“I'm alright,” Helen replied. “Lyle's been a bit of a nuisance lately. His doctor told him he had to quit drinking and start taking care of his cholesterol, so he's made it absolutely miserable around here. How's New York? You find your own place yet?”
There it is, Teresa thought to herself, rolling her eyes. Her mother had been harassing her to move out of her and Vince's apartment for quite some time, mostly because she was not aware that the two of them were in a relationship and that it was acceptable for them to share a home. Teresa was not sure how to break that news to her mother, so she just played along with the concept of her getting her own apartment.
“Yeah, actually I'm looking at a new place this week,” Teresa lied. “Crossing my fingers that I can put a bid on it to compete with these New Yorkers! Seems like every apartment I want gets swept up from under me.”
Of course, her words were all lies, but she did not know how to tell her mother that she was pursuing a romantic relationship with her stepbrother. It was not the easiest subject to approach; she was not sure at all how she would tell her mother and stepfather when the time came, but she knew it was not yet the time, so she was not too concerned about it. Teresa quite enjoyed living so far away from them; she finally had some privacy.
“Seems that way,” Helen replied, seemingly suspicious. “Look, the real reason I'm calling is because Lyle and I are getting older and we thought maybe we'd come see you before the holidays. We're going on a cruise to Punta Cana and Puerto Plata for Thanksgiving so—”
“You're going to the Dominican Republic for Thanksgiving?” Teresa asked incredulously. “I thought we were going to do a family thing?”
“Oh, honey, you don't want to spend Thanksgiving with boring old us,” Helen retorted. “Don't you have girlfriends you can spend it—oh it doesn't matter. We're going on a cruise and we won't be around, so you oughta have a good Christmas dinner with your old mom before the holidays come around.”
Teresa's eyes widened.
“I, uh, I don't know—”
“Oh, we won't get in the way! I'll help you with the turkey. Our plane is taking off on the twelfth so we'll talk about meeting at the airport tomorrow. Lyle's getting into the pantry again so I better go,” Helen said hurriedly. “Bye for now!”
With that, she hung up, leaving Teresa with her mouth hanging open. The last thing she wanted to do was host an event for her mother and father.
“At least its company, I suppose,” she murmured to herself.
She had been alone for too long.
Chapter 2
A Relative Arrival
Teresa's stomach churned as she waited for her mother and stepfather to arrive. They had landed at the airport about an hour prior and called to ask for her and Vince's address. After giving them the address, she started to have regrets. Although she did not want to be alone, she hardly craved the company of her mother or Lyle. She paced in front of the apartment door, running her hands through her hair, and rubbing her temples.
God, why did I agree to having them here? Mom is going to hound me about how unclean the house is and how am I going to explain still not having an apartment and—oh my God! I can't let them see the pictures of me and Vince, she thought to herself before rushing around the living room, grabbing photographs from the walls.
Sweat fell from her forehead as she hurriedly tore the photo frames from every surface of the living room. None of her pictures with Vince were appropriate, and she could not believe that she had not thought about that before her parents were only moments away from her and Vince's apartment. She quickly hid the photographs in the back of her storage closet underneath an assortment of Halloween decorations. With a relieved sigh, she slid the closet shut and quickly jogged back into the living room, only to pace in front of the door once more.
After a few more moments of pacing, the buzzer drilled into Teresa's ears. She took a deep breath and pressed the button to allow her mother and stepfather into the building. She scratched the back of her head as she waited for them to knock on her door. It was not long before she heard their signature bickering outside of the door.
“Is that a five or an S?” Lyle asked.
“Why the hell would there be an S on the door? Put on your damn glasses,” Helen said. “Go on then! Knock!”
“Why do I gotta knock? Just call her for Chrissake,” Lyle snapped. “Call her again!”
“Oh come on, what're you afraid of?” Helen asked. “Oh Jesus, Lyle. Watch out!”
“Come on, watch where you're pokin' me with those damn things! Why am I payin' some lady to glue claws onto your damn hands anyway?” Lyle asked.
