The Anderson Women

Mike stopped his rambling mid sentence. He realized he had been talking non-stop, singing praises of Julie, and that made him feel a little embarrassed for his love struck self.

Sarah was surprised by the depth of his feelings. 'It's more than just some crush...'

"Since we look the same, do you also fancy me?"

Sarah couldn't believe that she asked him that. 'Whoa... where did that come from?' It was just a thought that came to her mind but before she could stop herself she had already voiced it out loud, but now that the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to know how he would respond.

Mike was dumbfounded for the second time. He was taken aback by this sudden "enquiry". He couldn't fathom a reason that would make her ask something like that. Too scared to think about the reasons behind them, he barely mumbled in his panic and unease, "I-I don't...I mean it's different."

"Relax. I was kidding." Sarah smiled; inwardly she was a bit miffed. When she saw how relieved he looked as if he had just dodged a life sentence, she felt a further pang of jealousy. It wasn't that she wanted to compete with Julie for his affection but she didn't feel as removed as she had thought herself to be. She was feeling a lot of conflicting things at the same time.

Suddenly there was an awkward silence between them. Both of them felt uncomfortable after that horrible attempt at humor.

"I'm gonna go away."

"Huh... what?"

"I got in at Stanford."

"Hey! Why didn't you tell me?"

Sarah slapped his back. She guessed that there was a good chance it would happen but when he didn't say anything about it later, she thought that it didn't. Keeping with her conflicting mood at the moment, she felt very pleased for him, but at the same time a little dejected that he didn't tell her sooner.

Mike sighed, "Cause... I don't think mom and dad would want me to go so far."

"Hmmm." Sarah also realized that was the case. Her aunt definitely wouldn't want her "baby" to go far from her, and his father was a whole different game. George had already decided that Mike would take over when he retired, much the same as her parents had decided for her.

"It would be good. I would be away from all the craziness and interference."

'He's running away...' Sarah thought.

Mike saw the sorry look on Sarah's face, "You don't have to look at me like that..." he chuckled, "... It's not about that." He paused and let out a long sigh before he continued, "Anyway, I have to move on. And after tonight, talking to you like this, I suddenly feel... I suddenly feel alleviated, you know. Like, I was trapped somehow and now the shackles are off."

Mike stood up after he finished his words. There was a smile on his face and for the first time that night Sarah felt that it was a genuine one.

...

(Part 3)

Julie composed herself before she entered the Sutton household. It had been some time since she last visited. Growing up across the street it was the place she used to spend most of her time with Sarah and Mike, but ever since Mike left the visits turned few and far between.

She once again checked her watch which showed it was ten o'clock. She was late, and she knew that her mother won't be too glad about it.

'I'm only two hours late, it shouldn't make much difference.'

She walked in with an air of confidence even though her heart was up to her mouth. Typically she was a fearless woman, a woman who intimidated others with just a single glance of hers, except when she was with her mother. Her mother was her kryptonite. No matter how much she tried to pretend otherwise or put on a face of false bravado, she was terrified of her mother and her judging eyes. She could only hope that her mother was in a pleasant mood seeing as her darling Mike had just returned. A little scared, she followed the sounds of laughter to the back garden.

The first thing she saw as she silently trod across the grass was the figure of her father, John, discussing something with Uncle George. To the side of them was her mother, Deborah, who was stiffly sitting next to Vanessa. Sarah was sat opposite to them, with a little kid on her lap.

'So, that's Joe, huh!'

She had seen his stills before but hadn't met him in person till now. She was a little excited and nervous at the same time. Now that he was going to be living here, she was sure he would be a big part of their life. Frankly, she could tell Joe was feeling overwhelmed by all the attention. She thought it was quite brave of him that he wasn't already crying or screaming over top of his lungs.

Finally she turned to look at Mike. She had already spotted him from the corner of her eyes when she first entered; it was hard not to, given his impressive frame and the fact that he was the only one who was currently not engaged otherwise. He looked fantastic in her opinion.

