This story is part of a series. If you haven't read the previous chapters, click my username above. All characters are 18 or older. Thank you for reading.
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Aunt Sandi - PART 17
Around 8pm on the Monday following my first visit to the Patterson home, Sandi and I were finishing up with dinner and cleaning up the kitchen when suddenly my phone started buzzing in my pocket.
When I answered, Amy's voice was slightly upset-sounding. "We need to go back to talk to Daddy tonight. Sandi needs to come too."
"Is he upset?" I asked with more than a hint of trepidation.
"It sounds like he just needs to talk everything over. Mom did most of the work to calm him down."
"You sound pretty upset. Are you okay?"
There was silence for a moment. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just really nervous. I try to not make a habit of disappointing my father. He can be a real bear."
"We'll get through it as long as we stick together."
"I know. Meet you there after I get off work?"
"We'll be there."
We said our goodbyes and ended the call. Sandi had been watching me intently the whole time. "So, now he knows. How did he take it?"
"He wants to talk everything over, and he wants you there too."
An extremely concerned look took over Sandi's expression as she contemplated that. "Oh great, well I'm not sure I'm ready for that. What if he asks how I met you, or about our age difference? Are you prepared to tell the truth? There's only so much a person can take at a time, and springing that on him might be over his limit. I don't want to tell him a bunch of lies that I'll have to revise later on, but that may be the only short-term solution."
"I know. I don't want to have to lie about anything to them either. My impression is they're pretty laid back people. I think we'll be okay."
Sandi shook her head. "I'm not so sure. Someone can be laid back but still have all kinds of ingrained negative thoughts when it comes to a taboo subject like incest. We need to be very careful. I suggest letting me do most of the talking."
I shrugged but agreed. "Well, you're the psychologist. I know if there's a way to tell them without them flipping out, you'll come up with it."
She nodded and went off to get changed into different clothes and I finished wiping down the sink.
When we arrived, Amy's car was already in the driveway next to Lisa's, so we parked out on the street. Sandi took a really long, deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I've never seen you this nervous," I remarked.
"I don't think I've ever
been
this nervous. Do you understand what might happen here tonight? We're potentially exposing our secret to more strangers. People that, while I'm sure are perfectly nice, could get us into very serious trouble if they chose to. This is not something to be taken lightly."
Her mood was starting to rub off on me and I said seriously, "Whatever happens, we're going to be okay. I just know it." I reached across the seat and squeezed her hand, a gesture she returned with a reassuring smile.
Sandi reluctantly opened the car door and stepped out. A few seconds after the car doors were closed, Amy rushed out to meet us on the walkway. She looked back and forth at our solemn expressions and asked Sandi, "Are you okay with doing this?"
We saw Lisa come into view and stand in the doorway. Sandi just nodded and squeezed Amy's hand and whispered, "I think so. I'm pretty nervous. How's your dad doing?"
"He's not very happy at the moment, but it's better than when I first got here. I've been talking to him and he's calmed down some."
Sandi nodded again and as we got to the door, we saw that Tom was waiting just behind Lisa and had a vaguely annoyed expression on his face.
Amy spoke first. "Mom, this is Sandi. Sandi, this is my mom, Lisa."
Sandi immediately stepped forward and said formally, "Hi Lisa, I'm Sandra Whitman, but everyone calls me Sandi. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lisa looked a little flustered as she shook Sandi's extended hand. "Nice to meet you too." She was obviously trying to sound calm and friendly, but there was a definite undertone of tenseness in her voice.
Purposely ignoring Lisa's hesitation and not waiting for Amy to introduce her, Sandi stepped forward again and said, "Tom? Hi, it's nice to meet you as well."
Tom cleared his throat uncomfortably and robotically offered his hand for Sandi to shake. In a decidedly nervous voice he mumbled, "You too. Come on in."
Lisa somewhat recovered her composure as the door was closed and everyone moved to the living room. "Would you all care for some ice water?"
Sandi answered immediately. "I think that would be lovely. Can I help you?"
It was obvious that Sandi had quickly sized up the situation and was going to take charge of this confrontation, even though it was decidedly in enemy territory.
Lisa thought it over for a second and said, "Oh no, that's not necessary. I can handle it."