They left the party thirty minutes later and headed toward the side street where their cars were parked. They reached Marlee’s van first.
“Sus?”
“Yeah?”
“Here.” Sam slipped Susie her old phone and asked her to hang onto it until she picked it up at the end of the night. Sam gave her friends the briefest of explanations about her father’s use of the GPS feature, and they were outraged at the invasion of privacy.
Susie tucked Sam’s old phone in her pocket and patted it twice for safe keeping. It was better for Sam’s father to think she had gone to Susie’s house than to the secluded farm road on Raymond Road near the site of the car accident. Sam hadn’t been back to the intersection since the crash, but with Lisa by her side, she might have enough strength to face it.
“Hey,” Marlee gushed, “isn’t your six-month anniversary coming up?”
Sam nodded and reached for Lisa’s hand. “Tomorrow.”
“Aay, I don’t know how you guys are gonna top your four-month anniversary,” Susie said. “Dinner at Le Grande Bistro in Southbridge? Fancy schmancy.”
“I think they’re gonna top it,” Marlee said knowingly.
“We are?” Sam looked at Lisa. This was the first she’d heard of plans for their six-month celebration.
“But I’m sworn to secrecy,” Marlee said.
Susie frowned at Marlee. “Aay, you’re in on it?”
“Yep.” Marlee held her lips tight together indicating she would say no more on the matter. “Actually,” she turned to Lisa for permission, “can I say?”
“Go ahead.”
“My job, Two, is to pick you up and chauffeur you to William and Evelyn’s tomorrow evening.”
“Yeah?” Sam smiled at Lisa.
“I’m cooking for us.” Lisa smiled back. “I’m sending William and Evelyn out to dinner and then to a movie. They have explicit instructions to stay away until I text them.”
“This is sounding like the answer to my prayers.” Sam looked up in the sky and thanked the Gods.
“You’re a lucky dog, Sam.” Susie punched Sam lightly in the arm.
Sam grinned. “I can’t wait. What’s for dinner?”
Lisa wagged a finger. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”
Sam stuck out her lower lip. “Okay, fine. Hey, Sus?”
“Yeah?”
“We’ll come by in about two hours? Okay?”
Susie nodded. “Sounds good. We’ll be in my room.”
“I can’t believe your mother lets Marlee hang out in your room now.”
“Aay, she’s made a few surprise visits. Let me tell you.”
“She never caught us doing anything, though,” Marlee added with a wink. “The screen door to their mudroom squeaks real loud, no matter how quietly she tries to open it. And I can move pretty fast when I have to.”
Sam and Lisa laughed. “All right, you guys. We’ll see you in a while. Have fun.”
“We’re going to have as much fun as you two,” Susie teased.
“Oh, I seriously doubt that.” Sam put her arm around Lisa, and they headed to the Sebring.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I'll Take it From Here
“HOW DID THAT make you feel, Samantha Rose?” Dr. Boyle asked.
“Good,” Sam said. “I worked hard in the play, and it felt good when the audience clapped for me.”
“No anxiety on stage?”
Sam shook her head. “Not really. I’m used to getting attention.”
“That was positive attention,” Sam’s mother said from her seat on the couch. “Sometimes it’s not.”
Sam nodded. She knew her mother was trying to bring up the gay issue in a non-direct way, but Sam wasn’t biting. She wanted someone to bring up the subject more directly, so she skirted the issue and said, “Like how people gawk at me because I’m a Payton? Like I’m an alien or something.”
Dr. Boyle didn’t say anything. It was obvious he wanted Sam and her parents to keep the slow-moving ball rolling. Sam wasn’t sure what was going to happen because her father sat stone faced on his end of the couch, and her mother, so far, had only thrown out a sentence or two.
Dr. Boyle sat in one of the two leather chairs. His lemon yellow sweater worn over a white button down shirt, his thinning gray hair, khaki pants, and comfortable shoes gave him the look of a trustworthy grandfather. Not that Sam had ever met any of her grandparents. They were all dead—including those from Helene’s branch of the family.
