Divine Blue [Book One]

Chapter Thirty-One

The beginning of the holiday season was in full swing as Thanksgiving was upon them. Taylor had traveled to New York with Sandra to see her family. Taylor had briefly met with Sandra's parents when they had come down to visit when she adopted Taylor. Barbara and Jim were wonderful people, as wonderful as any Taylor had ever met. Everything that she loved and admired about Sandra prevailed in these two individuals.

"So, Taylor, how is school treating you so far?" Barbara asked her.

School had pretty much returned to the most normal that Taylor knew at this point. Even after the Halloween dance, Adrienne had the weekend to come to terms with the situation once again. The group had continued their regular outings and lunch gatherings, but Adrienne was significantly more distant from Taylor. Taylor expected this, only because Adrienne was trying incredibly hard to keep from hurting but also knew how important it was that Taylor stay an integral part of the group.

"It's going pretty good, I guess. Midterms are coming up soon, but overall, it's not too bad," Taylor responded.

"Do you have any close girlfriends?" Barbara asked.

Taylor figured she meant general female friends. "Yeah, I have a little group of friends. There's five other girls and two boys."

"That's wonderful, Sweetheart!" Barbara exclaimed, tending to her stuffing.

Taylor had wondered if Sandra had explained Taylor's orientation to her parents. She was guessing from the topic of conversation that she hadn't. Taylor looked over at Sandra who was standing in the kitchen with her glass of wine. Sandra quickly caught Taylor's gaze, raised her eyebrows, and shook her head as if saying 'I didn't know if I should tell her'. Taylor decided she would catch up with Sandra later to get the details.

"And Sandy isn't driving you crazy yet?" Barbara asked, smiling to herself.

"Could you not call me Sandy, Mom?" Sandra asked her, taking a sip of her wine.

Taylor laughed. "No, she's pretty great. I try constantly to make sure I don't feed her ego too much, though."

"You see it, too, then? The big head?" Barbara asked, looking up at Taylor.

"Not fair! My two favorite ladies ganging up on me like that," Sandra said.

"They're not wrong, Sandygirl," Jim yelled from the living room.

"Really, Dad?! Just watch your ballgame," Sandra yelled back at him.

"Sandra has always been a control freak, and she was a very conscientious child. Always wanted to be sure she did the best. Very competitive. When I get done prepping in here, I'll show you some old family photos," Barbara told her as she dressed the turkey.

"Oh God, no!" Sandra hollered.

"I might even have some old poetry she wrote," Barbara said, chuckling.

"I'm loving this more and more," Taylor said, winking at Sandra.

Sandra looked both aggravated and amused. Just like any other human in history, Taylor knew Sandra didn't enjoy being humiliated by her parents, but Taylor sensed she enjoyed the fact that Taylor was having a jolly time at her expense.

"Sandra, Baby, will you take that pumpkin pie out of the oven for me?" Barbara asked her.

"I guess," Sandra replied in a snide tone.

"Can I do anything to help, Mrs. Hamilton?" Taylor asked Barbara.

"No, Sweetie. You stay right there and relax. It's your first Thanksgiving with our family. I want you to just have a front row seat to all of the shenanigans. And please, for Pete's sake, call me Barbara. Or Grandma!" Barbara told her.