholebig sisterthing, huh? I mean, you’re going to be good to Stephanie, right? Like, not cheat on her and take care of her?”
“Of course.”
“And give her the jar of peanut butter and a spoon when she’s PMS-ing,” I said with a laugh.
