Chapter 123

“If that’s our dynamic, great. You know me, I love sex. And yes, she came to visit me, but she wouldn’t have stayed if she hadn’t met Jeanie. Now she’s going to stay, Kar. My best friend is going to move here and I’ll see her as much as I like. I’m thrilled.”

“That’s a wonderful view to have, Alli. I’m proud of you. But every once in a while, it may cause you a pang to see them together, and that’s natural. There’s nothing wrong with it, unless you act on it to hurt them. If you ever need to talk, you can always come to me, or to Michael. I’m pretty sure even Alex would be a good ear for you and a shoulder to cry on.”

“Yeah…”

I climbed down from my perch, washed my hands and made my way back out to the table, where I plunked down into my seat. Mom and Alexa weren’t back yet, so I just resumed eating nachos and wings.

“Your mom and Alli went to the ladies’ room,” dad mentioned. “They’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah, except your mom said Freja and I can’t go to the bathroom together.” Jeanie pouted.

“That’s because we want to end our evening without public indecency charges.” dad replied.

“You and the Lady Prof are a lot less adventurous since Alli showed up,” Jeanie sighed. “It’s like you’ve developed a terminal case of the respectabilities. I should know.”

Freja snickered while dad just ignored the statement and killed a plate of wings. Mom and Alexa returned shortly after, both in good spirits. We laughed and ate and drank until dad got called up again. We joined the other patrons in whooping and cheering as he broke into singing ‘Saturday Night!’ by the Bay City Rollers.

“This was the song your dad sang the night I met him,” mom leaned over and said to me. “Come to think of it, he was wearing plaid pants that night, too.”

“Why am I not surprised?” I sighed, making her laugh.

“I’m just surprised there’s enough plaid material outside of Scotland to make pants for that behemoth.” Alexa muttered.

Mom pointed to a far corner. “I was sitting back in that corner with three of my girlfriends when the big lummox got up and began bellowing that ridiculous song. Nearly blew us out the back wall, I tell you.”

“It’s still weird to me that he can hit those higher notes,” Alexa mused, watching dad and clapping. “He’s a baritone when he talks, he’s a heldentenor when he sings.”

“He does an amazing ‘Old Man River’ too,” mom mentioned, looking around. “This place hasn’t changed all that much in the past few decades since we met.”

“You’ll have to tell me about it some time.” Alexa stated, nodding to mom. “I’d love to know how you and Gigantor met.”

Dad finally returned and within minutes, a song Alexa had called for was up. Everyone watched at the gorgeous blonde got on stage, sitting in front of the microphone and nodding, closing her eyes as she sang an Edith Piaf anthem.

“Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu`on m`a fait, ni le mal
Tout ça m`est bien égal
Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien
C`est paye, balaye, oublie, je me fous do passe

Avec mes souvenirs j`ai allume le feu
Mes chagrins, mes plaisirs,
Je n`ai plus besoin d`eux
Balaye les amours avec leurs trémolos
Balaye pour toujours
Je réparas a zéro

Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien
Ni le bien qu`on m`a fait, ni le mal
Tout ça m`est bien égal
Non, rien de rien, non, je ne regrette rien
Car ma vie, car me joies
Aujourd’hui ça commence avec toi!”

I was spellbound watching her, but I glanced over subtly and could see tears in Freja’s eyes. It’s perfectly true, everyone who understood those soulful words would assume it was about the Danish girl, but I couldn’t help but believe that they were truly meant for me.

When all was said and done, she regretted nothing.

It was so hard to keep the tears out of my eyes.

***

“Well, I’m sure those three are in for a raucous and debauched night,” mom mused as we sat around the kitchen island, drinking Turkish coffee. It was late, but we all needed caffeine to sober up and none of us were ready for bed in any event. “This day has just been a whirlwind.”

“No argument there,” I sighed, shaking my head. “This whole Jeanie-Freja thing still has me knocked for a loop. How you two figured it out is beyond me. Even Alexa hadn’t been expecting it.”

“You just develop a sense for people when you get older, Alex,” dad said, filling mom’s cup again. “You’ll develop that intuition soon enough.”

“Yup, a true romance for the ages, that one…” mom said, smirking.

“You don’t think they’ll make it?” I asked.

“Oh, I’m pretty sure they will,” she replied, considering. “Freja may be promiscuous, but deep down she’s got a loving and monogamous heart, Alex. It’s amazing she was ever able to let go of Alexa. And Jeanie, well… she seems all fun and games, but that is a very lonely girl. And I think she was truly afraid of being alone her whole life, drifting from marriage to marriage, searching for that one person who would see the worth in her beyond her sexual prowess and her family’s money.”

“Then it’s a good thing they found one another,” I said. “Put it in those terms and they’re pretty perfect for one another.”

Mom nodded. “They’ll still be promiscuous together, but their hearts will belong to one another, and that is exactly what they both crave. Alexa knows she’s young and beautiful, she knows there’s time to find the right person. Freja and Jeanie both have drawbacks that count against them and need to be overlooked. Alexa doesn’t. “

“If you say so.” I agreed in a neutral tone.

“Oh, c’mon now,” mom chided. “Alex, even you have to be able to put aside the fact that she’s your aunt to see exactly what’s going on there- she’s absolutely stunning to look at, she’s every bit as smart as we are, and she’s got a passion for life that very few people can match. Not to get all Mary Poppins, but she’s practically perfect in every way.”

“She’ll make a great find for someone, no doubt.” I allowed. “Sorry, if I’m not objective about it.”

Mom patted my hand. “No worries, you get along very well with her, and that’s all I can ask for.”

We talked for another hour or so, with me promising that we would start going to karaoke at least once a month, since mom and dad had rediscovered how much they enjoyed it. Eventually I said I was calling it a night and heading to bed. Mom gave me a hug and a kiss while dad ruffled my hair and sent me off. Apparently they had more Slovenian Pee Fairy documentaries to watch. I shook my head in despair, mumbling a disdain I did not actually feel, of course.

Downstairs and on my bed, I casually opened my laptop and initiated a Skype call. A few seconds later, Alexa appeared, totally naked and smiling at me lovingly. “Hello, my love.”

“Well, hello, beautiful,” I said in my best imitation of Ozzy. “I more than half-expected to not get a response, I thought you might be occupied.”

“Was until recently,” she sighed, picking up the laptop and panning it over toward the bed, where Freja and Jeanie were both passed out in a sweaty tangle. “It’s been quite the evening.”

“I’ve no doubt,” I chuckled. “Highlights?”

“Well, I thought I was going to have to surgically remove Freja’s right arm just below the elbow when she got it stuck in Jeanie’s ass,” she began, shaking her head as she remembered the incident. “Then Freja tried to drown Jeanie again when she squirted into her open mouth and it went down the wrong pipe. I’ll be amazed if these two survive up until their wedding next week.”

“Oh, they picked a date, did they?” I noted.

Alexa nodded. “Just a quick civil court thing, one that’ll allow Freja to stay. Jeanie can support her, so there’s no worries there, and her marks back at the uni in Copenhagen were surprisingly good, so getting her admitted here shouldn’t be an issue.”

“A quick civil ceremony sounds ideal.” I agreed.