'His snaps don't do him justice,' she thought. She had not seen him since he went away, and only ever looked at his photos and videos but he looked much better than he ever looked in any of those.

'But there's also...' she felt strange as she stared at him a little longer, there was an air of tranquility around him which seemed quite unfamiliar to her. The last time they had met, he was a clueless teenager, his eyes shielded with rose tinted glasses. But now, 'it looks like he has been through some serious shit.'

Her heart skipped a beat as her eyes met his. There was a smile on his face, welcoming her presence, almost inviting her forward. She shied away from his gaze and took off running; she then almost crashed into him when he opened his arms to hug her. His arms felt good. The hug felt good; it gave her a sense of serenity, of protection, of bliss.

'That's odd... I never felt like this before...' she reflected on her actions, '... Why did I shy away from his eyes? Why am I hugging him for so long...' and was a little surprised by them. She separated from him with a jerk but when she saw the puzzled and slightly hurt look on his face all her misgivings were forgotten.

"I missed you," she said in a low voice.

"I know."

Julie's eyes widened as she realized that he just quoted freaking Han Solo to her. Further irritation crept in as she watched him smirking at her. The sounds of laughter behind her further fanned her flames, "Ooh... you smug little shi-"

"You're late."

Julie had raised her hand, ready to rain down on Mike but almost stumbled on her feet when she heard Deborah's voice.

"I- I... was... I'm sorry."

"Haha... it's fine, it's fine. She's not that late." John acted as the peacemaker before his wife could further admonish their daughter for her tardiness. It was like just any other day for John Anderson, placating his wife and keeping his daughter from running away in fear of her mother, these were now a thing of habit for him.

Deborah glared at Julie but kept quiet. She was the disciplinarian in the family and she never let anyone forget that. In a pleasant mood today, as Mike had returned home and seeing as it was the first day Joe had come to their family, she didn't think it was necessary to straighten the ways of her wayward daughter, if it meant Joe getting scared.

Seeing that there would be no more barbs coming her way, Julie felt relieved that her mother was in a good mood for once. It was always a bother if she had to deal with her mother. Elatedly she moved towards Sarah and greeted Joe, "Hi, Joe. I'm Julie."

Joe watched the woman in front of him with some curiosity but turned his head into Sarah's bosom after a few moments. This made Julie smile at his shyness so she tried again, this time much more patient and sweeter but the result was the same. By the end of it, Joe was clutching at Sarah like his life depended on it, scared by the strange women and her antics.

Julie blushed in embarrassment when her repeated efforts to get Joe to talk to her all ended in failure. The whole family was snickering at the scene. She turned to Mike who just shrugged his shoulders. "He's a shy kid, isn't he?" she said while getting up, trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Yeah... that must be it." John quipped.

Mike felt a little bad for Julie. He went up to Joe, and pointing towards Julie he introduced her, "Joe this is Julie, she is like an aunt to you. Say, Hello."

"... Hello," Joe greeted her in a small voice.

"Hello Joe, it's nice to meet you."

Julie sat on the empty bench and pulled Mike beside her. But before she could even open her mouth, George asked Mike the one question which had been bothering her ever since she heard from Sarah that Mike was coming back home.

"Is this permanent?"

"Yes," Mike sighed as he answered. It was always the same thing with his father. He never quite understood why his father got so mad that he went away. He always maintained that he would return home and said the same to him once more, "It was always a temporary thing, I was eventually gonna come back anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Oh, stop it. It doesn't matter anymore, he's back and he's staying." Vanessa told off her husband. She was different from her husband and firmly believed that Mike would return home eventually. She didn't want another argument between the father and son to ruin the mood.

She had been on top of the world since the morning; her "baby" was finally back, what could be more important than that. Mike was priority one in her life and she missed those days, when she took care of him. Ever since he left for San Francisco, there was a lot of free time in her hands which was unusual for her and frankly she felt it troublesome. Nowadays she kept herself busy with all the different charities she volunteered for, but it was not the same. All the different parties and fundraisers which had started as ways to get out of the house and had eventually become a major part of her identity and who she was as a person, seemed hollow when Mike was not there to enjoy it with her.

