Sister Styles

{7} How's Your Father?

The following Tuesday evening, Mum hosted a taco night for dinner. Being the risky, rebellious woman she is, she invited me. It was only her and I. Robin was working late and Gemma was having her own little girl's night.

"I just wish Gem would invite you to some of her girl's nights," Mum sighed, drying one of the glasses from dinner. "It would be wonderful for you to get some more girlfriends, you know?"

I chuckled lightly. "Mum, I'm pretty sure I have enough girlfriends."

"Bella, Gemma, and I don't count."

"Not you guys," I nudged her. "You invited all those girls to my party. Those are my friends."

"Dance friends, classmates, and neighbors don't count either," she added. "I want you to go out in the world, Lil. Get some actual friends. Go up to a random girl on the street and introduce yourself."

I rolled my eyes. "They were all strangers when I first met them. We're all strangers at first. Even you." I said, wisely.

Mum turned, leaned on her left hip, looking at me with a narrow gaze. A smile crept across her face. "How did my daughter ever get so smart?" She awed.

I rolled my eyes and nudged her again. "Oh stop it," I continued with the dish. "I had to get it from someone, and it surely was not Dad."

A long and awkward pause cut between us before she asked the hellish question. "How is your father anyway?"

I avoided looking at her, pausing and letting silence take over us. The last time I talked to my father was years ago, my graduating year of high school, and it didn't even end well. We had a huge fight over me becoming a dancer for my career. He didn't believe that it was such a wise decision and refused to let me continue this "inappropraite behavior of a hobby" and do something real with my life. I got angry with him because he was so supportive of Harry going off and auditioning for the X Factor, but when it came to me and my dance, he was never really my biggest fan. I haven't mentioned or talked to him since.

"I don't know," I finally breathed out, my mind replaying over the horrible memory in my head. "I haven't talked to him since the fight."

Mum looked at me. "Oh, really? It was that bad?"

"I told you all about it," I gave her a crooked smile. "No one is to ever get between me and dance. It's my passion and what I love doing. I'm not going to have some old angry man tell me that it's just a hobby and I'm being immature, especially considering he let Harry do his own thing. Besides, why would I waste the next fifty years of my life doing something I don't want to do. Dance is what I want to do."

Mum stepped back and looked up at the ceiling. "Praise Jesus for making you such a smart young woman."

"You raised me."

"Praise me too."

------

At the end of the night, I entered my home and found myself completely alone. I hated that I lived alone. It made me feel, well, lonely. I needed a roomate, or a pet, or something, just to keep me company when I'm not doing stuff.

I decided to call up Bella. I haven't spoken to her since the day after the party. She said she had a lot of planning to do with her upcoming trip at the end of the month with her fiance, Tom, but it wouldn't hurt to take a break and have a little girl's night.

"Hey Lil," she answered after the second ring.

"Hey Bells," I greeted with a smile on my face. It was always good to hear her voice after a while. "I was wondering if you wanted to have a girl's night, just you and I?"

"You're so lucky I just finished the last bit of packing," she said with a sigh added on the end. "Sure thing, I'll be over in ten-to-fifteen minutes."

If there was one thing I really didn't like about my cousin, it was how precise and organized she was. She's been planning and packing for this trip for almost two months now, making sure everything was pin point perfect. It seriously drives me nuts. How can Tom put up with it?

Then I always remind myself that it's just love. He loves her for who she is no matter how crazy neat and organized she is. I sure hope to find love like that one day. Someone who won't fake being in love with me and will love me for who I am. The only person I could ever see that happening with, is my teddy bear Einstein. He's a good man.

A knock came from my door, and seconds later, Bella stepped in. She hung up her coat, while I poked my head out into the doorway of the kitchen and hall.

"Burrrr," she shivered. "I'm pretty sure today's been the coldest of the entire month."

"Which is why," I came out with a tray of biscuits and tea, "I made this."

"Did you put that splash of vodka in?" She asked me, walking over and reaching for a mug.

"It's in the red one."

"Oh my God, Lilli, you are a life savior," she grinned in appreciation, taking her mug, and sipping at it. "Tom won't let me have my vodka tea anymore after what happened with the neighbors."

"What happened with the neighbors?" I questioned her, starting to regret asking it. Bella always has these crazy things happening in her life involving fighting and arguing with her neighbors.

"Let's just say that Bruce and Molly," she began, sitting on the couch, "were not expecting a nice, sweet, young lady to start twerking in their living room window with company over."

I couldn't hold back. I bursted into immediate laughter. Just the image of my mature, sophisticated cousin twerking in her window towards her neighbors house, wasn't something I was expecting to hear.

"And this was the vodka, doing it?" I asked her, trying to tame my laughing tears.

Bella nodded rapidly, placing the mug on the coaster on the coffee table. "Oh, yes. Let me just say that I may have overdosed the splash that time."

I laughed harder. "Oh, Bella, I sure do love hearing about your Bruce and Molly stories." I took a drink of my non-alcoholic tea, almost choking from laughter.

"Oh, then you will love this one..."

As Bella told me of her stories with Bruce and Molly, I couldn't stop laughing. My cousin may be organized and precise, but she is one wild partier. I was laughing so hard, I literally peed my pants a little. Then ended up on the floor, cradling my stomach. I couldn't handle it! She was just too darn funny!

At the end of the night, Bella left due to a Tom emergency, and I didn't bother staying up any longer before I start thinking again. I washed up, changed into pyjamas, and curled up in bed. Before I knew it, I was out like a light.