She's A Lady

12

My cast was off. The superintendent of the building was getting to be a pro at handling the reporters. Most of them had moved on anyways, leaving a persistent few that tried to sneak in through the garage every now and then. I saw him chase them out with a broom once and it seemed to greatly diminish my fear of them. How do you keep a straight face when a little old Italian man with a moustache chases people while barking cuss words and waving a broom twice his size?

I had stopped reading the paper in self preservation. Max read them all and told me which papers were being 'stupid' and which were sticking to the facts. I didn't want to know at this point. I just needed to focus on work, and getting through the necessary meetings for the upcoming proceedings. It was taking forever for it all to play out. On one hand it prolonged my memories of the whole thing, but Damien reminded me not to let it go.

That's right. Seeking justice meant not giving up. It meant being as strong as you could for as long as you could. It meant crying on your family and friends' shoulders before standing tall again to face your demons down. It meant being asked the same questions over and over again until you wanted to scream at them in rage. But you couldn't. You had to answer calmly and precisely as if it was the first time you had been asked.

My bruises were gone, the weather was frigidly cold, and the holidays were just around the corner. I had received an invitation to a dinner my parents were putting on but had sent my regrets. I didn't regret not going, I regretted that they had bothered to ask. Especially since they had used 'Mr.' on the envelope. Damien had gotten angry, but I had rolled my eyes and told him not to bother with it. What was the point? Instead, I was spending our time off with Damien and grandpa. Far better use of my time.

Max was going to visit family out west, so I was seeing them off at the airport after my last day of work. I swear they had too much stuff for only a week long visit, but who am I to judge? I parked in the short term area before running inside to stand with them as they waited in line for baggage check and security. I gave tight hugs when I couldn't go any further, and waved madly until they were out of sight. Then I trudged through the newly fallen powder to my car.

The drive to Damien's house was slow. Christmas carols played on every station. People bundled up in winter coats and boots braved the weather to get gifts and visit each other. I pulled in to the driveway carefully. Damien answered the door with a big smile and helped me remove my jacket. My boots perched on the rack to dry and I hugged him tightly. He went to get us hot drinks, asking how traffic was. It sucked of course.

I took a deep breath and inhaled the steam from my hot tea. It was already fixed with milk and sugar, just how I like it. I smiled over my mug at him. He patted my leg and smiled back. This was the best relationship I had ever had. It hadn't begun the smoothest, but it was wonderful now. All that was left was to meet his family, get through the lawsuit, eventually get around to sex, and maybe introduce him to my parents. I sighed from my soul. No big deal.

Damien

I was so nervous. It was the big day, huge day, gargantuan day. I had put it off for so long in attempts to spare us that I had doomed us. We were meeting the whole family. Yeah, that's right, the entire family in one go. My mom had rented a banquet room. We needed an entire banquet room to fit just my immediate family. There were twenty-five people coming in total; all of them friendly, crazy and loud. I felt bad for Erin. She was definitely doomed.

I held on for dear life as we were shown in to the privet room at the restaurant. Erin seemed calm by comparison, and looked absolutely stunning. I was so proud to have her next to me this year. I flinched as a shout went up as soon as we came in the door. Half a dozen people came rushing up to meet us. I was pulled into hugs, had kids hanging off my arms and questions started slinging all at once in my direction.