Helen scoffed and knocked on the door. Teresa chuckled and opened the door. Helen gave her a hug, but she only earned an awkward raise of an eyebrow from Lyle, who was chewing on the end of a cigar.
“So, what the hell you been eatin'?” Lyle asked, looking around the apartment. “Smells like the Bangkok Buffet in here.”
Helen scowled.
“Shut up, Lyle! No one cares what she's been eating,” she said. She then put her arm around her daughter and cooed, “Don't worry, honey. He's just a bitter old man.”
Lyle murmured something under his breath as he followed Helen and Teresa inside. The door closed behind them and Teresa's heart sank. She was not prepared to spend an entire week with the two of them, especially if Lyle was going to behave so immaturely.
“Where's the john again? I always forget.” Lyle boomed with a loud snort, peering around the corner into the hallway. “Door on the left?”
He gestured Teresa and Vince's bedroom door and her eyes widened as she shook her head. She quickly remembered she had several toys in the bedroom that she had to hide, so she had to keep them out of there until she had the chance to hide her personal belongings and a select few photographs of her and Vince.
“No, no, no!” she corrected, stepping in front of the door. “It's this one, here.”
She pushed open the neighboring door to the bathroom. Lyle gave her a strange look, but wandered into the room nonetheless. He turned on the light switch and the fan before closing the door behind him. Teresa gulped and turned her attention to her mother.
“So, did we decide if we want turkey this year? A lot of people around here do duck or something else—”
“Cut the crap,” Helen said, wagging her finger at her daughter. “Something's up. You aren't telling me what it is. Spill.”
Teresa cocked an eyebrow and muttered, “I don't know what you're talking about. Your Mom senses must be slipping. Have you been to the doctor recently?”
Inwardly, she sighed, although she could not do it in front of her mother. She handled the situation with poise, apparently, because her mother furrowed her brow and stroked her chin for a moment.
“You know, Lyle went for his colonoscopy but I haven't been lately,” Helen said, scratching her head. “Maybe I should go in for a checkup. Sorry, dear.”
“It's okay, Ma,” Teresa said, giving her mother the most sincere-looking smile that she could muster. “You wanna check out the apartment I was looking at?”
Although it was all a lie, Teresa had taken the time to find an apartment on the internet. She knew her mother would ask about the place after they had discussed it on the phone almost six times since they had initially planned their visit. Being prepared seemed like the best option to keep her mother from questioning her lifestyle too much. She had never liked how invasive her family was.
“Yes, of course dear!” Helen exclaimed. “Is it in the newspaper classifieds?”
Teresa sniggered, shaking her head.
“No, Mom,” she said as she led her mother towards the desk in the living room.
She pulled an ottoman close to the desk for her mother to sit and seated herself in the desk chair. As she clicked on her bookmarked page and pointed at a picture of the apartment, Helen frowned.
“What am I looking at?” Helen asked, grabbing her magnetic, pull-apart glasses and
putting them over her eyes, squinting. “Is that it?”
“Yep, but someone else was bidding on it so I don't know if I'm going to get it, unfortunately,” Teresa said, creating the “out” for herself. “Cross your fingers for me!”
“Oh, I'm crossing, dear, I'm crossing,” Helen said, rocking back and forth. She shook her head and muttered, “You're still moochin' off your stepbrother and it isn't fair. Are you sure he doesn't mind you just living here while he ain't around?”
Teresa scowled and thought to herself, Here it goes!
“He's happy someone is here to keep the place clean,” she insisted. “He'd rather I live here than some stranger that might trash the place or steal his stuff. Why is that so hard to believe, Mom?”
Helen narrowed her eyes and wagged her finger.
“Are you sure my Mom radar is off because—”
“Ah! I feel better!” Lyle shouted, opening the bathroom door. “I sprayed the—”
“LYLE!” Helen scolded. “Come on, you're a guest. Have some manners.”
“Oh, that ain't nothin' she hasn't heard,” he said with a snort. “Anyway, where we sleepin'? We get Vince's room?”
Teresa's eyes widened and she shook her head, manically.
“No!” she exclaimed. “You are actually going to get the gu—my room!”
