My Friend's Dirty Uncle

“When your mother agreed to let you stay over the summer, my mother said you wouldn’t have to worry about anything.” When she could tell I wasn’t budging, she added “Honestly, Dani. Just relax!”

“But,” I tried to counter.

Justine threw her hands up. “No, I don’t want to hear anything about it. Besides, my favorite thing in the world is doing makeovers. So really, this is as much for me as it is for you,” she said as she went back to pulling out my clothes from the duffle bag.

I knew there wasn’t any use in arguing, so I sat on the bed. “Why would I need to borrow your clothes for tonight?” I said, as I looked down at my outfit. I still hadn’t changed out of my sweater and jeans, but I couldn’t what was wrong with them.

Justine looked at my outfit, from the collar to the hem of my jeans.

“Yeah, it’s cute enough for dinner, but not for what I have planned tonight.”

“And what do you have planned for tonight?”

Her eyes sparkled with mischief, the same way her lips had curled up when I’d first seen her at the bus station. “You don’t want to ruin the surprise do you?”

Anxiety and excitement tumbled through my system as I helped Justine unpack my pajamas and toiletries. My adventurous summer was just getting started.

***

At dinner that night, I knew I was out of my league for sure.

“So Melanie tells me that you are interested in becoming a lawyer,” boomed Uncle Craig as he cut his salmon into neat cubes.

“Yes,” I said, as I set my fork down. “I’m thinking about being a public defender.”

“Really? You don’t plan on making a lot of money then,” he said, chuckling at his own non-joke. We were sitting at a long table in a massive dining room. Justine was sitting next to me, with the twins placed across from me. They were eating quietly, obviously shy in front of a stranger. It was strange to think that so much had changed in the years since I’d last seen my cousins.

“Well, I feel passionate about being able to help the less fortunate,” I murmured. “And money isn’t everything.”

“That is definitely your mother in you,” Aunt Melanie replied as she took another bite.

While I thought the food was amazing, I could tell Aunt Melanie wasn’t too impressed. Her lips would pucker a bit with each bite, like she found something wrong to taste. By contrast, I thought the salmon was so tender that I eagerly agreed to seconds.

Uncle Craig chuckled again. “That’s very good of you, but I would suggest maybe thinking about going into something more lucrative, like corporate law. I might even have a place for you in my company if you pursue that career,” he suggested. I smiled although my voice was firm.

“That’s very kind of you Uncle Craig, but I think right now it’s too early for me to decide anything. In all honesty, I might even change my mind in a few years and not want to do law after all.”

“I appreciate the frankness. It’s nice to see a young person who is thinking about the future.” There was an underlying tone in his words that I couldn’t place. The air crackled a bit around me and I looked over at Justine. Her face seemed to tighten as she chewed, even though she didn’t look up. I could see the tension in her body.

“Now Craig, don’t spoil our dinner,” said Aunt Melanie with a warning tone to her voice. Her long, slender fingers reached for her glass of wine.

“I’m not doing anything of the sort. I’m just saying I appreciate how Dani is thinking about herself and not planning to rely on her parents.”

I wanted to correct him and say there was no way I could rely on my mother, but Justine dropped her silverware and stood up. “Dani and I have somewhere to be, so if we could be excused?”

I stared down at my half eaten plate of food and looked over at hers. She had barely touched most of her meal. “But you haven’t finished,” Aunt Melanie said, her bafflement obvious.

“I’m not very hungry,” said Justine, as she looked over at her father meaningfully.

Uncle Craig just shrugged his shoulders. Before Aunt Melanie could continue, my cousin grabbed my arm and pulled me up from my chair. I wanted to protest – if for no other reason than leaving all of that scrumptious food! – but Justine was stronger than she looked and I winced as she dragged me up the stairs.

“What was that about?” I asked, rubbing my arm. “Ouch! That really hurt!”

“I just hate them sometimes. My father is upset because I don’t want to go to college.” Justine rolled her eyes and yanked open her closet doors. “He thinks I’m making a mistake.”