She always thought of herself as a mother first and foremost, even before she thought of herself as a wife. Even the fact that she married George was mostly due to Mike. Stepmother, seemed such an ugly word to her and she made sure that Mike never thought of her as such. Though everyone knew that she wasn't his real mother, it didn't stop her from loving him any less. In fact, she went as far as to not have any children of her own so that Mike may not feel alienated by his new mother. So it came as a bit of a shock when Mike wanted to get away from her. It took her some time to adjust to the new reality.

Now she was a major figurehead in the city, respected and adored, but she still missed those days. The mundane days of being a stay at home mother; the lazy Saturday afternoons spent with her son, chatting about anything and everything, were one of her most cherished memories. And she was very much looking forward to spend more time with him, to bond with him again, to know about his "adventures" out west, even if it would be harder now with the added responsibility of Joe. But it would all have to wait. Right now she could sense that George was looking for an opportunity, waiting for the perfect time so that he could get Mike to commit to the family business. So she made it easy for him and took herself out of the equation.

"Come here Joe... let's get you something to eat." Vanessa said standing up and glaring at her husband, warning him to ease up. George raised his hand in submission, making the whole family laugh.

Julie watched as Joe happily jumped off of Sarah's lap, and trotted away while holding Vanessa's finger in his little hand. She turned to Mike, bemused. Mike just shrugged his shoulders again, "How do I know what a 4 year old child is thinking?"

She was getting a bit pissed off by this discrimination, 'What's wrong? Why am I the only one he is scared of?' she then glanced at her mother, who was sat quietly and listening to Sarah. 'I bet he is worse with her,' she smirked in her mind.

George looked behind him and as soon as Vanessa was out of earshot he turned to Mike, "So, what are your plans?"

"Plans?"

"I think it's time you join the business." George declared.

Mike looked at his dad bemused. "I don't have an-"

"You have the qualifications for it. Don't tell me you cheated your way to graduation!"

"Of course not, but its diff-"

"You are smart, it won't be a problem. Hmmm... It's decided then." There was a sense of finality in George's voice.

"I don't get it. Why do I have to do the same thing as you? It's not like you absolutely need me there..." Mike was irritated at his father for being so stubborn. He had a hard time understanding why George was so hell bent on it. He was very much aware and proud that his father and uncle had built such a large business all by themselves, 'but what's the fun about poultry and corn business,' he thought to himself. Though theirs was a multifaceted brand which catered all the various kind of food ingredients, they had made their name by selling corn and chicken. And it was just one of the facts that he didn't like about their family business, and why he was so reluctant in joining it.

John sensing that the tensions were high between the father and son, "George, let me..." took over for his brother-in-law and addressed Mike, "...Mike, listen to us, all this is for you..." he adjusted his tone and said with a greater intensity.

"...For you, Julie and Sarah. Do you even know how hard it is out there? Can you imagine what it takes to actually own something in this era!?" He further paused for effect, and continued in a much sweeter voice, "Just give it a shot. Who knows, you may actually like it! And you're not the same as before right? You have Joe to think about," tempting him, "There are more benefits to working with your family than you can ever imagine," he concluded with a profound smile on his face.

"Huh, I guess it doesn't hurt to give it a try..."

Mike's tone was reluctant and he was only persuaded when his uncle mentioned Joe. 'Well he's right. There are benefits...' and this was the best option for Joe. The whole point of why he moved back was to get help from his family. After a few months of balancing act between his job and taking care of Joe, it was clear to him that if he wanted to do the best for Joe, he would have to make sacrifices on his end thus he decided to swallow his pride and go back home. And he could tell that he would not be left alone until he agreed with his father.

"Great!" Sarah cheered.

"All it takes is a kid, huh!?" John cracked up which made Mike scoff at his uncle.

"You would start under Sarah, and then we'll see..." George said with a huge smile plastered on his face.

