Chapter 26 : New chapter for all of us

Brunch ended and we were all getting ready to leave. The Stevensons said their goodbyes, especially to Alexa and said they'd see us again soon. I asked my parents if we should just meet them at home.

"Oh, heavens no," mom said disdainfully. "It's a gorgeous day out, let's all go do something fun."

"Well, the province did just open that new nature trail a few miles away," dad mentioned. "Let's go and check it out. We're all wearing comfortable shoes, it seems like the time."

As assertive as mom could be on occasion, she almost always deferred to dad when it came to matters of having fun, so she agreed readily. "Alright, you two follow us and we'll have a good time. See you at the trail."

We got back in our vehicles and I followed dad out to the nature trail. Alexa and I mostly behaved ourselves, since mom and dad were never more than a few car lengths away, but she had her camera out and snapped lots of pictures, including several upskirts of herself and of her pussy when she pulled her thong aside and sent them to my phone. My aunt was apparently trying to kill me.

Some ten minutes later, we arrived at the nature trail. The parking lot was free of cars aside from ours, which Alexa and I were mutually thankful for. Dad had some water bottles handy and gave us each one. We began making our way down the trail, which was surrounded on all side by lush deciduous vegetation. We walked and talked, mostly about Alexa's various experiences living across Europe and she was tireless and cheerful in answering the questions. An occasional nudge from my mother encouraged me to ask some as well.

At Alexa's request, we stopped and took pictures regularly and it occurred to me that maybe a great deal of this was her trying to capture moments in her new life, since I hadn't seen tons of pics from her old one. Did she have very few and was regretting it now? I'd have to ask later and see what she had to show me.

We came to an open area with a picnic table and sat down, talking about her time in Bologna. After maybe fifteen minutes we stood up and prepared to resume our casual hike. There were two paths now, one that took a higher route and another the lower one but they apparently arrived at the same destination.

"C'mon, Alex," dad said, clapping me on the shoulder. "Let's give the sisters a chance to catch up on their own. We'll take the high road, leave the shade to the womenfolk."

I nodded and waved to my mom and Alexa before we jaunted off. Dad seemed to be enjoying himself, with no particular ulterior motive in bringing me with him aside from giving my mom time to be with her sister, which I was thankful for.

"So what's she like?" he asked as he walked, looking at some wild Trilliums. "Was it a good idea to let her uproot herself and come here?"

I considered his question for a moment. "She's pretty genuine, I think," I said finally. "What you see is what you get, she's not fake or pretentious. I think... I think she seems older than she is, at least compared to the people who will be her peers. Certainly intellectually."

"Really smart, is she?" dad mused.

I nodded. "Yeah, she's gonna tear up the courses she chooses. She'll be ahead in no time."

"Then you'll have some competition, finally," he chuckled. "She's pretty too, don't you think?"

"Jeez, dad," I said, scowling. "She's my aunt."

"Well, yes, but speaking objectively."

I sighed. "Speaking objectively? Yeah, she's actually gorgeous. But she's still mom's sister and that gives me all manner of squick when I try to think about her that way."

"Okay, but I want you to understand that the burden of being her friend is going to fall on you," he said, smiling at me. "At least until she finds a good boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever she likes. Your mom and I are secretly counting on you to to make sure she doesn't end up with a douchebag, okay?"

"I can't believe you just said 'douchebag', dad." I laughed.

"Why?" he asked. "It was my generation that invented the term, I feel entitled to it, thank you. You kids are just appropriating it, I'll have you know."

"Alright, alright, say douchebag to your heart's content." I said, admitting defeat. "But quit making me think about you saying it and trying to think about my aunt, okay? Letting her pick my clothes was enough weird for one day."

"She needs a good friend, Alex, and you're perfect in that regard," dad said simply. "You're her age and you're related to her and you have every reason in the world to make sure she's as happy as possible. We're all she's got now. Your mom and I can help her in different ways than you can."

"Yeah?"

"Sure," dad reasoned. "You can at at least figure out a good date for her. Your mom and I would only be guess based on the recommendations of friends or associates."

"Ugh," I said, making a face as I thought about my mom's peers. "I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially a family member."

"Good, just keep it in mind, I'm not asking you to play Yenta or anything. And for your own good and your mother's peace of mind, really try to be friends with Alexa, okay?"

I was silent for a few moments. "She really means a lot to mom, doesn't she?"

"You have no idea," dad said, his tone carrying a note of seriousness. "And to be honest, I don't think either of us even can, Alex. Imagine losing someone very special to you a long time ago and you can't even find out about them. Then one day, they're back in your life and you have a chance to make up for all that last time, even if you have no idea who they are now."

He looked at me as we walked. "Imagine how terrifying that has to be for your mom and her sister, knowing about one another their whole lives but not knowing anything about one another. How awful would it be if they couldn't get along and didn't like one another?"

"That's actually a really good point," I said. "I hadn't thought about it that way. I guess I just expected it to work out perfectly once Alexa had adjusted to life here in the colonies, you know?"

He nodded. "And it's not your job to worry about all that. But you've got a new family member in your life now and as far as we can tell, she's pretty spectacular. Just don't squander an opportunity by not trying, okay?"

I read his words on a level he certainly wasn't aware of and would never know. "Okay, dad. I think I understand a little better now. This isn't an imposition, it's a new chapter for all of us in our own way, right?"

"That's my boy," he said, clearly pleased. "I know your mom gives you a hard time, but she thinks you're smarter than both of us put together. You've got the grades and academic drive, you just need to make sure your personality and social skills keep pace."

"I guess I always figured that," I replied. "Even when she's insulting me, there's a humorous edge to the names she calls me. I guess I get my intermittent social reticence from her, since I sure as hell didn't get it from you."

"Got that right," he laughed. "Going out with you and your mother is downright awkward sometimes, it's as if the act of enjoying yourselves causes you physical pain."

"Thanks, pop." I said dryly.

Last Chapter Next Chapter