Sam squirmed in her seat. The squeaking leather was the only sound in the otherwise silent room. She twirled the mood ring around her finger. She wasn’t surprised it was jet black. Dr. Boyle would say touching the ring was Sam’s attempt at comfort. He’d be right, because thinking about Lisa was the only thing that was comforting at the moment.
Dr. Boyle adjusted his glasses and waited patiently. Sam knew from past experience that he could outwait anybody, so the four of them sat in stony silence.
Amazingly, Dr. Boyle caved in first. He cleared his throat. “Samantha Rose, you received a lot of attention from a photograph in the Clarksonville Courier recently. How did that make you feel?”
Finally, Sam thought. Leave it to Dr. Boyle to be the only one brave enough to bring up the elephant in the room.
“That wasn’t cool.”
“Why wasn’t it cool?” Dr. Boyle asked.
“I wasn’t ready.”
“What weren’t you ready for, Samantha Rose?” her mother asked.
Sam swallowed hard against the emotions bubbling up. She fought hard to keep her tears in control, but it was a losing battle. She put a hand up to hide her eyes.
No one moved to comfort her. It wasn’t the Payton way. Keep your head up. Don’t let them see you cry. You are the pinnacle to which all others seek. She didn’t feel like a pinnacle at that moment.
Completely out of character, her mother laid what was meant to be a comforting hand on her arm.
Sam pulled away. “Don’t try to console me, Mother. You and Daddy obviously have a—what was it you called it on Sunday? Oh, yes, a situation on your hands. One that obviously needs controlling. Situation—that was the word you used, wasn’t it, Mother?”
“You’re skating on thin ice, Samantha Rose,” her father warned, his face flushing red.
Hey, Sam thought, he finally speaks! They’d been there for twenty minutes at that point.
Anger flashed in his eyes when he added, “Do not disrespect your mother.”
“Really?” Sam wiped at her tears, so she could see her father clearly. “You want to go there again?”
Her father appealed to Dr. Boyle, demanding he get a handle on the situation.
“No, no,” Dr. Boyle said putting a hand up. “This is good. We need these feelings to come out.” He faced Sam. “Let’s stick with the lesbian topic for now.”
Sam’s mother inhaled sharply.
“Mimi,” Dr. Boyle said, “why did the word lesbian make you gasp?”
“It’s such a hateful word.” Her mother looked everywhere but at the people in the room.
“But the word applies to your daughter.”
Sam’s mother looked at her hands, mindlessly picking at her recent manicure. With a resigned sigh, she looked up at Sam. “I wish you had come to us sooner about this.”
“What your mother is trying to say—“
“Daddy! Let Mother speak for herself.”
“Why am I the bad guy around here all of a sudden?” He sank back in the couch like a scolded little boy and sulked.
“Daddy, you’re not the bad guy.” Sam softened her voice. “I just feel like you never let people speak for themselves.” Like me. “And all I want to do is make you both understand who I am. Somehow you and Mother missed all the clues.”
Her father sat up taller. “What clues?” His voice had also softened.
“Like the fact that I never had any boys calling or coming over. How I had crushes on girls my whole life.”
/> “We thought you’d outgrow that,” Sam’s mother said.
“You knew?”
Sam’s mother nodded. “Of course we did. And truly, we thought it was natural for a child to have crushes on her friends.”
“It is natural, but I’m not a child anymore. And I haven’t, as you say, outgrown it. I’m not going to. How in the world did you not know? We live in the same house.” Sam was sure Dr. Boyle was cheering them on quietly in his head.
“Well,” her mother said, “I think we got used to Helene taking care of you, and, as the years wore on, we grew more and more distant from you.” She exchanged a glance with her husband. “That’s something I regret now. We obviously don’t know you as well as we should, and I think Helene realizes it, too.”
“Why didn’t you send Helene away sooner? And don’t say it was because you had that contract, Daddy.” She said the word ‘contract’ with disgust. “We all know you can do anything you want.”
Her father didn’t respond. He simply gestured for Sam’s mother to speak.
