Note from the author: Total Words: 19,297. Words to go: 10,703.
I don’t even see Amy when I first enter the living room. It’s opulent. There is a grand piano in the corner and a large, antique armoire leaning against the wall. A spot light illuminates the piano so it really stands out. It’s a nice piano: a Baldwin. I lightly touch the keys. The soft sound that emanates out of it is surprisingly smooth and silky.
“Admiring the piano? She’s a beauty,” Amy says scaring the crap out of me. I jump about five feet in the air. I spin around to see her watching me from the couch.
“Why don’t you sit down by me? I have something to tell you,” she says patting the seat. Uh-oh. I hope nothing‘s wrong…
“Sure. Is everything okay?” I ask worriedly. I plop down next to her and sit on my hands- I don’t want her to see them trembling. Is she about to kick me out? Did I mess something up? Are my parents stealing me away? I can’t bear the tension.
“You’re killing me, Amy! What’s up?” I ask when she doesn’t respond.
She takes a deep breath then words start spilling out of her. “Try to keep in mind that everything I did was to help you. Well, here’s the thing Charlie, I’m your aunt,” she says peeking at me.
When I don’t respond, she continues, “Your father is my brother. I didn’t get along too well with your mother. I saw you a couple of times when you were just a baby. Your father and I would correspond by email occasionally. One day, I received an email that you were being transferred to Moon Academy. Of course I immediately protested. I urged them to reconsider. Earth is your home; it’s where you should grow up. They disagreed. Your parents thought they were doing what was right. They knew that you weren’t getting a proper education with them. They were too into their experiments. I told them that you’d be just another kid lost in the system, but they didn’t see it that way. I even offered to let you live with me. They refused. So I decided to pay you a visit and offer you a home after graduation. But on my way up there, I realized that perhaps having another relative wouldn’t be a welcomed surprise. Maybe you’d be bitter that your parents just passed you on to me. Maybe you’d resent me for letting your parents ship you here. So, I begged the school to hire me as a maid. I did it for free, just to keep an eye on you. Then, to my astonishment, we grew close. It was a blessing. So, are you mad at me for not telling you?” she asks, her story drawing to a close.
I hold up one hand. I need a second to process this. Amy is my aunt. Amy, my Amy, is my aunt. I’m her niece. Isn’t this what I’ve always wished for? Amy as part of my family? This is too much. I’m glad I’m sitting down because my knees have given out. I take a deep breath. Wow. Okay. Ummm.
“What about Gus?” I ask. It’s the first question that came to mind.
“Do you remember the original cook at Moon Academy? Probably not. He was horrible, absolutely horrible. I decided to send my personal chef, Gus, up. It pained me to be without his food, but I thought that your need outweighed mine. Proper food can work miracles. Any other questions?” she answered.
“I have tons of questions, but I’m just a little shell shocked,” I reply.
“So you’re not mad at me?” she asks nervously.
“Well, I mean I wish that you would’ve told me, but I’m not mad at you. Of course not, you’re one of my best friends in the entire world. I love that we’re related; it’s just a little unexpected. Although now that I’m thinking about it, you do have my dad’s eyes,” I say thoughtfully.
“That’s a relief, sweetie. I’ve been so worried that you were going to be angry. I know I should’ve told you, but the longer I waited, the weirder I thought it’d be and I couldn’t bear for you to shut me out. I’m sorry, Char,” she says.
