The Ties That Bind

by T. Starnes

  He knew he was caught and said, "Yeah, that is about the long and short of it."

  "It worked out for you this time, and I am happy about that. And yes, I probably would have told you to hold off, because we are not in a rip-roaring hurry to get the prototype done now. But that doesn't matter. We still talk about it, or this partnership needs to end, today!"

  "Come on, Cas..."

  "No, Ted. I mean it, and I am serious. I am fine with you guys making operational decisions but on the big ones, and you can't tell me you didn't think this was a big decision, you need to include me."

  "Okay, you're right. I take the blame on this. I haven't worked on something this exciting in years, and I let myself get carried away. Next time you will be in the loop."

  I finally smiled at them, "Great. That's all I ask. So, where does this put us?"

  Happy that the tension was broken, Marcus's jovial mood returned, "Well ahead of schedule. We should have a working prototype ready the week before Christmas at the latest."

  "By working, you mean..."

  "Tested internally and ready to demo for buyers."

  "Well, that is good news. Ted, you mentioned you had a guy in procurement. Do you think it would be wise to sit down with him, informally of course, and just sound him out? I don't want anything to jump out and catch us by surprise."

  Ted tapped the end of his pencil against his chin, thinking.

  "Yes, I think that is a good idea. I will call him and set up a meeting for after Thanksgiving. And again ... sorry, Cas."

  "Water under the bridge. Go talk to your guy, Ted. I am as pumped to start the prototype as you guys are."

  Jonathan dropped me off at home. I found the girls, sitting around the kitchen table with Mom, plotting Thanksgiving.

  I pulled up a chair next to them and said, "I was wondering how this would go. I know Vicki and Tami both have family obligations. Did we figure out a way to make this work?"

  "Yes, I think we have. Vicki and Tami's family are both doing meals at lunch with cousins, aunts, uncles and what not. So we will do a Thanksgiving dinner that night. Mom and I agree that it wouldn't be a family meal if all five of us weren't here. If it's okay, I also wanted to invite Megan."

  I hadn't considered that, but since she had pretty well integrated in our group and knew all our secrets, I thought it was a good idea.

  "Sounds good. You should call her and ask."

  Vicki half raised her hand and said, "Umm, I talked to Mom and Dad. They know about the four of us. I know Tami can't come because she has family stuff, and can't get out of it, but could you and Zoe come to lunch with me? Then we can all come back here, for dinner."

  I leaned over and gave Vicki a kiss.

  "I would love to. Your family has always been really nice to me, especially that time I landed in the slammer."

  Zoe blurted out a laugh, "You were in city lock-up for a couple of hours. You were never in 'the slammer.'"

  I smiled at her and said, "Tell that to the guy who said I was his girlfriend."

  We all laughed at that, except Tami, who was looking sad.

  "Tami, we weren't trying to leave you out. Did you want to try and arrange some way for us all to go to each other's Thanksgiving?"

  She shook her head, still looking sad, and said, "No, my parents don't know about the four of us. They are pretty strict when it comes to dating, and have problems with my dating one person. If they knew I was part of a foursome, they would hit the roof."

  "Do you want me to come with you by myself?"

  Again, she shook her head no, "No, even just you would be a problem. They don't want anyone not part of ... they aren't okay with me dating at all."

  I hadn't realized she had been totally hiding our relationship, although I had wondered why she never mentioned them. Clearly, there was more going on than she was saying and I made a mental note to talk to her about it when we could get some private time.

  I reached over and held her hand, saying, "It's okay. Just let us know what we can do. We will all have dinner here that evening, okay?"

  She smiled at me and nodded yes. Both Vicki and Zoe leaned over and gave her a kiss.

  I took the opportunity to ask Zoe, "Do you think you could call Tina and invite her? I think I have worn out my welcome trying to get her to communicate with me, but I would still like to try."

  "I will call her, but don't get your hopes up, Cas. With how she has been acting, there is a good chance she won't agree," Zoe said.

