Chapter 12
"Boone," Shannon laughed comfortingly, "It's going to be fine. Seriously." But Boone wasn't so sure, he was practically shaking as they sat in park in the driveway of his father's apartment building. "It's okay," she said quietly, touching his thigh to comfort him. But like every physical contact they had, there was a definite sexual undercurrent, and Boone tried desperately not to shiver, momentarily forgetting the situation at hand. Her hand remained there a little too long, but she pulled back before the gesture could be deemed entirely inappropriate. "You gonna go in or not?" She prodded.
"What if he shuts the door in our face?" Boone forced out. She crept her hand back towards his thigh, soothingly rubbing circles on his leg.
"So he shuts the door in our face, and then we'll go out and get drunk and life will go on," she smiled. "And that's our worst case scenario. Which isn't even so bad." It wasn't that simple, Boone thought, and he wasn't sure if Shannon truly believed it was, or if she just wanted to. "You're not going to chicken out, are you?"
"No," he told her, confidently. He didn't want Shannon to think he was a coward. "Come on, let's go." She pulled back, and he stepped out of the car, closing the door determinately behind him. Shannon went around the front of the car, and stood beside him.
"Which one is it?" She asked.
"301," he answered, his voice quivering a bit.
"Come on," she took his hand, "It's this way." Boone pulled his hand away.
"I'm not a baby," he said grumpily.
Shannon was not impressed. "Whatever," she rolled her eyes.
"Wait," Boone stalled. "I need to turn off my cell phone in case Anna calls."
"Why?" Shannon crossed her arms over her chest. She was wearing a tight, light blue shirt that just barely hit her waist. Even in such a serious location, he couldn't help but notice how her body moved, her mannerisms, and the tone of her words.
"In case she calls," Boone attempted to make this not sound like total bullshit. He took his phone out of his pocket and pressed down on the end button until it shut off.
"Okay," she said impatiently, "Let's go up."
A round-faced, middle aged brunette woman holding a large bowl opened the door. He didn't even have time to say anything before the woman looked up, making eye contact with him. Her mouth dropped open. "Oh my god," She barely whispered, and the bowl hit the floor with a crash. Boone leaned over to pick it up, and the woman was too startled to stop him. Could this be… his stepmother?
"Um." Said Boone awkwardly, handing her the bowl, which, luckily, had been empty. "I'm Boone, and I'm – " The woman nodded quickly, taking the bowl, and silencing him. She had yet to notice Shannon.
"Sam?" The woman called through the house weakly.
"What?" Boone swallowed when he heard the voice of his father, whom he heard walking through the hallway. He appeared next to the woman, clad in a sweatshirt and khaki pants. He looked at his wife, presumably, and then glanced at Boone. Sam was a few inches taller than Boone, and although Sam was rounder and older than Boone, and had darker hair, it was clear that they were related. The resemblance of their eyes was startling, which perhaps explained why the woman had dropped what she was carrying. "Boone?" Sam said disbelievingly. Shannon shifted next to him, and Boone was practically speechless.
"Yeah," he forced out. "I'm sorry I – "
"This is my wife Susannah," Sam cut him off, introducing him to the petrified looking woman beside him. "Is this your girlfriend?" He motioned towards Shannon, smiling.
"No," Boone said a little too eagerly. "My sister, Shannon." Susannah's mouth dropped, if possible, even further and she looked at her husband for an explanation. "Stepsister," Boone corrected. "Sorry."
"Well, it's nice to meet you," Sam seemed surprisingly calm about the whole situation, and shook Shannon's hand. Shannon smiled reassuringly at Boone. "It's nice to meet you – see you, again," Sam corrected, reaching out to shake his son's hand. Boone shook back, stoic, still barely able to speak. "It's been a while," Sam laughed a short, harsh chuckle. "Come in," Shannon and Boone followed Susannah and Sam into the house, which was a medium-sized apartment with lush carpeting and aged, but high-quality furniture. There were four other people milling about, who gave Sam, Susannah, Boone, and Shannon confused looks when they walked past. Relatives, Boone thought, because the middle-aged couple, a young girl, and the old woman all bore a resemblance to Sam. Susannah gave Sam another reproachful look, and within seconds, she had escaped behind a nearby door, slamming it behind her, tears running down her face. Boone instantly felt guilty for making his father's wife cry.
"This is my son," Sam announced, and Boone looked up nervously, attempting a half-smile at the people. "Boone."
"Hello," the old woman, sitting at the dining room table, was the first of the stunned people to speak. "Are you Sabrina's son?"
"Yes," he answered, surprised that she knew.
"I'm Samuel's mother. Abigail," said the woman, and Boone looked blankly at the white-haired lady, who he never seen in his life, that was supposedly his grandmother. "Is that your girlfriend?" She gestured towards Shannon.
