The following morning, Lena had still been asleep while Stef had been up preparing for the day ahead.
The blonde-haired woman stood in the bathroom of the bedroom provided, standing before the sink's mirror. She began to complete her morning routine of brushing her teeth and cleansing her face. Once she was finished, she eyed herself closely within the mirror. She had no clue how the day would go—considering some sort of conversation with Aunt Jodie needed to be held—but hoped things would go smoothly.
Out of the bathroom and into the bedroom, Stef gave a quick glance to Lena and smiled. Her lover had looked so peaceful, so charming. She couldn't have asked for a better sight.
But, that smile faded quickly as she exited the room. She breathed rather deeply all while heading down the stairway that led into the kitchen. Allowing her nose to gather a savory aroma, she could tell that her aunt had prepared breakfast.
"Good morning, Aunt Jodie," Stef greeted the elderly woman—who had been standing before her kitchen's stove whipping scrambled eggs.
Turning from the food, the aunt faced her very niece. "Good morning, dear." Noticing Stef had come down alone, she asked, "where is Lena? I am making the four of us breakfast. Even brewed some fresh coffee."
The blonde walked over towards the kitchen's cabinets, searching for a mug. "Oh, she's still sleeping." Once she found one, she gave her presence to the coffee machine stationed next to the refrigerator, helping herself to the heated liquid. "We were out pretty late last night."
"Oh, were you?" Aunt Jodie asked, removing the thoroughly cooked eggs from the pan she cooked them in and into a nearing serving dish. "Where'd you gals go?"
Grabbing some creamer from the fridge, Stef applied it to her coffee. "Just stopped by a few places. Even went to uh...to Pinky's." She placed the creamer back where she found it, then took a seat at the nearing table.
Aunt Jodie sat the dish of eggs upon that same table, stationing them next to another dish full of turkey bacon. "Really? Do you know I've never stepped foot in that place since it's been there? How was it?"
"It was nice—fun." The hazel-eyed woman took a sip of her beverage. "It felt good, y'know, to be there with...with people who were like us. Who understood us."
Awaiting her aunt's response, Stef noticed the woman hadn't given one. In fact, the elderly woman had suddenly grown quiet. Seeing the perfect opportunity for confrontation, Stef continued with, "So, I've...I've been meaning to talk to you, Aunt Jodie."
Seeming curious, the aunt quickly placed her eyes onto the other woman. She too sat at the table, then asked, "what about, dear?"
"Last night," Stef said back, reaching for a strip of bacon. "You asked Lena and me to hide what we are from Jackson. And not only did you offend me but Lena was really offended as well. We uh...we were confused, honestly." She then took a small bite of the food, chewing before continuing on. "Back at home you accepted us, you were proud of us even. Why did you ask us to be secretive about who we are?"
Aunt Jodie began loading the foods of her choice onto a plate, preparing to eat. "Stefanie, from what I remember, you and Lena walk around that group home everyday hiding whom you are, how you love." She allowed her shoulders to move in an up and down fashion. "And you don't seem to mind it then. How is that any different than me asking you to keep quiet from Jackson?"
"That is Lena's place of work, Aunt Jodie!" The niece rose her voice a bit, growing annoyed. "Her place of business. You know that just as well as we do. There's also a policy which you are very well aware of. But this place," she then used her hands to motion around the house. "This is your home. A house I practically grew up in aside from my own. I should be allowed to be truthful about who and how I love whenever I am here."
