by Glynis Astie
Chapter Two
Four weeks later, we had hit our back-to-school groove. Louis walked Luc to the bus in the morning and I picked him up from aftercare in the evening. I had even managed to make it through the majority of each work day with only a few tears. Maybe this growing up thing wasn’t so hard.
Pleased with my progress, I invited Kate out for a celebratory coffee while our husbands took the kids to their favorite park. I sat down at a table by the window while Kate put the finishing touches on her coffee. As I carefully sipped my steaming hot caramel macchiato, I thought about how far I had come in the last few years. I was married to the man of my dreams, had the sweetest son on the planet and had found a career I enjoyed. Well, there was still room for improvement with my employment experience. If only the company would consider my proposal for an employee exchange program. There were a few I really wanted to relocate…
Kate eyed me suspiciously. “What’s got you in such a good mood?”
“I’m having coffee with the best sister in the world.” I grinned. “And there’s cake!” I raised my fork in mock salute.
“I love the Prolific Oven’s chocolate cake as much as the next person, but something else is up. You look particularly elated.” She paused. “I haven’t seen you this happy since Netflix acquired the rights to Gilmore Girls.”
That was an awesome day.
My grin grew even wider. “I just feel like everything is going well.”
“Especially with your birthday coming up in a couple of weeks.”
I dismissed her comment with a quick wave. “It’s not about that.”
“Did you suddenly have a personality transplant?” Kate laughed. “You’re normally such an attention whore when it comes to your birthday.”
I nearly choked on my coffee. My sister didn’t swear unless the sky was falling. Seriously, shit had to be getting real for her to utter such atrocities. This hardly seemed like the occasion to tarnish her pristine reputation.
She reached over and slapped me on the back. “Are you okay?”
I felt my face flush a familiar red. “I’m fine. I was just surprised by your choice of words.”
“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?”
While it was true I enjoyed a bit of pomp and circumstance for my birthday, I wouldn’t say I was obsessive about it. Okay, maybe a little. Louis and I had our first fight when he did absolutely nothing to celebrate my special day. Granted, he had only known me for three months, but a) I had told him how important it was to me and b) I was his fiancée. Thank goodness he recovered quickly or we wouldn’t be working our way toward seven years of wedded bliss.
I shook the memory out of my head. “I’ve mellowed a lot in the last year.”
Kate regarded me as though I were a problem she hadn’t a hope of solving.
I winced, knowing she had good reason. “Besides, now that Luc is older, most of our focus has shifted to Halloween.”
A light went on in her eyes. “Which reminds me…”
Damn it, Sydney! You really put your foot in it this time.
“…I had a call from Ms. Nelson the other day.”
Crap on a cracker.
“She informed me of your, shall we say, ‘vocal’ campaign regarding Halloween costumes.”
I took a deep breath. “It wasn’t fair to the children.”
“Syd! There’s a reason for each of the rules. Their safety is more important than their vanity.”
“I wasn’t asking anyone to compromise their safety, just give them a little leeway.” I stuffed a large bite of cake into my mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “She didn’t have to rat me out to you.”
Kate glared at me. “Ms. Nelson—otherwise known as the nicest human on the planet—is dangerously close to filing a restraining order against you. I’m sure she was just trying to find someone to reason with you.”
“Reason with me?” I scowled. “It’s not my fault she’s overly sensitive.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“What did I say to offend her?”
Kate knitted her eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure informing your son’s teacher you’ll be ‘speaking to the Great Pumpkin about her lack of Halloween spirit’ is considered borderline harassment.”
“I was making a joke!” I spluttered. “She’s a self-proclaimed Charlie Brown fanatic!”
“Is that really how you’re going to play this?”
Sensing my defeat, I mumbled, “A Storm Trooper just isn’t a Storm Trooper without his mask.”
“You make no sense!” Kate exclaimed. “Do you realize how you are actually jeopardizing his safety by pushing for the mask? I mean, wh—”
It wasn’t like Kate to stop speaking mid-sentence. I stared at her, wondering what had happened to interrupt her rant.
She pursed her lips. “Sometimes I wonder why I bother. You’re never going to behave in a completely rational manner.”
“There are eye holes in the mask! What’s the big safety risk?”
“Sydney Ju—”
“Fine!” I huffed. “I give up. No mask until trick-or-treating.”
“And?”
I sighed with resignation. “And I’ll let Louis be the liaison with Ms. Nelson from now on.”
“Good girl.” She smiled with satisfaction. “Stephan will be starting kindergarten next year and he has his heart set on having the same teacher as his big sister. I would hate to have Ms. Nelson refuse this request because of his aunt’s overzealous behavior.”
I fought the urge to flip her off.
“Now stop pouting and tell me a good Maya story.”
Kate was full of surprises today. First a blatant use of profanity and now this?
“Kate! You’re supposed to be the nice one of the family. How can you actively seek the opportunity to laugh at her pain?”
“Please! Maya has taunted every single one of us on multiple occa—”
“When has she ever taunted you?” I searched my memory banks for an incident. It was a bit fuzzy up there, but I thought I would remember something as important as Maya committing such a grave error in judgement. You simply don’t piss off the Prom Queen.