“You had bonded so well with Helene,” Sam’s mother continued. “We didn’t have the heart to send her away.”
“So why are you sending her away now?” Too bad, Dr. Boyle, Sam thought. My mommy issues are coming up sooner than expected. Apparently all the Payton Family issues are intertwined.
“Helene is the one who wants to go,” her father said quietly.
“What?” Sam sat back stunned. “Why?” It didn’t make sense.
“First of all, Samantha Rose,” her mother said, “please know that she loves you very much. Don’t ever forget that. It was a tough decision for her. She wants the three of us to spend more time with each other.”
Sam mulled it over. “Helene would say something like that. She was always so selfless.” And if she had told me it was her idea to leave, I would have begged her to stay. That’s why she let me believe Mother and Daddy were kicking her out.
“She is a very kind person,” her mother said. “She was more concerned about the stitches above your eye than she was about her own concussion.”
“I know.” Sam reached up and touched the scar above her eye. “Mother, did you ever get jealous of Helene?”
Her mother took a deep breath and sighed. “Yes. She was so good with you. So much better than I could ever hope to be. I wish I could have—“
“Mother, it’s okay. Remember on Sunday when I said I was lucky to have two moms?”
Her mother nodded.
“I meant it. The three of you raised me together. And I’m not going to lose Helene from my life because she’s moving out. I hope you both understand that.”
Her mother smiled. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Daddy?”
He nodded. “Like your mother said.”
“Are we ever going to let people know who Helene really is?” Sorry Dr. Boyle, Sam thought, you can go home now. I’ll take it from here. “Did you tell your friends?” her father asked. Sam shook her head. “What about your special friend?” Sam’s mother asked. “Did you tell her who Helene is?”
“She has a name, Mother.” Sam didn’t want to stir the pot now that she and her parents were communicating, but she needed to let them know she was done hiding, and they needed to respect that.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Lisa. Does she know?”
“No. I think it’s the one and only thing I’ve kept from her. I mean, how in the world would I explain it?”
“Yes, I can see how that would be difficult.” Her father looked lost in thought for a moment and then added, “I’d like to continue to keep this our secret. For as long as we can.”
Sam nodded.
“Scandals like this can hurt the family business. And we’ve managed to keep this whopper quiet for—”
“Eighteen years,” Sam finished. “Has Dr. Boyle known this whole time?”
Her father nodded.
Time was getting dangerously close to running out on their session, and there was no way she was going to let Dr. Boyle call time before she’d had her say. “I need you both to understand that I’m queer. I’m a lesbian. I know those words seem harsh, but it’s not a phase. It’s my reality.” Sam turned toward her mother. “Mother, a while back you accused my friends of brainwashing me, but that’s so far from the truth. I’m the one that pursued Lisa, you know. I love her—”
“You think you love her,” her father interrupted.
“No, I know I love her, and I know with all my heart that she loves me.” Sam couldn’t read the fleeting expression crossing her mother’s face. “Nobody twisted my arm. Believe me.”
“Is this really what you want?” Her father shrugged.
“Daddy,” Sam cried, “it’s not...” She paused for a moment trying to find the right words. “It’s not something to want or not want. It just is. It’s part of what makes me who I am. It’s not something I came up with to annoy you. I’m not in the throes of teenage rebellion. I’m not doing this to hurt you. I, ahhh...” She tilted her head back and groaned. “I don’t know how to make you understand.” She sent a pleading look to Dr. Boyle, but he simply sat there, enjoying the show. She looked at her parents. “I’m happy. I’m truly happy for the first time in my life. When I’m with Lisa, it’s like I finally found a reason for living.” She looked from her mother’s sympathetic face to her father’s stoic one. “I hope you can accept me someday.”
“We’re afraid for you, Samantha Rose,” Sam’s mother said. “There’s so much hatred out there.”
