Menalie

The birds chirped in the morning light woke me from my humble slumber, but I was not angry. I had got my full hours of sleep and so I could easily push myself out of bed and take a good look in my full body mirror. It was a daily task, you always have to make sure you haven't gotten any new pimples or bruises you may have given yourself the night before. Considering I was a sleepwalker, this was a necessary start to my day. I took my blue pen from my bedside and marked away my calendar. Officially, the first month of the school year has finished. Junior year was about to kick off. 

  I was a quick paced kid. One who could multitask by eating breakfast, doing homework, and making coffee for my frail grandmother who rolled into town a week before.

"Nana, how much creamer do you want in it!?" I shouted from the kitchen to the living room in hopes my voice would make it to the half asleep woman on the sofa.

"None! No sugar, either! I'm on a diet..." She trailed off in her broken voice.

   "I got to look good for my daughter's wedding," she murmured, staring straight at the television screen.

  "Ma, we went through this Sarah's already tied the knot, she doesn't plan on having an official wedding. You got to live with the fact your firstborn has already been married off, and there ain't nothing you can do about it," My mother said, sitting beside the cranky woman.

  "Nothing, my ass!" She exclaimed. "Who even does that to their mother?! Marrying a man, she never even let me meet, bringing in what could easily be a troublemaking kid into our family. Who does she think she is!?"

  I chuckled, seeing someone that was just skin and bones with so much fiery was inspiring.

"Grammy, you are going to have a heart attack yelling so much," I said, bringing over a plate of biscuits for her.

As I handed her the plate, Grandma smiled widely, allowing all the wrinkles in her pale face to darken.

"My oh my. I had two disappointing daughters and unapproved son in laws but at least I have a handsome, well-mannered grandson," cooed Grammy.

  Blush probably sat on my cheeks as her gray eyes laid upon me. Of course, the raven sitting beside her had none of it.

"Well mannered please," She said, "Him and his father don't try and lift a finger to help around in this house. This is the only time I have ever seen him use a pan." She spat out, downing the cup of coffee I had just put on the table.

"Hey, that's for the Grammy!" I shouted only for a loud rambunctious laugh to come out of the gray-haired lady.

"Darling jealousy is not your color. Maybe I should just adopt him. I always wanted a son." Grandma commented.

My mother scoffed. "Go for it. In fact, he's all yours," she said.

I rolled my eyes. Mother's words were nothing but a front. If she meant it, she would not have held onto me so tightly every time I decided to go out the door.

"Ma, I am going to Mack's after school to do homework," I informed her, putting on my black backpack and heading to the door.

"Okay, well, make sure to be home by six! Your aunt's coming over with her new husband," she said.

My mother turned to Nana. "Mother, are you sure you don't want to stay and meet them before you leave town?" She asked.

"Oh no dear, if she wants me to meet her new little family, she would have formally introduced me. I don't have any desire to meet them now." There was no more persistence with my grandmother after her final words.

I had ridden my bike to school that day, trying to make sure my blue trousers didn't drag on the ground as I did. I met up with my best friend. Mack was a senior for the second time in a row, yet he still had the gull to show up late to class.

Mack had worn his uniform in stereotypical delinquent style. His collar popped, and half of his buttons were undone.

  A mess. His thick brown hair was greasy and that small growing mustache on his lower lip looked like dirt that needed to be wiped away. I liked it though, Mack standing beside me made me look like a prince.

  All I had to do was wear clothes properly, shave, and wash my hair, and that somehow made me apparently extremely appealing.

The whole day was rather boring if I could remember, well, most of it anyway. I had gone to Mack's house to genuinely study, but of course, he just wanted to smoke in his parent's attic with me and talk about girls.

I, the honor roll student, still took the time to pull out my school books and read as he got high on his bean bag chair.

   This unsettled me when his red puffy eyes kept watching me as if I were some exotic animal.

"Uh.. can I help you?" I asked with a small nervous chuckle.

He shrugged, squinting his brown eyes at me. "You get girls, don't you?"

My eyebrows arched at the pothead, if only I knew his train of thought.

"I mean, I don't know," I admitted quietly.

Mack would know, wouldn't he? How could I have time for dating when all I ever did was stay home and read. 16 years of age, and I had yet to even hold a girl's hand, but at last, I was no innocent kid. I did what Mack did. I had magazines, dvds, and a computer.