"No, it's my stepsister, Shannon," he said awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't call," he turned towards Sam. "I really should have called, I just didn't know your number and – "
"It's fine," Sam laughed heartily. "I get unexpected visitors all the time!"
"He's got two other estranged children," a middle-aged person with short brown hair croaked. "He's got no responsibility, Samuel here."
Sam, amazingly, did not look insulted. "My older sister, Judy," he introduced. "And this is her husband Steve," Steve looked preoccupied at the stove in the kitchenette, giving Boone a half-wave. "This is their daughter Lilly. I guess that would make you her cousin." A curly-headed, bright-eyed girl looked up. She had been coloring in a coloring book, sitting on the couch.
"You're pretty," she said to Shannon simply, and Shannon smiled, biting her lip. She had a weakness for cute little girls.
"Thanks," she exclaimed, "You're pretty, too!" Everyone seemed to relax a bit, and Steve went back to his cooking, making a decision to not be part of this ordeal. Judy gave Boone a calculating look, and glared at her brother. Abigail looked testily at her son, but smiled at Boone, not judging him. Shannon went over to the girl, Lilly, and sat next to her. "What are you coloring?" She said excitedly, beaming at Boone, who attempted a smile back. Lilly started talking, as did Judy, scolding her brother. Steve quietly stirred the boiling soup, which also contributed some noise to the room.
"Sam, I can't believe this has happened again. First Albert, then Jessica, and now this boy? How many more are there? You've just let these women raise children without the help of a father, so selfish, so lazy, how dare you be such an arrogant bastard!" Judy was saying. "Does your wife know about this? Diana left when she found out about Jessica, you don't want Susannah to do the same thing, do you?" Boone was completely confused and alienated. He had no idea who any of these people were, but it was becoming more and more clear to Boone that he wasn't as important as he had thought – Albert and Jessica, were they other kids just like Boone? Did they all have the same eyes? Judy continued to fiercely yell at her brother, while Abigail started a conversation with Steve. Minutes before, he had felt like he was some animal in a zoo being gawked at, but now he felt invisible. Shannon had seemed to assimilate into the dynamics of the family amazingly quickly, but Boone stuck out sharply, standing all alone. Suddenly, the door to the hallway opened, and everyone was quiet, except Lilly, who was ignorant to what was going on.
"And this is Cinderella, her dress is blue…" she was explaining to Shannon, pointing to a picture in her book, her voice trailing off. Susannah stepped into the front room, her eyes bloodshot, but it looked like she had washed her face and was fairly emotionally stable.
"Boone," she said, "I'm sorry about earlier, I was just shocked. Um, I'm Susannah, I haven't properly introduced myself," she smiled weakly, and Boone shook her hand. "I'd been warned about this from them," she told Sam, her mouth drawn into a thin, angry line. "Judy warned me, Abigail warned me, hell, even Steve warned me!" Steve turned around from the soup, frowning slightly at Susannah, but then turning back towards the stove, even more oblivious than Lilly. "Thank god you told me about your other kids, even though you haven't spoken to them since we met." Sam looked at his feet guiltily. "Five years, Boone, I've known him five years and he didn't even bother to tell me about you." Boone nodded, an uncomfortable feeling becoming apparent in his chest. If Sam had another long-lost child like Boone, two, who he hadn't kept in touch with, then there wasn't much hope for Boone, was there?
"I'm sorry," Boone said to her. "I came at a bad time, and… I should have called. I really didn't mean to ruin your whole evening or upset you."
Susannah smiled. "You're very sweet. But you shouldn't apologize, I can only imagine what it's been like for you to grow up without a father."
"Thank you," Boone answered quietly.
Susannah nodded quickly. "Sam, we'll talk about this later," There was a dangerous edge to her voice.
"The soup is done," Steve said, as his first words of the evening. Steve was a short, overweight man with rosy cheeks, who would have looked like Santa Claus had he had white hair and a beard instead of wire-rimmed glasses and black hair. "Should we get started? Is there enough food for them as well?" He signaled towards Shannon and Boone.
"Get started with what?" Boone asked, and Shannon looked similarly confused.
"It's Friday," Judy said flatly, making Boone feel incredibly stupid and unworthy, but Shannon's face still appeared perplexed. "Shabbat dinner?" She exhaled in frustration, and Boone wanted to stand up for Shannon, who looked slightly hurt.
"You're Jewish?" Boone asked.
"Got something wrong with that?" Judy turned furiously towards Boone.
"No," Boone said quickly, "Not at all. I just didn't know."
"Guess that makes you half Jewish," Sam put his hand on Boone's shoulder in a stereotypically fatherly gesture, which just made Boone feel more uncomfortable.
"Sit down, Sweetheart," Abigail, Sam's father, or Boone's grandmother, or whoever she was, beckoned for Boone to sit next to her. "Judy, could you get Shannon a chair, please?" Judy rolled her eyes, but obeyed her mother's orders.