Her father cleared his throat. “The Paytons are used to being in the spotlight. I know you haven’t always liked it, but we’re afraid that people will crush you because of your, uh, lifestyle—“
“It’s not a lifestyle—“
“Okay, okay.” Her father threw his hands up in a defensive gesture. “People may take the fact that you’re dating a girl as permission to harass you.”
Already been there, Daddy, Sam thought. She hadn’t told her parents about the harassment she had received at school, and she doubted she ever would. The less they knew the better.
“Kitten, I think your mother and I are slowly coming to terms with your, uh, news. The PFLAG group has been quite informative, actually.” Sam’s father turned to Sam’s mother. “Mother, you should come with me to their next meeting. They said a lot of things that made sense.” He turned back to Sam. “I’m just afraid that the rest of the world won’t be as accepting of you.”
Sam’s mother reached over and rubbed Sam’s arm. “I’m sure everything will be okay. You have a good head on your shoulders. And you know what?”
“What?”
“I like her. Your friend. Your girlfriend.” Her mother grinned. “There, I said it.”
“That’s good, Mother,” Sam said. “You’re making progress.”
Sam’s mother’s smile grew. “Lisa is very pretty, and she seems sweet. I guess we should count ourselves lucky, Gerald, that our baby met someone kind and nurturing. And she knows so much about gardening. Maybe we can have her over for dinner sometime. Would you like that, Samantha Rose?”
Sam nodded. She couldn’t believe her ears. Were her parents actually being supportive? Wait. She hadn’t heard from her father.
“Daddy?”
“I’m still musing on all of this, Kitten. This was a mighty big bomb you dropped in our laps. I’m still trying to figure it all out.” He sighed and then said, “I want to meet your friend’s parents. I want to know what kind of people my daughter is associating with.”
“I’m sure they’d like to meet you, too.” The fact that he didn’t say Lisa’s name was not lost on her. He was clearly going to be the tougher sell, but at least he had opened the door a crack.
“I always pictured a son-in-law,” he mused. “One that would take over the family business, so your mother and I could travel more.”
“Daddy, c’mon. That is so sexist.”
“I know. I know. Nothing says my li
ttle girl can’t run the business with, uh, with a significant other.”
Sam laughed at the archaic expression. “But you know what?”
“What, honey?” her mother asked.
“Lisa wants to be a doctor.” Sam almost burst out laughing when her mother’s eyes grew wide.
“A doctor? Gerald,” her mother gushed, “our baby is dating a doctor.”
“Mother,” Sam’s father said with a laugh, “Lisa is not a doctor yet.”
“Oh, don’t ruin my moment.”
Dr. Boyle chuckled and announced the end of the session. They had, in fact, gone over by ten minutes, which was a minor miracle because Dr. Boyle was a stickler about his sessions ending on time. He was almost obsessive-compulsive about it.
As Sam and her parents stood up to leave, Sam realized something. Her parents weren’t having that much trouble with the fact that she was dating Lisa. Their trouble seemed to be more about how the rest of the world would perceive it, and how their plans for Sam’s life weren’t coming together exactly as they had pictured.
“Thank you for your services, Doc.” Sam’s father shook Dr. Boyle’s hand. “I guess you should keep Tuesdays set aside for the Payton Family for a while.”
“Sounds like a fine idea. I’ll put you on the schedule myself.” He saw them to the door.
On the way down the elevator, Sam said, “Mother, let’s go to New York like you planned. Would it be crazy to go the week of Thanksgiving?”
“Probably, but let’s do it anyway.” Her mother’s smile reassured Sam that her family might actually be on the mend. “I thought you had forgotten.”
“No. We’ve all been preoccupied, I think. Oh, and Daddy? I hope you can help me with a problem I’m going to have after Helene leaves.”
“What’s that?”
“I’m not going to have anybody to watch hockey games with. What do you think?”
“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin. “I used to play, you know.”
“I didn’t know that.”
“In prep school. I played junior varsity, and I was terrible. I couldn’t skate backwards.” He laughed. “But I would be honored to watch hockey with my daughter. Who are we rooting for?”
Stealing Second: Sam's Story: Book 4 in the Clarksonville Series Page 26