I also had a mirror. "You are so fucking annoying you know that?" He muttered to me, making my heart sink. Not that I would ever admit that to him.

"No it's just, you are perfect," He said nonchalantly. I couldn't help but snort knowing how incredibly high he must have been to utter such words. 

"You are like one of those like fucking um..like slender lanky looking guys who the girls are into these days. Like uh I don't know, like a pretty boy." He finished.

My face heated up. Older and more cool Mack just said girls are into me, even if he only gave that compliment because he was stoned.

"I don't know about that."

"Yeah girls lost their minds. Why would you want an overachieving virgin for a boyfriend? You're way too much of a pussy to actually even talk to one though. I am worrying about nothing,"

That was the last thing he had said to me before I left his house, mostly due to the fact that if I stayed longer I might have just thrown my Chemistry book right in his face.

"Suck a dick!" I wanted to say.

Seriously.

When I came into my house everything was eerily quiet, it bewildered me as I made my way to the dining room and there had been no plate set. It wasn't until I made my way to the glass sliding back doors that I saw and heard a bustling group of adults all clinking their glasses of wine and alcohol.

I ducked before my mother could see me and quickly made my way upstairs to change.

From what I saw everyone was wearing their best black suit and ties and their best floral dress. The best of the best..

All I had was a checkered dress up shirt and beige khakis. Oh how I wore out those khakis.

Our patio was lit, the torches my mother had brought sat in the top corners of our pavilion. White lights wrapped around our backyards red brick fence like it was a wedding. Just like Michelle....always having to put out all the stops for guests, especially familiar ones. Though none of the authentic Italian cooking and the expensive bottles of wine made me do a double take. I saw nothing of our large open field and our growing red rose garden. In fact I wouldn't see any of my three story home as anything special, until I got someone else's perspective.

"You know what I was saying the same thing yesterday and.."

The opening of the sliding doors made everyone go quiet for a moment to see who the newcomer was. Immediately I got swept into a hug.

"Oh my gosh! You've grown so big!" Just by the smell of their dior perfume and the feel of their large sized breasts on my chest, I knew it was her.

"Aunt Jeanne, hey!"

Her heavier set body wrapped around me, Her kisses left red gloss on my cheek and a feeling of stickiness upon my face. She had short blonde hair, unlike mother who's raven hair fell to her waist.

Though her yellow dress matched my mother's, though my aunt liked her lower cut clothes. If I were a woman with such large bosoms I would flaunt them too.

"Steve, this is my nephew Ryan," My aunt gushed as she pulled away from me.

A large husky man, with a very dark complexion got up from his seat and stood in front of me. With his navy blue suite and large dimpled smile, he welcomed me with a stern handshake.

I took that time to see the diamond rings that laid upon the couple's fingers. I knew from his aura, he felt like a man of business and his sharp cologne and his gold watch solidified that for me. Quite perfect for us...he would fit right in.

"Well it's nice to meet you Ryan, I'm Steven. Everyone calls me Steve though."

His voice was deep and rich, if I were to be honest taking a good look at him I felt a bit smitten. I sat down beside my mother after our greeting and I did all I could to stretch over my parents to get a better view of him.

His dark complexion was completely smooth of any wrinkles, though I had heard he was around the same age as my aunt. That was the first time I saw my mother smiling and giggling authentically at one of the men aunt Jeanne had brought home. From what I could see, everyone around the table had been enamored.

"I work overseas often. You know I have to make sure my business stays a float. A lot could happen when you are thousands of miles away from your passion and life goals but uh.." He trailed off, taking a long sip of red wine.

My aunt interjected, "Well I mean his main passion would be me now, isn't that what you said on our engagement night?"

The man chuckled, placing his large hand upon her's. "Of course dear, you are my first priority only second to Menalie."

My mom quipped up from her seat. "Oh right. Your daughter, wasn't she supposed to be joining us today?" She asked.

The newly weds smiles' faltered, if only for a second but it was enough for me to take note of. My aunt deflated in her seat, twirling her ring on her finger as Steven spoke.

"Yes, well this is a new adjustment for her. Fortunately it seems as though she was just not feeling well today." He informed us.

