Amy – Day 02

Day 2

Part I

Now it’s come to what you want, you’ve had your way

And all the things you thought before

Just faded into gray and can you see

That I don’t know if it’s you or if it’s me?

If it’s one of us, I’m sure we’ll both see

Won’t you look at me and tell me?

–From “Amy” by Pure Prairie League

I woke up the next morning alone in the motel bed. I could hear the hot tub running in the other room. I looked at the bedside clock, it read 9:00. Oh shit, I was going to hear it from Sophie when I got home. I couldn’t believe she hadn’t blown up my phone. Double Shit. I left my phone on the bathroom shelf when I changed clothes.

I almost ran to the bathroom to grab my phone. It was just where I left it. And it was very, very dead. I may never hear the end of this. What the hell was I going to say? “Sorry Soph, I got distracted fucking your aunt.” Oh yeah, that’d go over like a pregnant pole vaulter.

I quickly dressed and went into the living/tub room. There she was: breathtaking. Amy was in the hot tub with her head back and eyes closed.

“Sorry you woke up alone,” Amy said, “I didn’t want to wake you and I needed to get the sweat and other liquids from last night off of me.”

Amy opened her eyes and saw me standing in front of her quite dressed. “Why are you dressed,” she mock pouted, “you had instructions to fuck me again in the morning.”

“I want nothing more,” I explained, “But my phone is dead and I likely am, too.”

“I can do the funeral,” Amy said leaning forward displaying her breasts.

“You may just get the opportunity,” I answered.

Amy smiled sweetly and said, “Sophie keeps a good eye on you, doesn’t she? Is it for the same reason you only drank Sprite last night?”

“Yeah,” I confirmed, “When Grace died, I went off the deep end. Six months that I have no real memory of.”

Amy stood up and gave me a very wet hug. It really should be illegal for anyone to look that good naked at any age let alone 49. If ever I was close to saying “fuck it,” on my responsibilities since the girls brought me back from the edge it was looking at that perfect, naked body.

“I’m sorry,” she said finally, “Oh! Should I still come over for lunch?”

“Absolutely! Come to the house for noon.”

“Great!” The divine smile returned. If I didn’t get out of the door quickly, I wasn’t going anywhere.

Amy gave me a kiss. It was a chaste peck on the lips but not very sisterly at all. “See you shortly.”

I left the room and like a teenager I all but skipped to the Jeep. Getting in I plugged my phone into the charger and let the phone boot. Triple shit. Three missed calls, all from Sophie. Ten messages, all from Sophie and all with a “Where the hell are you?” tone. One message from Lys that simply read, “Did you get lucky or something?” And finally, one from my brother Cal reminding me that our Aunt Ellie’s Memorial Day picnic was Sunday with a hint to bring our sister. What an asshole.

I drove home as quickly as I could and pulled into the garage. Going through the door that adjoined the kitchen, I peered in to see if Sophie was waiting for me like some sort of reverse parent.

Lys sat at the table drinking coffee. She looked at me with a shit-eating grin. “So, it wasn’t a data, huh?”

“We went back, talked, and I passed out on the couch,” I said in way of explanation. I’m pretty sure it was the truth; I did pass out for a second there.

“Uh-huh. Those clothes haven’t been slept in.” And the smile that just crossed your face…Holy hell you DID get laid!”

“Lys…”

“Hey, I’m the last person that is going to judge you. You haven’t been with a woman in almost three years, and she was fucking hot.”

“Lys…”

“I mean shit, I’d fuck her if I wasn’t married.”

“Lys, not now, please.”

Lys looked at me. Her eyes popped for a moment, and she said, “Holy hell, Pop. You really did…”

“Yeah,” I admitted, “but can we please keep quiet?”

The kitchen door flew open and Sophie came in with a face that was two parts worry and three parts pissed. She was already wearing her scrubs.

“What are we keeping quiet,” Sophie demanded, “a hangover?”

“No Sophie, I didn’t have a drink.”

“Then where the hell were you?”

“We went back to her room and talked. I passed out on the couch and my phone died.”

She clearly didn’t believe me. The look I was getting was 100% a look Grace gave the girls when they were bull shitting us.

“So, what are you keeping quiet?”

I hated lying to Sophie but I wasn’t ready to tell her I fucked her long-lost aunt last night. Lys came out of nowhere with the save.

“That he’s going to ask her to go to the family picnic tomorrow but wants it kept quiet for some good ole’ family drama,” Lys said.

Sophie rolled her eyes hard. “Grow up, Dad,” she let out an annoyed sigh, “I’m working noon to midnight. You and Aunt Amy be there for 4:00. I won’t be home until very late but *I* will come home.”

“Yes dear,” seemed like the safest answer.

“I have errands to run,” Sophie said, “see you both later. Love you.”

Sophie was out the door and Lys looked at me and said, “I wouldn’t let her draw your blood, today.”

