“I thought your sacred place was on the crapper?” Daniel said thoughtfully.
“Oh good lord, can we stop talking about porn and crappers at the table, please?” Mom yelled, and I knew this was a direct order from the boss herself. At that moment, Andi started laughing. It started like a quiet low chuckled and ended up an almighty roar.
“I’m sorry,” she finally coughed out between fits of laughter. “Decker said it would be alright if I belched at the table, and I was doubtful, but I see he wasn’t kidding now. Ya’ll remind me of holidays with Bradley and his family. This is great.”
We smiled at Andi’s apparent good spirits at the Steele dinner table.
“If you think this is entertaining, you should have been here two years ago when Decker’s other brother, Drew, came home as well. All the boys together under one roof for one weekend, it was chaos. I decided to go all out. I cooked a pot roast, fried chicken, buffalo wings, and an apple pie to finish it off. I spent the entire afternoon cooking while the boys went out to celebrate the fact they were all together again. When they got home, they were all as hammered as a bent nail. We sat down to dinner and Drew just up and vomited in the kitchen sink, and Mr. Sensitive Stomach here decided to join him.” Mom was glaring at me as she remembered that god awful night.
I raised my hand in self-defense. “Hey now, you were well aware of my sympathy gag, that was all Drew’s fault. And who took everyone out to dinner the next night and paid?”
Mom shook her head and smiled. Dad and Daniel laughed at the memory that really wasn’t so pleasant.
“Porn and crappers is lightweight table talk, and I probably should have warned you, my family knows about my career,” I said, giving Andi’s shoulder a gentle nudge with mine
“Ex-career,” Mom said, glaring at me with a look that brokered no argument.
I kept my mouth shut and averted my gaze. My mom had this uncanny ability to draw guilt from me with nothing more than a look. And right now, her look was making me feel all kinds of shame. The truth of the matter was, I still hadn’t made a decision. A sideways glance in Andi’s direction had me realize she was also watching me intently. Her sparkling green eyes looked curious and careful. Her brow was slightly creased, her perfect full lips cast in a small frown. I found myself admiring the small splash of freckles that dotted her nose and cheeks. She was like a breath of fresh air, wholesome, new, exciting. Would it always be that way though? Would we tire of each other? My parents didn’t appear to have outgrown their affection for one and other, but marriage and relationships were fickle creatures. Some lasted decades while others crashed and burned in weeks. Could I give away my career for Andi? Could a take a chance on something that might be nothing? I found myself believing I could.
“Who wants to sing some karaoke?”
I spun my head in my mom’s direction and began shaking my head in a vigorous no.
“Oh my god! You have a karaoke machine?” squealed Andi.
I turned and shook my head at Andi. NO!
I sat and watched in stunned silence as Mom dragged the microphone and music DVDs out, setting it all up in front of the large TV screen in the living room. Dad and Daniel sat beside me.
“Wow, a girl who knows your background and still likes you, drinks beer, and enjoys karaoke. How the hell did you get so lucky?” Daniel asked. He wasn’t joking though, the wonder in his voice and the awe on his face as he watched Andi talk and laugh with my mom so easily, was clearly evident on his face.
“No idea. I thought you were the lucky one.”