Chapter 3: Awkward Homecoming

We all got slowly out of the SUV, stretching our muscles that had tightened after hours of non-stop travel. As I got out, I saw my dad hugging my grandmother, followed shortly by my aunt as she kissed and hugged her mom. Then it Kristen and my turn. She stood there with her hands on her hips, looking at us with a critical eye. Then she turned to Aunt Linda and shook her head but didn’t say anything. Still the look on her face and the frown she wore may as well have been neon signs saying, “You let your girls dress likes sluts!”

Well, I couldn’t argue with her - we WERE dressed like sluts, but it wasn’t like any of us cared so why should she? It wasn’t like we were doing her any harm. Then she looked at my dad and I could just imagine what she was thinking - “you love it because you fuck them, don’t you John?” Of course, such words were never spoken aloud but I could imagine that was the least of what she was thinking. Hmmm, what would she say I she knew what he and her daughter had been doing in the backseat on the way here?

We gathered out suitcases and bags and went into the house, dropping them in the kitchen for moment which avoided the immediate question of which bedroom would go which bags. Although we protested that we weren’t hungry, she insisted on fixing sandwiches and drinks. The five of us sat around the kitchen table, trading small talk as my aunt asked how the trip had been for us.

I wondered if she caught the furtive glances that we each exchanged? My grandmother may not SAY a lot about things, but I was warned a long time ago by my mother that she doesn’t miss much. Oh well, so long as it didn’t create any problems, so what if she saw us? I was starting to think this could be a long weekend if we had to walk on eggshells the whole time!

Eventually the “adults” went into the living room - more like a shrine actually. It smelled funny, like old people I guess you could say. God, did she ever open a window or un the air conditioning? The room was filled with knick-knacks, doll collections, ancient family photos, and all the furniture looked like it was from the fifties - which it probably was! I guess when you live alone with your family all so far away, it’s only natural to surround yourself with memories of days gone by. In a way it as sort of sad though. Suddenly I felt a little guilty for all the negative feelings I had about coming here. How would I feel someday if I was left without my husband and my only daughters both lived so far away and hardly ever visited me?

Kristen and I went out in the back yard. Behind the family room was a small deck with a table and chairs. It was nothing like my dad’s deck - totally open and you could see the neighbors on each side. A tall tree shaded it most of the day and the was no hot tub either. Still, a cool breeze was blowing and it felt good to at least not be traveling anymore.

“So what do you think?” Kristen suddenly blurted out? I looked at her as if I had no idea what she was talking about - and I didn’t.

“You know ... my mom and your dad,” she said in a low conspiratorial voice as if someone was going to actually hear us, “Think the old lady’s gonna have a stroke?”

“Kristen! How could you!” I exclaimed, actually a bit shocked at her insensitivity. What was that about blondes again?

“You know what I mean,” she said defensively.

Then she beamed again and leaned over towards me. “Fuck, did you see the look she gave my mom when she first saw us? THAT was priceless, almost as good as when Aunt Sheri gets all pissed off when we visit her.”

She was, of course, referring to my aunt on my dad’s side, the wife of his younger brother Jim. Aunt Sheri was a loony nut, no doubt about it. She was constantly appalled at how my mom and Aunt Linda allowed Kristen and me to dress, not afraid to call us sluts straight to her face. The only problem, at least for her, was that mom got a kick out of teasing her and if anything, egged us on all the more the nastier she got.