A Very Nari Christmas Ch. 01

Later Nari explained to me, "Most people like to talk about themselves. This is usually truer of women than men, but most people would rather talk about themselves than any other topic. If you give most people an opening and act more like a friend than a judgmental type, you can get them to talk for hours."

"You're starting to sound like a psychologist," I observed.

"No, I'm just stating something that I learned when I started dating. I mean, when you're trying to seduce somebody and lure them into your bed, there is some psychology involved, but I never took any psychology courses."

"Oh, God," I exclaimed, "please tell me you're not trying to seduce my dad!"

Nari choked back a laugh and said, "Scott, your dad is way too old for me! Also, sleeping with the father and the son? I've done a lot of kinky things, but that's even outside of my comfort zone!"

After a minute he added, "People like flattery and people like to have an audience that is willing to listen to them. There's something gratifying about getting people to listen to you talk about your pet peeves, your stories about your childhood, your deeply held opinions, your accomplishments etc. And I'm an excellent listener. And while I've mainly used my psychology skills to flirt with boys and get them to fall madly in love with me, those same skills can be used for other purposes."

"So, what now?" I asked, "I've been with you for most of the conversations you've had with my family. They've told you a lot, but I don't think any of it is going to help you bridge the gap between my parents and my sister."

Nari favored me with a boyish grin and said, "I'm not so sure. I think I found an opening I can exploit."

"I don't get it. What opening?"

"Stephanie," Nari replied, "She's Sophie's one and only friend and your parents don't approve of her. They want Stephanie out of her life. If I can prove that Stephanie is a worthwhile person and get them to approve of Stephanie as a friend for their daughter, it might go a long way towards fixing things."

I hadn't considered that, but Nari's idea had potential. I wasn't sure how to prove that Stephanie was a good person, but one step at a time. We called Stephanie and arranged to meet with her the very next day. My dad said that Stephanie was a pseudointellectual and a thief, and my mom timidly went along with that opinion. If Nari and I met with her and found her, maybe we'd see it differently.