“You don’t remember Thanksgiving dinner a few years ago? The one when you were pregnant with Luc?”
Oh. Oh. That was a holiday we would never forget. Mostly because Maya found out about my pregnancy when I bolted to the bathroom, but in part because Maya had been fighting with her fiancé and decided to take out her aggression on Kate.
“I got it!” I held my finger in the air triumphantly. “She insulted your heartfelt Thanksgiving toast.”
“Something she has been smart enough not to repeat since.”
Indeed. Kate may exhibit the image of perfection, but she could throw down with the best of them if need be.
“Fine,” I conceded. “I have a really good one for you.” I was about to spin a tale which would bring Maya’s humiliation to a new level when Kate’s cell phone rang.
She glanced down at the screen before meeting my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Syd! I have to take this.” She jumped up from the table and ran outside the bakery before I could say boo.
Kate was all about order, logic and propriety—even in front of her somewhat unreasonable sister. What could possibly have her so rattled? I peered through the glass and registered Kate pacing the sidewalk while pulling at loose strands of her hair. The plot thickened.
Ten minutes later, a breathless Kate sat back down, a smug smile indicating she had gotten whatever it was she had wanted.
“Is everything okay?”
“Hmm?” Her smile faded. “Oh, um, absolutely.”
“Kate? Is there anything you’d like to share with the class?”
“Nope,” she sidestepped. “Now let’s get back to our Maya story.” She grabbed a big forkful of cake and grinned. “Lay it on me!”
Deciding to let her have her secret, I launched into Maya’s latest tale of woe. “I’m afraid Maya’s days of wearing leather pan
ts are over.”
Kate wrinkled her nose. “She wore leather pants?”
I nodded gravely. “They were her go-to attire for clubbing in San Francisco.”
“How does that make sense? Leather doesn’t let your skin breathe and when you dance…ugh! What a mess!”
Rather than remind her Maya rarely made sense, I gave her the details she was looking for. “You know how determined Maya has been to ‘maintain her fabulous lifestyle’ despite her pregnancy?” I made exaggerated air quotes with my hands.
“She’s certainly mentioned this decree often enough.”
“So, she demanded Devon take her to her favorite club.”
“Good times.”
“Sarcastic much?”
“My apologies.”
“Anyway, she was getting dressed and she ran into a bit of trouble with getting her pants over her…newly expanded legs.”
Kate almost looked like she felt sorry for Maya.
“And then, she borrowed a page out of Ross Geller’s book, and—”
Kate gasped. “She didn’t!”
“Oh yes she did!”
Any Friends fanatic worth her salt remembered the scene when Ross lost the battle with his leather pants. Desperate to cool his overheated body, he excused himself to the bathroom, pulled down the cursed pants and was unable to get them back on. Too bad the baby powder he found in the cabinet did nothing but make a gigantic mess—of both the bathroom and his ego.
“Then what happened?”
“Well, Maya was sprawled on the floor, pants around her ankles, a tangle of limbs with wild hair and crazy eyes, and there was baby powder everywhere. Poor Devon just couldn’t contain himself, so…”
“So?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “So, she gave him a swirly.”
Kate hesitated for a fraction of a second before proceeding to laugh herself into a stupor. Tears streamed down her face, snorts erupted from her dainty nose and I just sat there, soaking it all in. Who knew so much mirth could come from a grown man having his head stuck in the toilet by his tiny wife?
Following a final shriek of laughter, Kate dabbed her eyes with a napkin and resumed her calm demeanor. “Thank you, Syd. I really needed that.”
I felt a wave of concern. I had been so wrapped up in my own world (big surprise!), I had once again forgotten to check in on my older sister.
“Are you okay, Kate?”
Her clear blue eyes met mine. “I’m fine, Syd. Just the usual fall frenzy.”
Every fall Kate threw herself into the school year with renewed vigor. She was the president of the PTA, class mom for both her kids and was involved with every major committee our town had to offer. I still had no idea how she managed to live her life without the benefit of a clone.
I smiled. “What have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“Not much.” She raised her hands, ready to tick off her exhausting list of activities on her fingers. “PTA, Girl Scouts, Town council, Pre-school board, State Education Council, Library board, class mom stuff, Parent council, oh, and I just joined a committee to raise recycling awareness.”
“How do you do it, Kate?” I leaned in and lowered my voice. “Are you taking tips from The Stepford Wives?”
“Yes,” she deadpanned. “In fact, you’re the only one of the family who is an honest-to-God human.”
For a split second I believed her, since I was often referred to as most gullible person on the planet and Kate rarely lied. Something certainly had her in a mood today.
The opening notes of “Climb Every Mountain” coming from my purse squelched my sarcastic response. Knowing my mom had been trying to reach me for days, I quickly stood up and motioned to Kate that I would be right back.
I stepped out of the bakery, enjoying the pleasant breeze as I answered my call. “Hey, Mom!”
“Sydney Durand!” she gushed. “How are you?”
