“No,” I answer my nosy sister first, then my even nosier mother. “Yeah. Ma. She’s a good girl,” I lie. I mean not that she’s a horrible person, but in Ma’s eyes she is probably the daughter of the devil himself. No one was ever good enough for her Joe JR. Growing up it was always “look what Joe did, he’s so wonderful.” I was always in his shadow. Not that I ever minded. I knew my role as the bad seed and played my part all too well.
She accepts what I say and goes back to eating. Conversation ebbs and flows from one topic to the next, but somehow it always circles back to me, and what my plans are.
“When things pick up with the business, the two of you should buy Audrey’s share or let me buy it. I still can’t believe Joe did that,” Lewis says.
Dad shakes his head in disagreement and speaks up. “I thought so too at first but the more I’ve thought about it I’ve come to realize that he loved her and wanted to take care of her. Nothing wrong with that. She’s pretty and she’s smart. We should set her up with Brian or you could always step up and marry her, Nate. It’d be the right thing to do. It’d keep the business in the family, and it would keep your brother’s wishes intact.”
I’m about ready to tell him he needs cut off the beer when Ma starts adding her thoughts. “You know it wasn’t that I never liked Audrey. I just felt she wasn’t right for Joe JR, but her and Nate...” She points her fork at Dad. “I think you are on to something there. They would be well suited. Both have spunk and the babies. They’d have gorgeous babies. I do so want grandbabies to spoil rotten” She’s had way too much wine. It’s the only explanation. She’s talking about me as if I’m not even here. “It’s not like your sister is going to settle down any time soon,” she complains to my sister’s ignorance.
I’m gaping at my family as they talk about my love life, and future children I don’t plan on fathering. Have they all been hitting the bottle? They’re all crazy. Except for Nattie. I think she is as lost as I am in this conversation.
I look over at her for support, and she is staring holes through Trey. She must not even be listening to this bullshit.
I’m speechless. I don’t even know what to say. Wouldn’t matter if I did though. They have moved on to talking about knocking down the wall between the two apartments and making a large one for the babies I am apparently going to make with my dead brother’s girl. Perfect.
Their delusional warped fantasy conversation pauses when Felecia slithers up to my side and wedges herself between the table and me, as she partially sits on my lap.
Ma raises a brow. Oh, now she doesn’t like Felecia again now that she’s on team grandbaby with Audrey. The woman is unbelievable. She let her invite herself here. I don’t even know what to say.
I shouldn’t encourage Felecia, but I rest my chin on her shoulder to get on Ma’s nerves, landing me the “I’ll smack the back of ya head” face.
“Where’s Audrey, I thought you were bringing her?” Ma questions looking at me. I grimace at Lewis and he throws his hands up laughing, having given up entirely. Great. I’m on my own apparently.
Natalie pipes in to my bewilderment and says, “She stayed at the bar to run things.” Now she wants to help me out. She’s sat here through the rest of the conversation nodding in agreement, avoiding my pleading eyes desperate for help.
Is she crazy too? She can’t really think they have a point about Audrey.
“Nonsense. You should have closed early,” Ma continues and Dad grunts in agreement.
“Audrey as in Joe’s Audrey?” Felecia looks to me with a puzzled expression.
“Yeah, apparently she’s having my baby,” I joke with a soft chuckle. I might as well get some enjoyment out of this nightmare.
“Are you serious?” Felecia looks appalled. “Didn’t you just get back in town?”
“Dead serious,” Natalie pipes in again, getting in on my joke. She’s never cared for Felecia.
“I had no idea. I better be going. It was good seeing you all. Thanks for dinner.” She rises quickly and leaves.
“Bye, Felecia,” Nattie calls after her giggling.
I shake my head and excuse myself from the table needing a breather from my crazy ass family.
Trey comes over to me as I am getting dessert, and volunteers to run some boxes over to the apartment for me sin
ce he drove his truck over.
“What’s up with you and my sister? She looks ready to either pounce and screw you or smack the shit out of you.”
“I fucked up, and before you beat my ass—I’m going to make it right.”
“You better,” I warn nudging his shoulder as I carry my plate of cookies and pie back to the table. I’m not getting in the middle of whatever is going on between them, but if he hurts my sister, we’ll have a major problem.
Thankfully, when I sit down my folks are discussing the new shopping plaza that is being built. I eat my sugary goodness in peace until I am ready to burst.
“Well this has been great, Ma. Food was stellar. If you’re done planning my future, I’m going to turn in early, it’s been a long day.” I kiss her cheek and go inside to my old room with a couple of beers to try to forget the future my family has envisioned, because I can see it in my head. Audrey and her stomach round with a child of mine, not Joe JR’s. I keep thinking back to the night I met her and wondering what if.
What if I had stayed the night?