  "I know, but it's worth a try."

  "Okay, so lunch is with Vicki; and dinner is all together, here, that night. Mom, what are we going to have and what can I do to help."

  The next hour we spent planning out our schedules and meals. Zoe did call Tina, who turned her down flat. I didn't want to give up on my sister, but I wasn't sure how many more times we should try and connect with her. Every time she turned us down, it was a little knife into my heart. I didn't think I wanted to deal with her rejection.

  Vicki and Tami got a ride home and we called it an evening, with everyone excited for Thursday and Thanksgiving.

  Chapter 6

  The big day rolled around and I was nervous, standing in front of Vicki's door holding Zoe's hand. Vicki's mom had seen the two of us together, but knowing that we would be eating, with our unique relationship out in the open, was nerve wracking. Now that I knew Tami's family was a problem, I had started considering the possibility of other obstacles in the way of our relationship. I was a worrier by nature, and the thought of giving up the women I loved tied me in knots.

  "It will be fine. They already know about us, and invited both of us, anyway," Zoe said, giving my hand a squeeze.

  I reached forward and pushed the doorbell, "That or they invited us in order to flay me alive for corrupting their daughter."

  Zoe chuckled, "Well, Mom didn't seem to mind your corrupting me."

  Before I could reply, the door opened, and we were standing in front of Vicki's mom.

  "Hello, Mrs. Hollabrand. Thanks for inviting us."

  She stepped up and gave me a hug, and then did the same thing for Zoe.

  "Of course. We know how important you two are to Vicki. It will be really nice to spend some time getting to know you. The food is done, and we are just about ready to sit down."

  She turned to walk into the house, and we followed behind her. When we got into the dining room, Vicki was standing there. She rushed over and gave me a hug and a chaste, but energetic, kiss on the lips. I was surprised when she the repeated the same gesture with Zoe, with both her parents looking on. I guess Vicki wanted to make sure everything was clear, and out in the open.

  I let Zoe sit next to Vicki, and I sat across from them. As soon as Zoe and I were seated, their kitchen staff or servants, or whatever they are called, started bringing out serving platters of food. I was still a little amazed every time I visited Vicki's house. It was weird placing the down to earth Vicki I knew, in the same context as someone who grew up around this kind of wealth. A brief grace was said, and then we all started loading up our plates. I was surprised it was just me, the girls and Vicki's parents. I was expecting all kinds of other people to join us. After a few minutes, Mr. Hollabrand broke the silence.

  "Caspian, I hear from Jonathan Colleta that you are doing some interesting things. He says you have gone into business with Ted Baker and an engineer."

  "Yes sir. Marcus, the engineer, had a really good idea. It seemed marketable, but Ted didn't have the capital to move forward with it. I saw it as an opportunity, and offered to invest the rest of the money they needed, on the condition that I got to take an active role in the company."

  "And they went along with that?"

  "Well, I was offering a lot of money; and yes, so far it seems to be working out."

  "That is what Jonathan tells me. He won't go into details, but he seems pretty excited by it."

  "We are keeping things very quiet for now, but it is exciting."

  "I a
m surprised they would get into business with someone so young."

  I could tell he was fishing for information and I didn't really want to talk about details yet.

  "I guess they saw some value in my contribution. I have gotten good advice from Jonathan on the entire project, also, and everyone involved seems happy."

  He reacted slightly when I used Mr. Colleta's first name so casually, but Mrs. Hollabrand broke in to ask, "So, I understand from talking to Vicki that you three kids, plus one other girl, are dating each other. That is an, unusual situation."

  If she was trying to divert her husband to a safer topic, then this was a swish and a miss. I could see Mr. Hollabrand frown, but I answered her question, anyway.

  "Yes, ma'am, we are. I know it is not a traditional relationship, but the girls seem happy and I know I am."

  "With three women dating you, I bet you are," Mr. Hollabrand muttered.

