Kitten
Gina and I practically fell through my apartment door at five past seven. We had a great time, but the three of us were exhausted, our recent motel stays as insufficient for my auntie's rest as they'd been for ours. Too, it may have been all the excitement added.
"Ughhh!" Gina commented as she dropped her bags and did the zombie walk to my couch.
"I know," I complained, dragging my feet behind her.
We flumped down and stared vacantly around us at the surrounding circumstances as they once again impressed themselves upon me.
"Kathleen's really something," Gina commented.
My namesake, as it turned out, had been in Montreal before and, not only knew her way around the city, but could also speak French well enough to get by when we needed it.
"I know," I agreed, "she's got this weird energy."
"Like you."
"Me?"
"Yes, it's not quite the same, but I recognize it," Gina said with a smile. "In fact, that's not the only way you two are alike."
"Oooh, you're good at this stuff. Let's have it, smutty."
"Okay, well you both have that silly little giggle, although her not as much and it sounds... different. In the same way."
"Huh?"
""Hey, that's what I get," she yawned. "And you may be Sheila's height, but you've got Kathleen's body type. Not so filled out like her, but closer to Kathleen than to Sheila."
"Okay... What else?"
"Let's see... Oh, heh, the fight. I could easily see you doing the same thing in Kathleen's situation, whatever that is.
Oh,
yeah."
"I do wonder what that could be." I said, vaguely pondering where Mr. Sparkles was.
"Who knows? Kathleen seems pretty serious about it, though."
"Yeah, she said it was pretty bad. And Sheila wasn't saying much to defend herself, either."
"No, like she knew she didn't have a leg to stand on."
"Anyway, I really like my Auntie Kathleen. She's cool."
"She's very different. That's another thing you two have in common."
"What?" I asked.
"Well... You know how I've said that I knew you were different... special and precious, as soon as we met on the sidewalk that day?"
"Yes."
"That's what I'm talking about. It's in the way you are. You're a very unique individual and Kathleen shares that quality, just in a different way."
"O-kay..."
"In fact..."
"Yes?"
"All of your family is like that, and all of them in a different way."
I thought of my cousin and how he excited me, how he made miffy react when I shook his hand and the impressions the rest of my estranged family had on me, including Sheila.
"Okay, I know what you mean. Like how everyone looked at Sheila when she showed up."
"Yes, that undeniable... thing that demanded reaction. I'm still awed by it. I mean, that's quite the gene pool you've got there."
"She's quite something."
"Are you going to talk to her?"
" ... Yeah."
"What are you going to say?"
I thought for a moment, but could only decide, "I don't know. I'll just let things take their course, I guess. Hey, smutty?"
"Mm hmm?" she sleepily encouraged.
"Do you see any similarities between me and Sheila? Besides our faces, I mean?"
After a brief pause, she reported, "That quality you all have... Hers is the most like yours. That's all I can say without having spoken to her."
"Oh. She's prettier than I am, but we look the same."
"She's not prettier than you are."
"Yes, she is."
"Steven didn't seem to think so."
"He was looking at her."
"Like you said, we were all looking at her, but after the initial 'Sheila effect', as Dad calls it, he was mainly looking at you again. Like you were looking at him off and on."
"Gina, I'm not attracted to him. Like I said, I find him interesting."
"Apparently, he finds you pretty interesting as well."
Of course, she was spot on, wasn't she? The problem, given our home situation, was that I wasn't comfortable with telling her about mine and Steven's very mutual and very real attraction to one another. Clearly, this was one of those times when Gina's observation and people sense worked against me.
"Okay, he's cute, but it's not like I'm gonna go and date him, is it?" I asked myself as well as Gina.
"If you weren't with Dad, would you?"
(YES!)
"What kind of question is that?" I laughed. "I didn't say... Oh. I get it."
"What?"
"Your little kink."
"No!"
"Yes!"