'So, that's why...' He understood the excited cheer from Sarah. She smiled at him, and he could detect a tiny twinkle at the corner of her eyes, 'What did I get myself into...' he thought as he nervously scratched his nose. It was then.

"Why is everyone smiling?"

Vanessa strode towards them, carrying snacks in her hands. She placed them on the table and turned towards her husband, "You didn't force him, did you?"

"No Mom, he didn't."

"Are you sure you want to do this, Mike? You can do something else if you want." Vanessa lovingly gazed at Mike. She also wanted him to join the family business, but if it meant that he would be miserable then she would rather he didn't do it. When Mike had left for Stanford, she felt guilty and responsible for driving him away. There were a lot of 'what ifs...' that she would imagine and they only increased her guilt. She thought that the onus was on them as his parents to steer him clear of any potential pitfalls, but if she had to redo the whole thing she would support him more and try not to manage every little future decision in his life.

"Yes Mom, I'm sure." Mike kissed Vanessa on her cheek, and spun her around in his arms.

"Ho!" Vanessa swatted him away, giggling in glee of his decision.

"Are you satisfied now? He agreed on his own. I'm not always the bad guy." George huffed in a fake angry tone, prompting the whole family to laugh.

"Alright, alright, it was my fault to ever doubt your noble self," Vanessa apologized in an overt manner and then continued, "Joe was feeling sleepy, so he's now sleeping in our room."

"He doesn't have his own room?" Julie asked, bemused.

"They only just got here... You would know if you weren't late in the morning and helped your cousin move in."

Julie started at her mother's sudden rebuke, and then pleaded her father with a hurt expression in her eyes.

"Well anyway... Won't he need his own room?" John diffused the situation before it could get out of hand.

Mike was still snickering at Julie when he got tossed that question his way. He thought about it some and then finally said, "I suppose."

"Suppose? What does that mean?"

"Hmmm... it means... sometimes he misses them and feels down. He doesn't quite understand all the things but he is smart enough." Mike further explained, "I check up with him daily and if he's feeling okay he sleeps on his own."

"Before... How did he...?" Vanessa's voice got lower and lower.

She still had difficulty in mentioning the death of Phil and Robin in front of Mike, too afraid to reopen any old wounds. It had not even been six months since the tragic accident, and she could tell it still affected Mike. It was surprising for her that he bounced back on his feet so quickly. Those three were the best of friends and losing two of them must have been incredibly harsh, not to mention that he was taking care of Joe at the same time. When she heard the news from his mouth, his voice was shaking and it seemed like he had been crying for a good long while. She flew to him on the next available flight.

The week after that was almost a blur, during that time Joe was with her constantly, while Mike took care of everything else. It did not come as much surprise to her when Mike received custody of Joe. With the respective situations of their families, it was for the best that their will did not leave any room for disputes. As Sarah had also come to stay with Mike, and George was getting a little antsy, Mike persuaded her to return; so she stayed with him for one more week before she returned home. She avoided the topic ever since.

"You can say it Mom..." Mike reassured his mother. "Hmmm... Before that... Joe had his own room and was comfortable sleeping alone at night," he continued, "It's different now that he's in a new place and all that."

"Oh..." Everybody collective sighed.

"Well we can first see how he adjusts here, before making any big changes..." George suggested.

Mike nodded, agreeing with his father for once. He had no doubts that Joe will adjust very quickly but it was still better to be a little more accommodating.

Julie, who was listening to her family discussing all the different things for Joe, found it hard to suggest any good ideas or even follow their conversation. And the more she watched them the more impressed she got with Mike, "He's really grown up, hasn't he? And not just..." she whispered to Sarah.

Sarah nodded, her breasts puffed with pride.

The discussion about their living arrangements continued on but Julie was disconnected from it. She was lost in thought as she watched her sister and then her cousin, suddenly she felt a little small. 'Compared to them, I'm...' she only returned to herself by the sound of Deborah's voice.

"Do you have a date for the party?"

'Party!?... Shit!' Julie bit her tongue, aghast. 'How could I forget?'