  "Richard," Vicki's mom admonished, "there is no call for that. Vicki has been very upfront with me about the whole thing. First, you should be aware that it isn't three girls dating Caspian. They are all dating each other. From my conversations with Vicki, and some with Zoe, I understand they are as infatuated with each other as they are with Caspian."

  Vicki reached across and held Zoe's hand, "Yes, we are."

  Mr. Hollabrand glowered some more, but his wife continued, "I know Caspian resisted the situation, at first. He was worried that one of the girls would get hurt."

  He looked at me surprised, "Three girls offered to date you and you tried to turn them down?"

  "Well, it was only two at the time," I responded. "But yes, I tried to. I was worried that there was no way we could do this that didn't end up with someone getting hurt."

  "That doesn't seem like a common attitude for most teenagers."

  I shrugged, "All I can say is that I am not the average teenager. My experiences before moving here, and after, have both been pretty unique. They've given me a different outlook on life. I believe that it is important to do what is right, even if ... or rather, especially if ... what is right is not the same as what I want."

  He looked thoughtfully at me for a moment, and then said, "I see," before returning to eating his mashed potatoes.

  We made a lot of small talk from there. All three of us talked about our classes, and I explained about the accelerated program we were in. They asked about sports, and Vicki told them about my injury and not being allowed to play any longer. The conversation wound down into another awkward silence.

  "Mr. Hollabrand, Vicki has never really said. What do you do?"

  He finished chewing and then answered, "I am a CPA and accountant."

  "Really? If I am being nosy or impolite, then I apologize, but I am surprised. I know that you do very well in your job. I have meet kids before whom have a parent that is a CPA, and I don't believe they did nearly as well."

  He considered for a moment and said, "I work for a private group that pays me very well for my services."

  It was obvious he didn't want to go down this line of questioning, and was being a little evasive, so I let the subject drop. When dinner was over, Vicki's father excused himself and her mother walked with us outside. Vicki had already arranged for her to take us all back home.

  In the car, she looked in the rear view mirror and said, "I know my husband was hard on you kids, but give him time. He'll come around. Your arrangement is taking some getting used to, but I have seen how happy Vicki has been the last few months. I know you two are partly accountable for that, and I want you to know I accept the four of you as you are."

  I was surprised at her attitude, but had to wonder if she was aware of everything we did. Most parents would not be nearly as understanding if they knew we all knew each other in the biblical sense.

  I left this unsaid and just replied, "Thank you."

  When we got home, Tami, Alex and Megan were already there and were helping cook. When she saw us, Tami ran up and gave each of us a hug and a kiss, ending with Vicki.

  "I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you. I really wanted to go."

  Vicki pulled out of the hug and looked into Tami's large green eyes as she said, "It's okay. We missed you, but we knew you wanted to be there. We all know you love us and we love you."

  She then proved this with a fairly passionate kiss. The girls then all headed into the kitchen to help prepare food. I started following them but was intercepted by Vicki.

  "Cas, we have seen you try to cook, and it wasn't pretty! Go sit in the living room. We'll call you when it's ready."

  I went and sat in the big recliner, but didn't turn on the TV. I started to run through events with Vicki's family, but I wasn't worrying, as I might normally have done. Considering everything, her Dad's response to our relationship wasn't that unusual ... but I was thinking about his answer, when I asked what he did. Based on everything I knew about their income, and what he said his job was, it didn't match up to what I knew about CPAs. Admittedly, what I knew about CPAs was limited. I could be reading everything really wrong, but it still made me wonder what was up.

  I was pulled out of my thoughts, when Tami came in and curled up in my lap. I started running my fingers through her hair and she started making purring noises and pressed against me harder.

  "Everything okay?"

  "Yeah. I am just worried about my parents. At some point, they are going to figure things out about our relationship. It will be very bad."

  "You know, we haven't ever really talked about your family. I know Vicki and Zoe know you really well, and know your family, but you and I haven't ever discussed it."

  She turned her head so she could look up at me, "Yeah, I know we haven't. To be honest, that was kind of on purpose."

