Part 8 (1/2)
”Yup. I am.” She sat up, grabbing my hand as she stood. ”I have been sent to get you for dinner.” She began to pull me off the bed, and out the door.
”Wait! Aunt Kitty!” I cried as I tried to keep up with her quick pace. We began to race down the stairs.
”Come on.” Was all she would say. We walked through the family room, that is, she walked, and I was dragged. My parents were sitting on the couch watching Family Feud.
”Mom?” I asked as we pa.s.sed by. She smiled up at me and waved. I finally relented and kept pace with my crazy, young aunt. We settled into her car, and headed toward town.
”What's going on, Aunt Kitty? I thought we were going to eat dinner?”
”We are. Just you and me.” I smiled, and she returned the smile. My aunt was the kind of person that made every person she came in contact with feel special. She had an easygoing personality, and was loads of fun. She was only about ten or so years older than I was, what my mom called a ”late in life baby” for my grandparents. She had long, light brown hair, just a shade lighter than my mom's and mine. Her dark gray eyes were kind, and usually smiling.
”So where are we going?” I asked, my arm resting along the open window, the breeze flowing through the car blowing hair in both our faces. She smiled at me again.
”Somewhere.”
”Gee, thanks.”
”Anytime, kiddo.”
I began to notice that we had driven toward town, and then right past it. Where were we going? As if in answer to my unspoken question, my aunt turned onto a dirt road that led to what looked like nowhere. I glanced over at her only to meet with a warm smile.
”Almost there.” A small lake loomed up before us surrounded by trees and wild gra.s.s. A small dock bobbed off sh.o.r.e. It was beautiful. The late afternoon sun shone overhead giving the water a glowing life all its own. Aunt Kitty parked the car under the shade of a ma.s.sive tree, and got out. I followed suit. She went around to the trunk and pulled out a large picnic basket.
”Come on.” she said, leading the way to an almost non-existent path that led through the dense foliage.
”How do you know about this place, Aunt Kitty?” I asked, happily following.
”Your grandfather used to take us here when me and your mom were kids. I was pretty little, but I never forgot it.” She smiled back over her shoulder at me. Finally we emerged from the mini forest, and ended up right on the bank of the small lake. ”I think this is a man-made lake that some crazy old man had put on his property in the twenties.” Aunt Kitty said as she opened the basket and brought out a large red and white checkered tablecloth and spread it out on the wild gra.s.s. I reached my hand toward the basket only for it to be slapped. I looked at her with surprised eyes. ”No. You sit and relax. I do the work.”
I sat cross-legged and watched my aunt as she brought out a container full of hot Kentucky Friend Chicken mashed potatoes, and another of gravy. She opened the box of chicken and waited expectantly for my approval. I giggled and nodded. She nodded in response, then took out the four, hot biscuits and little pads of b.u.t.ter.
”And to wash it all down, our house wine.” she produced two bottles of Dr. Pepper, handing one to me, which I immediately opened and took a long sip of to try and alleviate the hot day. As we ate we talked about school, that would begin in just under two weeks.
”So are you nervous?” she asked around a mouthful of biscuit.
”No.” I said a little too quickly. She glared at me, just the hint of a smile at the corner of her lips. ”Yes.” I grinned. ”But I'm looking forward to it. I've always wanted to go to high school. I remember when Billy started. I was so jealous.” Aunt Kitty grinned.
”Yeah, I know what you mean. When your mom started I was only, jeez, how old was I?” she said as she stared off into the past. ”Six, seven? But I remember it clear as day.” I chewed the chicken I had just bit off the bone, then turned serious. Well, at least as serious as I could ever get around Aunt Kitty.
”So, why are we here?”
”Why, to eat of course.”
”No, no. I mean why just you and me?” Aunt Kitty put her hand on her chest and looked stunned.
”I am wounded, child. Can I not enjoy a day with my favorite niece?”
”I'm your only niece.” I giggled.
”Yeah, so all the more reason for me to spend time with you, yes?”
”Yes. But this isn't usual, Aunt Kitty. You always just come over to our place.” My aunt's face turned serious, which worried me.
”Okay, kiddo. Yes, there is a reason we're here,” Aunt Kitty's words were cut off as she began one of her coughing fits. The year before she had been struck with a severe case of pneumonia, and had not been able to completely shake the cough. I waited patiently, a shard of concern filling me. She took a deep breath, and continued. ”Your mom is worried about you.”
”What! Why?” I could feel myself beginning to get angry.