My mother's green eyes traveled to me before she sighed. "Oh how unlucky. I figure my Ryan can show her around once she feels up to it. I know it mustn't be easy moving away from family and friends."

Steven nodded, giving a polite grin back. "That sounds very gracious of you..." He cleared his throat, "But my daughter is very shy and I don't really want any sort of issues to arise by miscommunications on her part."

"Oh don't worry my son is the same way. He gets nervous around new people too and I mean he'd be a great influence, he's got the grades to prove it!" She boasted, putting an arm around me.

Before he could speak, his phone rang.

"Excuse me for a moment." He abruptly got up and left to go inside.

That left my aunt to do the chatting. My mother and her made eye contact and they made expressions as if they were in some sisterly mind reading game. I looked up at the sky, the evening had fallen and I could count three stars directly above our house. There were no clouds in the dark blue sky, I remember closing my eyes and inhaling deeply. The air smelt of rain, as it had gently sprinkled hours before. In that moment all I could think about was how right everything in that moment was.

How the air just gently breathed in my ear, and how my cheeks were given gentle kisses by the wind each time it blew.

"You know, he seems like quite the catch. Where'd you find him?" My mother asked, leaning her head upon her hand.

Aunt Jeanne giggled, "oh you know, I was just laying upon the deck of the suite and here comes this tall, muscular man with the most high end brand clothing I think I have seen since papa died and he walks right towards me and goes, "'You look a bit thirsty love."'

She continued, "So I replied I don't know. I think considering I have a glass of water in my hands I think you may be blind. Now, what do you think he said after!?" She nearly jumped in her chair.

My mother shook her head. "Oh I don't kn-"

"'If that were the case I would never have spotted such a fine beauty. Now where are my manners, I think you'll need more than just water to keep your sanity here. I'm going to get you some good quality drinks, you stay here and look pretty for the birds okay?'"

I held in my snort, honestly I expected my mother would be doing the same but she all but melted at this retelling of their first exchange. I saw my mother giggle that day for the first and last time since that fall.

"Oh gosh, what luck!" My mother whispered, reaching over to grab my aunt's hand.

"Oh yes I know. I am telling you this is my person. There is nothing he won't do for me." My aunt swooned.

My mother smiled contently, as if being pulled out of her school girl excitement, she glanced over to me and then my aunt.

"So his daughter, Menalie right? How old is she again?"

"14, she just turned it in September," My aunt replied.

"So how is she? Is she a pain or is she having a hard time adjusting..." My mother trailed watching my aunt's expressions turn to  sorrow.

"She's had a pretty rough year. For such a young thing she seems oddly mature, I don't know. What should I say? I think I might be the person who needs the most adjusting um," Aunt Jeanne looked over at me.

"I really think he'd be a great influence on her. Steven told me back at home with her mom, she was barely going to school. Her mother was a druggie so who knows what the girl has seen but she's quiet. Really quiet, makes you wonder what's in that head of hers. When she does care to share though, um gosh it stuns you a bit."

My aunt pulled herself out of her chair. "I think I should go check on Steve." When she left I heard the biggest chuckle.

Right beside my aunt sat a cousin of theirs. Someone who I just finally came to notice after they gulped down their whole glass.

The woman with her wrinkles and tight blue dress all but gagged at my aunt's words. She had something to say clearly, but she waited till my aunt was removed from the table.

"You know, when they were staying with us in Sherwood, tell me why one morning when everyone was eating breakfast that little girl came out in her underwear and just grabbed a cup of orange juice like it was nothing!?" She shouted.

"Look I am not saying she's not a shy thing but she could use some manners," My aunt commented.

My mother sighed. "I think she's just used to living with her mother. She's probably not used to all of this quite yet. Give her time."

Our door opened swiftly, and a panicked expression upon my aunt's face made its way to the table. She grabbed up her purse and black jacket.

"Jenny, everything okay?" My mom asked.

My aunt Jeanne gave a brief smile. "Just a little mishap at the hotel. We gotta get going."

My aunt left as quickly as she came, and not too long after that, I was cleaning the dishes and helping my mom clean up the backyard.

The night whisked through, allowing there to be hundreds of stars instead of four when I looked up.

The wind was like ice, nothing like the gingerly chill from earlier.