"Shannon, could you pass the potatoes?" Susannah asked Shannon about a half an hour later. After the prayers, which Boone or Shannon didn't understand any of, they just stared blankly at each other as everyone, including Lilly, looked somberly at their plates, they had begun to eat, and nobody had spoken, except Lilly, who had talked about her drawings and how Shannon was her "new friend". Everyone had smiled softly at the little girl, remembering how life used to be so simple and how open children were to new people in their lives.
"Sure," Shannon passed the potatoes to Boone, who in turn passed them to Susannah.
"Thanks," Susannah muttered.
"So, Boone, I take it Sabrina got married?" Sam broke the relative silence.
"Yeah," Boone said, looking up into eyes that were identical to his own, "She married Adam, Shannon's dad."
"I was eight and he was ten," Shannon elaborated.
"Oh," Sam nodded. "So, you're about… seventeen?" He asked Boone.
"Uh huh," Boone nodded, insulted that his father barely knew how old his son was. Worse, Sam didn't look guilty about it or anything.
"Mommy I gotta go potty," Lilly burst out suddenly, and Judy excused herself, taking her daughter to the bathroom with her.
"How's Sabrina doing? She's made it pretty big in the wedding business, hasn't she?" Sam asked once Judy had left the table.
"Yeah, she's really successful. She has to travel a lot for business, though."
"Does she… know you're here?" Sam asked slowly.
"No," Boone said finally, after Shannon had kicked him under the table, forcing him to answer. "She's in Baja on business. We probably should have told her, but she doesn't like to talk about…" Boone trailed off.
"Well, I don't blame her," Sam said, humbled, and took a spoonful of soup. "Steve, this soup is amazing. Steve is an incredible chef," Sam changed the subject. "He can make even the simplest things taste like pure heaven!"
"So can Boone," Shannon blurted out. "His milkshakes are so freaking good you wouldn't believe it, and – "
"Shannon," Boone silenced his sister, embarrassed.
"No!" Abigail exclaimed, "Please continue, honey!" Shannon smiled victoriously at Boone.
"Anyway, he makes soup, too. When I'm sick, he makes me this really soothing, hot chicken soup, and I instantly feel better," she finished.
"That's good," Susannah responded. "So, Boone, do you play any sports?"
"Not right now," Boone said, "But I used to do soccer, and I run a couple times a week."
"Well, I'll have you know," his grandmother added, "Sam was an all-star track runner when he was in high school. He even ranked in the top hundred for state!"
"Well, I'm not very fast, I usually just use the track by my house by myself, not for competition or anything."
"Do you play any sports?" Susannah asked Shannon, just as Judy and Lilly were returning to the table.
"I take ballet and modern dance," Shannon looked proud. "Ballet since I was six, modern since I was eleven."
"That's great," Susannah smiled. "Are you a sophomore? Boone, you're a junior?"
"Yeah," they said simultaneously, causing everyone to laugh. Their laughter seemed to ease the situation, but this was a little difficult, because Judy kept giving Boone judgmental looks, and Susannah kept shooting Sam some glares as well.
"What's your favorite subject?" Asked Sam.
"Um," Boone thought. "I'm not sure, maybe English. I'm taking essay expo right now."
"Oh," Sam said, "Well, I'm not much of a writer, I'm a math teacher at the community college."
"That's interesting," Boone nodded, and he was painfully aware of Shannon's watching him.
"What do you want to be when you grow up?" Abigail asked him, the unavoidable adult question.
"I have no idea, honestly," Boone said. "I like English and all, but I don't know if I like it enough to major in it, or anything like that. I need to think about it."
"What colleges are you applying to?" Susannah asked.
"The UC's, probably, and also USC and NYU in New York."
"Wow," Judy sounded impressed for the first time that night.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" his grandmother asked, winking in a way that made Shannon snort into her soup. Boone glared at his stepsister.
"Yeah," he said awkwardly.
"What's she like?" Sam asked, interested.
"Um," Boone laughed, "She's… nice?"
"Anna's not nice," Shannon smiled good-naturedly.
"Hey! You shouldn't talk about your best friend that way," he grinned back, but he looked away before their dynamic was given away to the group.
"Whose up for dessert?" Steve stood up, changing the subject, accidentally jostling the table.
"I'll help clear the dishes," offered Boone, and Shannon volunteered as well. It almost felt like this was his real family – if Sam's sister hadn't been eyeing him beadily, or if he hadn't been watching the way Shannon's hips moved as he followed her into the kitchen, or if he hadn't just met his father an hour ago.
I hope that was okay. I sort of based the family get together on how my family get-togethers are, except the characters are different. And even though I'm Jewish, we don't do Shabbat, because I'm not that Jewish. Anyway, please review, again, I really hope it was good… bites fingernails so please tell me what you liked and didn't like! Were there too many characters? I think there might have been.