Lyle furrowed his brow. Helen, too, appeared to be confused.
“But why wouldn't you just—”
Teresa chuckled and tried to get her story straight. She was not a good liar, which was partially why she hated when her mother and stepfather visited.
“What I mean to say is that Vince and I switched rooms. What you know as my room is now Vince's room and vice versa,” she quickly lied. “Yeah, he had given me the bigger room but I felt a bit guilty since I'm only supposed to be his roommate temporarily, you know, and he's been so courteous, so I insisted we switch. So, you will be in Vince's new room which is my old room, yes. So...the door at the very end of the hallway.”
Helen cocked an eyebrow, and she and Lyle exchanged confused looks. Nevertheless, they shrugged and dragged their things towards what was actually the guest bedroom and the bedroom Teresa usually claimed to be hers when they visited. She took a deep, relieved breath and ran her hand through her hair. Sweat was evident at her hairline from the anxiety they were already causing her. She wished that Vince would be there for Thanksgiving. Spending the entire holiday with their parents was something of a nightmare to her.
Helen wandered back into the living room and Teresa put on a false smile. Helen held up a finger and opened her mouth with a loud smack, which was a habit of hers that annoyed Teresa to no end.
“Honey, are you really so broke you can't afford to get your hair done? I mean, I understand the salons in New York gotta be pricy, but those roots gotta be four inches long,” she said. “You want me to get some box dye and fix it for you?”
Teresa sucked on her teeth before letting out an irate breath.
“No, Mom. I think I'll be okay.”
Chapter 3:
The Worst Thanksgiving
Teresa waited for Vince's weekly phone call rather impatiently. She had convinced Lyle and her mother to go sightseeing around the city for the afternoon, so she could talk to her stepbrother and lover in private. Chewing on her lip, she stared at the phone.
Suddenly, the buzzer sounded and her face fell. She bit her lip rather hard and eyed the phone and then the buzzer box. Although she knew she could not leave her mother and stepfather outside, she desperately wanted to. Having an intimate conversation with Vince would be impossible with them around and she missed her lover more than she could find words to express. However, she would never hear the end of it if she did not buzz them in immediately. Rolling her eyes, she dragged her feet towards the buzzer box and pressed the button. She flicked the deadbolt on the apartment door so they could enter freely and made her way back towards the telephone. Vince still was not aware that they were visiting as she never had the chance to tell him during their short conversations over the previous few weeks.
The door opened and Teresa looked up to see her mother and Lyle with armfuls of shopping bags. Teresa furrowed her brow as she leaned against the wall beside the phone and she rocked onto the balls of her feet, curiously peering at their goods.
“What'd you get?” Teresa asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, just some souvenirs,” Helen said. “There was a guy in Chinatown that had all of these really neat watches, so I got one for everyone at Christmas. Don't tell Aunt Phyllis, okay? I got her a...Tolex? Is Tolex a good brand?”
“Mom!” Teresa scolded. She seized one of the cruddy watches and added, “I told you last time you were here not to buy watches from strange guys in Chinatown! These are all fake. How much did you pay for these?”
“Oh, I dunno,” Helen said, looking up at Lyle. “I think I gave him two hundred bucks for the lot of 'em? It was a pretty good deal, honey. Look, see the little diamon—oh it broke off.”
Helen frowned as one of the little bits of cubic zirconium fell off of the watch. Teresa rolled her eyes and Lyle scoffed, shaking his head.
“I told you that bastard was lying,” he murmured, snorting and plopping onto the sofa. “Hey, Teresa. You guys get satellite here?”
“Yeah, Lyle. Use the black remote,” Teresa said.
Suddenly, the phone rang and her eyes widened. She hurried back towards the phone and grabbed it. Lyle and Helen frowned, looking up at her as she answered.
“Hello?” she said, hurriedly.
“Hey babe,” Vince said.
Teresa felt herself melt, but her mother and stepfather quickly ruined it.
“Who is that?” Helen asked. “Come on, can't they call back when we aren't here?”
