Sister Christian Your the Only One...........

So I'm taking out the trash, and I hear Peggy's voice from my mom's yard. She flags me down. I wave and say hi. She comes in my yard.

"Whats that?"

"Its a gazebo" I say.

"Whats it for?" ( like it couldn't just be for enjoyment).

"Well, we wanted one for a long time, and I'm having a party, so I bought it."

"What kind of party? Am I invited?"

"Well, I haven't invited you yet...," .........pause............and I smile uncomfortably.

She comes inside. "You never call me" she says. I am quiet, and keep walking.

My kitchen is clean, and smelling of food, and candles are burning and the jazz is still on. She looks at my sauce, "WHAT is that?"

"Tomatoes, and mushrooms, and more tomatoes"

"I'm impressed".

"Its just veggies", I say with a smile, and a turn of the head.

"You are cooking?"

"Yes, cause I have to work tomorrow."

She asks about the party, I say "Its just a party". She asks if its a birthday party (Peggy could never handle being left out). I say no. "An adult party?"

"Yes, an adult party. Don't worry, no strippers. Its a girl party."

And with a hint of, "you have friends?????" she asks me "Well, who is coming?"

"A few girls, people from work, and Loida."

"Oh, cool".

She tells me she came over because she had something to tell me. She is moving.

"Where?" I'm getting the feeling it is far away.

"Rick got a job offer", (he flies a helicopter and teaches). "Louisanna or Texas."

I ask her if its a good thing, she smiles and shrugs, and I tell her I'm happy if she is happy, and I honestly mean it.

"It will be for 2 years minimum, then we might come back."

I tell her I hope it is Louisanna, and not Texas.

I move my potatoes to the sink to rinse them with cold water.

"Why? I like Texas better. Louisanna is so humid. And Austin is so beautiful."

I say " Beautiful goes away when the people are shitty. And the people in Texas are shitty."

"When were you ever there?"

"When we went down to help the victims of Katrina. The people are racist as hell. Wouldn't even wait on us in a restaurant after they found out why we were going there. I hate Texas. I never want to go there again."

"I like Texas better."

"I'm sure you will be happy wherever you go."

"Yeah, I will." But she is not convincing.

"Wanna buy our house?" half jokingly.

We talk about the kids, and school, and Tyler (he has always been her favorite), and she is blown away with how grown up he is, and lets me know she disapproves of some of my decisions. I firmly back up my decisions, and she is left with nothing to say.
We talk a little about people we know. She tells me she would feel the same way about the school if they had banished Ricky like they did Tyler. She thinks I should have fought it. I say I just want nothing to do with them any more. We talk a little about Tyler's music and his girlfriend.

We hear voices. The kids and my mom are at the gate. Cheyenne wants her bike to take over and show Lauren (Peggy's little girl who is one month younger).

"I have to go", she smiles and leaves and walks to the gate.

Cheyenne rides her bike to the gate, Lauren watching. My mom and Peggy cooing at how cute she is.

I immediately drink some more wine.

My vegies are still cooking. The potatoes are cooling.
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I haven't talked to Peggy since Christmas. And then it was brief. The last time we really talked was when my dad died.

I miss my dad. The things I miss are so unexpected. The streets we used to drive on. The way he would walk over to my yard. How he always took me to piano lessons. His shoes. His lunchbox. His flannel shirts. The gun shows he went to. Grocery shopping. How he sat at the dinner table.

My dad would be sad if he knew how Peggy and I have turned out. It would hurt him.

I love my sister.

But she will never by my sister.