My mom was the kind of mom who always made you feel good. You could hear the love in her voice every time she spoke to you and if you were lucky enough to see those warm brown eyes sparkle, well, you would be smiling for a long time to come.
“I’m great! Kate and I are having coffee.” Feeling her eyes on me through the window, I turned and waved to Kate. Why in the world was she watching me so closely? Perhaps the lack of sleep was finally getting to her. Swiftly directing my attention back to my mother, I asked, “How are you? Is the pottery painting business still keeping you on your toes?”
She laughed. “I would say your father has more to do with keeping me on my toes than our business. The swear words he tosses out while operating the kiln make the mommy groups who frequent the shop blush the deepest shade of red. It’s horrifying!”
I clamped a hand over my mouth to prevent the laughter I felt bubbling up in my chest. My dad’s behavior was pretty outrageous, but it only made him more adorable in my eyes. (In my mother’s eyes, not so much.) He may have been well acquainted with how to find my last nerve, but I would always be grateful to him for becoming the father I had never had. Any man who willingly took on three more kids after raising three of his own daughters deserved a great deal of patience.
“Once you’re done laughing, Syd, we can start discussing your birthday.”
Busted.
“I’m sorry, Mom.” I cleared my throat. “What about my birthday?”
“Have you decided on a restaurant yet? We need to make a reservation.”
I grinned at the thought of my mom joining us for my birthday celebration. Almost every year she managed to fly out and spend the week with me. After Luc’s arrival, most of the attention settled on him, but I was still happy to catch his leftovers. Plus, once he went to bed, she was all mine!
“I thought we were going to Max’s? It’s child friendly, has yummy food and they take reservations.”
She tutted her disapproval. “Really? For your thirty-fifth birthday? Don’t you want something a little more special?”
“Just having you here makes it more special, Mom.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere,” she joked.
“I learned from the best.” Dad’s ability to flatter was legendary. Speaking of… “Has Dad forgiven you yet for making him stay behind to mind the store?”
“With the amount of discounts I give to smooth over his colorful expressions, he owes me big time.”
As I dissolved into giggles, a loud bang on the window nearly made me jump out of my skin. Kate’s irritated face was staring back at me while pointing frantically at her watch.
“Um, sorry, Mom. I have to go.” I sighed. “We’ll have to continue our conversation later.”
“Is Strict Kate in da house?”
I groaned at her use of outdated slang. “Present and accounted for.”
“I love you both. Call me later?”
“I love you too, Mom. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
I hung up and returned to the bakery to find Kate chomping at the bit. She had drained her coffee cup (and mine from the looks of it) and finished the ginormous piece of cake we had been sharing. What was the world coming to? Normally, my sister’s manners would put Emily Post’s to shame. What could possibly have driven her to commit such an act of self-indulgence?
Speechless at this most disturbing turn of events, I dropped my phone in my purse and sank into my chair.
“Is everything okay, Syd?”
Was it just me or was Kate a tad twitchy?
“I could ask you the same question.”
“What do you mean? I’m fine.” She gave me a fake smile.
Seriously, did I fall into The Twilight Zone? I may have been joking earlier, but Kate was actually starting to look like a Stepford wife. The vacant-yet-deranged look in her eyes was quite unsettling.
She pulled at her collar anxiously. “Who were you talking to?”
“Mom,” I said slowly, checking the size of her pupils. No evidence of drug use there. “She was asking about my birthday.”<
br />
“What about your birthday?” she cried.
Taken aback by her intensity, I hesitated before murmuring, “She asked which restaurant I wanted to go to for dinner.”
My answer seemed to return Kate to her non-psychotic, well-mannered self. She gave me a genuine smile before saying, “That’s nice.”
I regarded her in silence. My sister was definitely up to something.
Kate picked up her purse and stood, gathering the proof of her gluttony for proper disposal. “Shall we go?”
Mirroring her actions, I shook off the uneasy feeling that my sister had been possessed by an otherworldly spirit and followed her to the door. It would take some time and perseverance, but I was determined to discover the root of Kate’s disturbance. If, even for a fraction of a second, I was considered to be the sane sister, the universe was seriously amiss.
Chapter Three
I should have known. It took two very long weeks, but I finally figured out what had gotten Kate’s panties in such a twist. (Okay, I didn’t actually figure anything out, the answer was simply dropped in my lap after days of fruitless searches, but it was an answer nonetheless.) It seemed she and my mother had been planning a surprise party for me for months and in her overtired state, Kate thought my mother was going to spill the beans. Come on! That role in the family had been occupied by me for years—since I was born, if you really wanted to be specific.
On the eve of my birthday, I was whisked away to my favorite family style Italian restaurant, Buca di Beppo, for a true Bennett extravaganza. Mom and Kate had gone all out—my favorite wine, my favorite dishes and my favorite people. The next few hours were filled with laughter, love and one very special surprise guest.
I poked my dad in the ribs. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming.”
He chuckled. “Your mother would have killed me if I ruined her surprise.”
I snorted. “Never stopped you before!”
He gave me his most contrite look. “I’m turning over a new leaf.”