”Now, now. Calm down. Don't have a brain explosion. Emily, your folks love you very much, and they just want you to be happy. Which, I got to tell ya is a pretty stupid thing for a parent to want. I mean, a teenager happy? Yeah. And they think I'm crazy? Paaleeze!” I smiled, feeling myself calming. Sort of. She smiled at me, and reached out to gently brush some hair out of my eyes. ”They want what's best for you. But, see, I am not here to tell you to do anything special with yourself. No, no. That's what your mom would want me to do. Un uh. That's not what you need. What you need is for someone to listen. Someone who can be objective. So spit it out.” Aunt Kitty leaned back on her elbows, her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles, her eyes boring into my very soul.
”Spit what out? What do you want me to tell you?” I asked as I lazily made patterns on the tablecloth with my fingertips, not wanting to look at my aunt. I was afraid that everything I was feeling would just tumble out of my mouth. My aunt always had that affect on me.
”Tell me what's going through that noggin of yours. Even I've noticed that for about the last six months or so you have been acting a little on the strange side. Your mom seems to think that your friend Beth has something to do with it.” My head shot up at the mention of Beth. This caught Aunt Kitty's attention, and she raised a brow. ”Ah, Houston we have contact. Okay. So we talk about Beth.”
My mind raced as I thought about how much I should tell her. She studied my face, her eyes filled with infinite patience. I knew I had always been able to tell Aunt Kitty anything in the past, my secrets never pa.s.sing through her lips. But this. This was something different. I wanted to tell her all about me and Beth on New Year's, and all the fights we had been having since then. How jealous I felt now.
”Come on, Emmy. Talk to me.” I looked at my aunt again. I could feel my throat constrict with unshed emotion that threatened to spill out and embarra.s.s me, so I decided to talk before my tears could beat me to it.
”See, me and Beth, we have a very special friends.h.i.+p. Oh, Aunt Kitty.” I cried. I angrily ground my fists into my eyes like a five year old child, angry at the tears that leaked out. Aunt Kitty smiled and gently rubbed my leg.
”I thought so.” she said quietly, almost too quiet for me to hear. ”Tell me about it.”
An hour later I felt drained. Everything I had told Aunt Kitty hung in the air between us as if it had a palpable existence of its own. Aunt Kitty, who was now laying on her back, looked up at the gathering clouds. It looked like it might rain. She sighed. I looked over at her from my own position on my back. I was terrified to hear what she would say. Through my entire tale she had remained completely silent, her full attention on every word I said.
”Oh, Emmy.” she finally breathed. Her voice was full of sadness. ”I had a friend like Beth once, too.” My eyes opened wide in surprise.
”Really?”
”Yup.” she nodded. ”We were friends from the time we were in about seventh grade. That's when we met. We were friends until we were, oh, I'd say eighteen, nineteen, maybe.”
”What happened?” I asked, breathless. Aunt Kitty smiled, but there was no humor in that smile.
”I met Ron.” she said simply. I didn't understand. She saw my confusion and smiled as she continued. ”See, Karen, that was her name, Karen and I moved out of our parent's houses when we were seniors in high school,”
”Why?” I asked, intrigued by the idea, and surprised that I had never heard about that.
”Because we were young and stupid, that's why. We thought we were old enough to handle the world, and anything it had to throw at us. Boy were we wrong.” She grinned at me. ”Anyway, we found this rundown, cheap apartment, and moved in together. We were roommates. Karen wanted to be 'special' roommates, like when we were younger. I went along with it for a little while, but then I met Ron.”
”Um, by 'special', do you mean like me and Beth at New Year's?” I asked, my voice timid. She nodded.
”Yes. I loved Karen very much. But I didn't want to live the rest of my life with her, like that. She did.”
”Why? Why didn't you want to spend the rest of your life with Karen, as her roommate?” I asked, somewhat confused. If you loved somebody.....?
”Because. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed my time with her.” Aunt Kitty was quiet for a moment, a smile spread across her lips. She blinked, and continued. ”But I felt more comfortable with Ron. I felt like my life belonged with him, not her. Karen was a very strong person. Those kind of people with strength like that fulfill the emptiness in their lives. It's a special breed, Emmy. It sounds like your friend, Beth has that same inner strength.”
”Like Karen.”
”Like Karen.” Aunt Kitty agreed with a smile. ”You should be glad that you've had this special bond with her. I will warn you, Emily. You two will eventually go your separate ways. Maybe not today, or two years from now, but Beth will go out to find her own life, and her own fulfillment. Don't try and stop her, and most importantly, Emmy, don't try and change her. Okay?”
”Okay, Aunt Kitty. I promise.”