Dear Diary

Chapter 66

Evening came quickly as Sophia and her aunt spoke mainly over their travels. Eric had returned not long ago and the three of them were in the kitchen preparing dinner.

"So, Sophie, who's been teaching you to cook?" Aunt Tess asked as she watched her niece expertly cut the potatoes into identical pieces.

"Luke's mom," Sophia replied with a small smile and a bit of pride in her voice.

"Oh." That teasing gleam came back to her aunt's eyes. "I take it you spend a lot of time there?"

Sophia fought back the blush. "Every Sunday after church."

Aunt Tess nodded her head in approval as she turned the steak simmering in the skillet.

Eric was silent as he sat on one of the kitchen chairs watching his cousin and mom work with a faraway look in his eyes.

"What are you thinking about, Eric?" his mom called out, breaking him from his thoughts and a light blush crept up his cheeks.

"Uh ... nothing," he mumbled and stood. "I'm just gonna go ... unpack."

"Okay," Aunt Tess said with a knowing look and Eric almost ran out the kitchen and up the stairs. Aunt Tess shook her head. "Oh, that boy."

"What?" Sophia asked, feeling a little out of the loop.

"Nothing, dear, I'm sure you'll find out soon enough."

Dinner had been pleasant. Sophia had forgotten the last time she sat down to dinner with family that she was comfortable around. Aunt Tess could easily keep a conversation going and there was never a dull moment with her.

Eric, on the other hand, was extremely quiet, but he was never really as talkative as his mother anyway. The clock had just ticked on ten o'clock when Sophia's father returned. Sophia, Eric and Aunt Tess were seated in the living-room when they turned to see her father with Susan at his side.

A moment of surprise flashed across her father's face at seeing his sister, but it was gone within a second. "Tess, Eric," he greeted a little stiffly.

"Hi," Aunt Tess replied with a wave of her hand as she stood. 

Sophia watched silently as her aunt sauntered towards her brother, eyes trained on Susan. A smile came to her lips as she stretched out her hand. 

"And you must be Susan."

Susan slowly unhooked her right arm from Sophia's dad's arm and placed her hand hesitantly in the offered palm. "Yes."

"Pleasure to meet you," Aunt Tess smiled and shook her hand, but her eyes did not hold the same welcoming gesture. 

She looked Susan up and down, taking in every detail of her petite figure and Susan shifted uncomfortably as an awkward silence ensued.

Sophia and Eric cast each other a side-glance before looking back at the adults.

"Tess, what are you doing here?" Sophia's father asked a moment later.

"Can't I come see my favourite brother with a surprise visit?" Aunt Tess asked happily.

He stayed silent as he stared at her, calculating her every move. It didn't take long before Susan cracked under the tension and she looked up at her date. "I think I best be going now ... I'm sure you want to catch up with each other."

"Nonsense, please stay," Aunt Tess said. "I would love to hear all about my brother's new girlfriend."

Susan trembled ever so slightly under Tess' intimidating gaze. Sophia would have found it pathetic, an army woman nervous of a singer, but Aunt Tess was petrifying when in a mood, so she almost felt a bit sorry for the small woman.

"No ... I-I really should be going," Susan stumbled and cast a glance towards Sophia's father, but his gaze was trained on Tess, eyes narrowed, trying to figure out his sister's motive. "I ... I'll see you soon," she said and his gaze flickered to hers for a moment and he nodded. 

She turned and quickly rushed out the house.

Sophia's father turned to look back at his sister. "Tess-" he began but she cut him off with a narrowed gaze.

"I need to speak with you," she said seriously, her eyes daring him to choose otherwise.

He sighed. "Very well."

Sophia watched the exchange closely as the siblings walked up the stairs and out of sight before turning towards Eric.

"I didn't know your dad had a girlfriend," he said wide-eyed.

Sophia shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant, as she looked for anything to excuse herself from the torrent of questions her cousin would rain down on her. She spotted her laptop on the coffee table and grabbed it. "I'm just going to put this in my room," she said and, without waiting for a reply, walked up the stairs towards her room.

Now Sophia was never one to eavesdrop on another's conversation, but as she placed her laptop on her desk, she could not help but overhear what was being said in her father's room.

"What is wrong with you? Dating? Already?" Aunt Tess' voice demanded.

"It's been eighteen years. Isn't that enough time?" Sophia's father responded.

"Not if you keep everything inside, it isn't!"

"Don't you want me to be happy, Tess?"

"Of course I do, but ... how do you think Sophia feels about all this?"

At the mention of her name, Sophia slowly moved towards her room door to try and hear better.

"She's fine with it," her father replied.

"Is she?"

"Why? What did she tell you?" Sophia could picture her father's narrowed gaze.

"Nothing! That's the whole point," Aunt Tess shouted. "She's learnt from you never to share her thoughts and feelings with anyone! Do you know that this is the first time I've visited and she's told me about a friend? The first time in eighteen years! Because you have indirectly taught her to keep to herself by never opening up to her yourself."

"Don't question me on my relationship with my daughter, Tess. You don't know why I do what I do," her father warned.

"No, because you don't tell me anything anymore! Ever since Lizzy ... " Aunt Tess trailed off and sighed. "Do you know how hard it was for me when Sophia was little and would ask me about her mom? I could never reply because even I didn't know what happened. What happened that day?"

There was a long, tense silence. "You wouldn't understand," her father replied, his voice uncommonly thick with emotion.

"Why not? You have to get whatever it is off your chest or else I know for a fact that you'll lose Sophia."

"Enough, Tess!" Sophia's father suddenly snapped and Sophia jumped from the intensity in his voice. "You won't understand and I most certainly do not have to explain myself to you, or to Sophia, or to anyone else! So just get out!" he roared.

It was silent for the longest moment. When Aunt Tess replied her voice was barely above a whisper that Sophia had to strain to hear her. "Is she even your child?"

"Don't be stupid," her father growled. "Of course she is."

"Then start acting like it," Aunt Tess snapped in response.

Sophia scurried back into her room when she heard the bedroom door swing open and Aunt Tess marched down the stairs, muttering angrily to herself. Sophia's eyes were wide, feet frozen in place, when she heard the booming sound of her father slamming his bedroom door shut in anger and everything grew silent once more.