“Yeah. No shit.”

I walked past Lys and gave her one of my panted kisses on the head. “Thanks kiddo. I owe you one.”

“Fucking understatement of the year. By the way, I’m working from one to eleven tonight. With Amy here: behave.”

“Rose is coming over for lunch,” I said, “We won’t be alone long.”

“With the putz?”

“Yeah, with the putz,” I laughed.

I kept moving toward the stairs. I wanted to shower to get, as Amy put it, all the liquids off of me. I could smell Amy’s perfume and…well her perfume all over me.

“Good thing Sophie’s sense of smell sucks,” Lys called after me, “By the smell coming off of you she must have hosed you down.”

Jesus Fucking Christ.

Part II

Rose and her fiancé Steven let themselves in shortly after 11:30. They had big catering bags from Boston Market.

“Sorry, Daddy, I’m not cooking with this beach ball in the way.” She smirked while pointing at her very pregnant belly.

“I would have cooked, sweety,” I said, relieving her of the bags.

“No, Daddy. Sophie says no shocks to my system this late in the pregnancy.”

“I can cook…” I said and Rose gave me a dubious look.

“I can,” I said looking at Steven who just shrugged.

Rose set about getting the table ready. I glared at Steven to get his ass in gear and help. He jumped like I kicked him. The boy really was a putz.

Rose was almost the image of her mother at her age. Past that she was 100% my kid. My mouth, my attitude. It was eerie. Part of me felt sorry for Steven. He would never get a word in edgewise. He would never win an argument.

“What happened last night,” Rose asked. “Sophie called me this morning pretty pissed off.”

I went through my explanation again. I ended it with, “I didn’t have a drink.”

“I didn’t ask that,” Rose said. “I’m your daughter not your mother.” It was well known that Rose had a great deal of faith in me. I feared breaking that faith and in turn her heart.

Rose came over and gave me a hug. Ever since she was a little girl she was a hugger. More importantly she always knew when I needed one. I gratefully hugged her back. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through, Daddy.

From the other room I heard a knock at the door. Lys answered it and the dual chorus of “Hi!” told me that Amy had arrived. Lys led Amy into the kitchen and announced she was off to work and with a wink in my direction she left.

Rose looked at me expectantly so I began introductions. “This is my daughter Rose and her fiancé Steven. Rose, this is your Aunt Amy.”

With a squeal of glee Rose ran to Amy and caught her in a huge embrace. I quickly lost track of the conversation between the two women as the vocal range went supersonic. After several moments including Amy admiring Rose’s bump, I broke the moment and said, “Let’s eat on the deck. Steven, help me get the food outside.”

Miraculously he took the hint. As we moved the bags and plates to the patio table on the deck Steven said, “How are you with this? Is she really your twin sister?”

“Looks that way, yeah.”

“That’s pretty fucking weird, Mr. Drake,” he said. And Lys thought I had the understatement of the year earlier.

“Yes, it is, my boy. Yes, it is.”

“Oooh,” Amy exclaimed coming out to the deck, “this is really nice. Hey! You have a hot tub here, too!”

Rose looked at me curiously and I quickly explained that Amy had the honeymoon suite at the motel. “Ah,” was her answer and even Steven raised his eyebrows.

“Oh, he wouldn’t get in,” Amy said.

“Not a surprise,” Rose answered. “He never uses this one. It was Mom’s thing.”

I shrugged in response while putting the food out. Rose didn’t know the real reason I stopped using the hot tub and I wasn’t about to tell her.

“Sorry I didn’t feel like cooking,” Rose said to Amy.

“What about him? Are his hands broken,” Amy pointed to me.

“We don’t let him cook.”

“Food’s ready,” I said growing a little tired of the “let’s pick on Dave” talk.

“Yeah,” Steven said, “Anything with computers, R.V.s, or Tolkien and Mr. Drake is your man. Cooking? Not so much.”

I fixed the poor boy with a stare that I had perfected during Rose’s years of dating. It was a stare that once sent a perspective suiter literally running from my living room. To Steven’s credit he withstood the stare but he wisely shut the fuck up.

I looked at Amy as she sat down at the metal, round patio table. She had her hair back again leaving her delicious neck exposed. She had on a pretty sun dress that complimented her body very nicely. My lizard brain reported: “No bra, no panty line.” I will myself not to think about it.

As we sat down and ate everyone made small talk. It was, surprisingly, not awkward.

“Daddy, have you told Aunt Amy about the picnic yet?”

Amy blinked and asked, “What picnic?”

I explained how our Aunt Ellie had a picnic every Memorial Day on the family farm. Ellie was Mom’s younger sister and the last living relative. Ellie was 18 years older than me; only two years older than Dean.

“I’d love to go,” Amy affirmed.

“Okay, be here for 9:00 tomorrow and we’ll drive out to the farm. It is about an hour away.”