  "Why?"

  "Because it's hard to explain, and I really don't like to think about it."

  "Tell me about them."

  She was silent for a little while, collecting her thoughts. "I guess it boils down to the fact that my parents are religious."

  "Okay, but that doesn't explain the comment that they wouldn't like you dating anyone. Religious people date."

  "From normal religions, yes that is true. Man, I never know how to say this without it sounding bad."

  "Just say it; I will love you no matter what."

  She signed, "It's kind of a cult."

  I didn't see that coming.

  "Really?"

  "See?" she said.

  "Sorry, you're right. Go on, tell me about them."

  "Growing up, it all seemed so normal; but looking back, I know it wasn't. They are called the Church of the Second Coming. It is run by this guy who claims to be, well, Jesus."

  "Seriously?"

  "Yeah, I know. But they believe in him. I guess I did, too, when I was little. Then I joined gymnastics."

  "How did that change anything?"

  "It is really unusual for anyone in the church to join anything. The kids are mostly home schooled, and no one is a member of any kind of team. You see your family and people from the church, and that is it."

  "How did you end up doing differently?"

  "Dad got real sick, and mom had to get a job. When dad got better, mom didn't want to stop working, so they decided to send me to public school. I made a friend who was in gymnastics, and I really wanted to do it. I because a holy terror at home, demanding every day. I guess I wore them down, and they allowed me to go."

  "It was a big deal at church and they got into trouble over both the public school thing and the gymnastics. But once it started they didn't want to pull me out, because they were worried it would draw too much attention to them."

  "What do you mean 'draw attention to them'?"

  "The church does stuff that most wouldn't agree with. Besides the leader thinking he is Jesus, he has something like fourteen wives. He adds a new one every couple of years, and they are always under eighteen at the time. Plus, other stuff."

  "Anyways, once I started to make non-church friends and
see stuff, it became obvious what we were a part of. When I was growing up with it, it all seemed normal since it was all I knew. I was never on the list of 'Chosen Girls', but it is still expected to date and marry within the 'faith,' as they call it."

  "Huh."

  "Huh? That's all you have to say?"

  "No, well, sort of. I mean, I am sorry that it is tough with your family and I get what you mean about dating being a problem. I am sure we will have to come to terms with that at some point, and deal with it. Because, you're right. Eventually they are going to figure out our relationship. I said 'huh' cause it explained some things."

  "Like what?"

  "Well, the biggest is how accepting you were of my relationship with Vicki and Zoe, and your being okay joining our relationship."

  "Yeah, I can see that. Of course that got easier when we first had sex and you brainwashed me."

  "I'm sorry about..."

  "Cas, I am giving you shit. I didn't actually mean it. You know how happy I am. This is something I really want."

  "I'll give you something."

  I then held her down with one hand and attacked her ribs with my fingers on the other hand. After a few minutes, she was squealing for mercy.

  As she caught her breath I asked, "Is there any way you can ask your parents to get out of the church? Or, if not them, then to just let you out?"

  "No. They are very serious about the church. They know I am not as serious as them, but I have never really made my problems public. I just go, listen, and try not to stir the pot. What can I do, they are my parents? Until I hit eighteen and graduate, I have to live under their rules."

  "Well, if it's something you can more or less avoid, I guess that's the best thing that you can do. Have you talked to Vicki and Zoe about this?"

  "No, not really. They know that my parents are strange, and they have never been invited over for anything, but we haven't ever really talked about it."

  "Do me a favor, talk to them. Both of them, one at a time, or all of us together, it doesn't matter, but let them know what is going on. Okay?"

  "Yeah."

  Just then, Vicki yelled at us from the kitchen to come eat.

  We sat at the table, and my mouth started watering at all the delicious food. I really wasn't that hungry since we had just eaten, but it all looked so good I kind of wanted to eat again. Mom cleared her throat, and held up her glass of wine. We followed suit, except that everyone else besides her and Alex had soda.