Chapter 20

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"I can't believe they are going to get rid of our sanctuary," Parker lamented as she took a drink of her Cape Cod.

During dinner Sam complimented the house and Katherine said she was planning on renovating the basement. Which was big news to the Fitzgerald's kids who were surprised to learn their hangout was going away.

"We haven't hung out down here in years," Martin commented as he looked through a box of his teenage memorabilia. His parents said that if there was anything they wanted to keep they were instructed to take it now or it was going to be donated to charity. Although, going through the box of memorabilia Martin couldn't imagine which charity would want a box full of cassette tapes from the 80s, board games with missing pieces, and used Mad Libs.

"Hey, I found an unmarked cassette tape. Do I toss it?" Parker's husband Curtis announced. He was sitting on the floor with his back against one of the sofa's looking through one of the boxes.

"I say we listen to it." Parker walked over from where she was sitting and snatched the tape from her husband's hand.

"I cannot believe I was so into the Corey's," Reese commented as she glanced through old issues of Teen Beat.

"I'm guilty of that too," Sam said as she sat cross legged on the carpet between Martin and Reese flipping through old issues of Cosmopolitan.

Parker held up the tape before she put it in the stereo. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, does anyone want to place a bet about which one of us this mystery tape belongs to?"

Martin looked at the tape and said, "I think it was yours. I usually labeled mine and Reese always put stickers on hers."

"I'm with you Martin," Reese said from her corner. She turned to Sam and said, "If it is Parker's, get ready for sappy easy listening songs."

Parker put the tape in the stereo and hit 'PLAY' and as soon as the song came on Martin said, "Told you."

"I don't know how this whole business started, of you thinkin' that I had been untrue… But if you think that we'd be better parted, it's gonna hurt me but I'll break away from you…Well, just give me the sign and I will be gone, yeah…That's how much I feel, Feel for you, baby…"

"Oh, man, I used to love Ambrosia," Parker said as she started lip synching to the song.

"Martin, do you remember when she used to force us to listen to this music over and over again whenever she drove us anywhere?" Reese asked.

"It haunts me to this day that I know more about Air Supply, Chicago, and Ambrosia than any straight man should." He gave Parker a mockingly dirty look before returning his attention to the albums he discovered behind several other boxes. He heard Sam laugh lightly next to him and it made him smile.

"I can't believe you guys. This tape reminds me of my freshman year at Vassar." Parker walked across the room to look through the bookshelves.

"That was a fun year," Reese said sarcastically. "She was unbearable and so pretentious. When she came home for Thanksgiving she kept calling mom and dad by their first names."

"Please, that implies she called them by their full names. She called them Vic and Kate." Martin looked up from his albums and said, "The only good part is they were so annoyed by her obnoxious behavior that they pretty much left us alone."

"You guys said you totally loved me that year!" Parker shouted, seemingly surprised by this knowledge. Reese and Martin exchanged mischievous glances at one another that Parker did not fail to notice it. "Spill it. What's that look about?"

"Do we dare?" Reese asked Martin. He shrugged his shoulders so she smiled widely and said, "Parker, the reason we loved you so much is because we used your irritating behavior against you."

"Excuse me?" Parker asked with a gaze as sharp as razors.

"Well, you were so annoying that Thanksgiving. You had only been in college for about three months and you came back all full of yourself. You kept saying stuff like 'Seth, my professor prefers I call him by his first name, Seth says….' And then you would insult us by saying, 'You wouldn't know about such things, you're still children…' Please, twelve weeks earlier you were hanging out with us by the pool trying to see who could do a better cannonball."

"Okay, that was kind of obnoxious," Parker agreed. "But I still want to know what you guys did."

Martin decided to spare Reese from having to fess up and said, "Well, that Thanksgiving I told Mom that you were burning some really unusual incense in your room. It smelled like herbs."

Sam leaned in towards him and said, "You didn't?"

"Oh, I did." He turned to look at her and realized that their faces mere inches apart. Apparently she realized their close proximity as well because she quickly turned away.

Parker held her hands up and said, "Wait a minute! Is that why mom and dad gave me a huge 'Just Say No' lecture all night long?" Reese and Martin each smiled guiltily. "You guys suck."

Reese had a serious look on her face and said, "Hey, I feel bad about it now."

"Speak for yourself." Martin corrected. "I was able to sneak out of the house to go see Lisa Webber. I got to third base that night."

"Alright!" Scott and Curtis cheered in unison.

"Don't encourage him," Parker said with her hands on her hips looking like his mom did when he misbehaved as a kid. "What else did you guys do? I know that couldn't have been the only thing."

Reese looked over at Parker before moving to sit between Martin and her husband. "Well, I might have told mom about your birth control pills by saying that college was making you really organized because you even had your Tic-Tacs in a case labeled with days of the week."

Parker's face went red and she shouted, "That was you! Mom made me sit with her for the longest chat of my life. We had to drink tea while she told me about her first sexual experience." Parker tried to sound angry but her laugh gave her away. She found a stuffed tiger on a shelf and threw it at Martin muttering, "Damn you guys sucked." She laughed and said, "Samantha, did you have these kinds of problems with your sister?"

"No, I was the younger one. Bridget moved out when she was eighteen but we had our fair share of fights," Sam replied, happy that Martin's sisters were trying their best to include her in the conversation.

"I found another tape marked, 'Martin's Mix'," Curtis shouted.

"Oh, this should be good," Parker said self-righteously as she took the tape and put it in the player. A few seconds later a steady electronic rock beat began to play.

"You're leaving no, it's in your eyes. There's no disguising it, it really comes as no surprise to find that you planned it all along. I see it now, becomes so clear, your insincerity and me all starry-eyed. To think that I would have known by now, now, sure as the sun will cross the sky, this lie is over. Lost, like the tears that used to tide me over. Only time will tell, one thing is sure, that time will tell."

"Asia," Scott smiled at Martin. He started banging his head and said, "Nice."

"I can't believe you were making fun of me for listening to Ambrosia," Parker said. "You were the one who would stand in front of his mirror playing air guitar like some sad rock star."

Martin went wide eyed and glared at Parker for saying that in front of Samantha. It was one of those embarrassing details that should be kept in the family.

Unfortunately at hearing this bit of news Sam perked up and said, "Oh, really?" She grinned widely at Martin and asked. "So, do you still play or did you give it up when you realized you couldn't do it professionally?"

Martin pursed his lips and glared at her but there was no mistaking the humor in his eyes.

"Hey, I used to play air drums," Scott shared trying to help him out.

"Maybe you could get Curtis to play air bass. Then the three of you could form a band and take your act on the road," Sam retorted, enjoying being in on the family gossip.

Parker and Reese started laughing with Sam while the guys feigned hurt for a few seconds before joining in the laughter. Scott started playing air drums while Curtis attempted to join in.

"I love this woman," Parker said as she smiled over at Martin.

He smiled at his sister before looking over at Sam and thinking the exact same thing.