“Is that Vince?” Lyle asked with a snort. “Tell him to talk to his old man!”
“Is that your mom and my dad?” Vince asked. “What the hell are they doing there?”
“Yeah, just give me a second,” Teresa replied, blushing.
“Leave her alone,” Helen said, lightly smacking her husband's arm. “It might be a boyfriend. Teresa, is that a boyfriend?”
“Yeah, Mom!” Teresa lied. “But I don't want you to scare him away so shut up, please.”
“Why the hell is your mom there?” Vince asked again.
Helen pursed her lips.
“I'm zippin' 'em!” she whispered.
Teresa rolled her eyes.
“I'm gonna go somewhere private,” Teresa whispered to Vince. “I'll explain in a sec.”
Teresa eyed her mother and stepfather as she wandered to her and Vince's bedroom. She quietly closed the door behind her and peeked out the keyhole before locking it. With a heavy sigh, she wiped her nervous sweat from her brow.
“Now, we can talk,” Teresa said. “They decided to come for Thanksgiving. I really didn't want them to but there wasn't much I could do.”
“They?” Vince inquired. “My dad is there too?”
Teresa sighed and murmured, “Yeah. It's been a bit hectic. Preparing for the worst Thanksgiving ever.”
“This is the first time I haven't envied being in your position,” Vince said, chuckling a little. “They driving you nuts yet?”
“Oh, they're working on it,” Teresa said, kneeling down to peer through the keyhole right now. “I'm in the bedroom pretending to be on the phone with my boyfriend.”
Vince laughed.
“Well, you aren't really lying,” he muttered. “Sounds like you're having a hell of a time over there. Maybe I won't come home and you can just hang out with them for awhile.”
“Oh, well if that's the case, I don't want to keep all the fun to myself,” Teresa said with a small smirk. “How about I just call your dad in and have him talk to you?”
“Joke's on you! You said you were talking to your boyfriend so you can't put me on the phone,” Vince said victoriously. “I'm stuck here with thirty other guys that have been living on a high-protein
diet featuring...you guessed it—beans!”
“No, joke's on you! Call waiting!”
“Damn it,” Vince muttered. “For the love of God, don't put me on the phone with them—especially my dad. I'll do whatever you want for a week when I'm back, baby. Just don't do that.”
Teresa cocked a mischievous eyebrow. Without Vince being home, her libido was being neglected. As she bit her lip, she thought about all the sensual possibilities.
“Fine,” she said. “But one week! Anything I want!”
Vince chuckled, “It's a deal, babe. Listen, I gotta get to this evening run real quick but I'll talk to you sooner than you know, okay?”
Teresa sighed and nodded.
“Okay, baby. Please, be careful,” she murmured. “I love you.”
“Oh, I always am. I love you too,” he replied. “Sooner than you know, just like I said!”
“If you say so,” Teresa said with a heavy sigh.
“I do say so.”
Then, he hung up and Teresa ran a hand through her hair. She took a moment to blink away the tears welling in her eyes and then left the room. Her mother was beaming at her, curious about Teresa's new supposed boyfriend.
“New fling,” Teresa said. “Not a good time. We aren't there yet.”
“Oh, come on!” Helen exclaimed. She then turned to Lyle and said, “Lyle, wouldn't it be nice to meet Teresa's new boyfriend?”
“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Lyle said with a snort.
“Maybe he can come to Thanksgiving dinner. Oh, come on! Invite him! It'll be fun!” Helen insisted.
Teresa cleared her throat.
“No!” she shouted. She then scratched the back of her neck and lowered her voice as she added, “He, uh, he said he had plans to visit family in Canada.”
“Canada?” Helen asked, raising an eyebrow. “He's Canadian? What's his name?”
“Uh...Pete,” Teresa said, running her fingers through her hair, nervously. “Pete Suh-uh-hmmm...Smith. Pete Smith.”
“Is he from Canada? What part of Canada is he from?” Helen asked. “Maybe he knows Aunt Lettie. You ask him if he knows Aunt Lettie.”
Reminding The SEAL (Navy SEAL Military Romance) Page 22
