The Anderson Women

"Well do you?"

If it was any other day, she would have just waved her mother off. She never bothered to bring any of her boyfriends to meet with her parents and was otherwise not fussed with the societal obligation of "finding" someone. But today... today was different. She felt a sense of inferiority compared to her sister and cousin. They both appeared to her as if they had found what they were looking for yet she was still miles away. So she lied...

"Yes... Yes I have." Her tone grew strong with each syllable.

"Really!?

"I have to make a call."

Julie walked out in a hurry as she dialed Ryan's number on her cell.

...

(Part 4)

When Julie arrived at the party, it was already in full swing. The dance floor was crowded. She spotted most of the board members either with a glass of drink in their hand and chatting or with their spouses hovering all over the room. She marveled that her uncle had managed to build such an outlandish thing in their backyard. Nervously she looked for her mother when...

*Beep*Beep*

She checked her phone. It was a message from Ryan.

'I'm right outside babe'

Julie let out a long sigh. She was quite nervous to introduce him to the family. It had been a long time since she brought anyone home and she was feeling jittery. Still unsure why she had felt the need to bring Ryan to the party, she didn't even like him or know him that well. But there was this sinking feeling in her pit that if she didn't bring a date with her tonight then she would somehow lose out in some way. It was as if there was a billow of dark clouds closing in over her head, pressuring her to prove that she wasn't a loser.

"It should be alright. It should be..."

...

"Hi. It's nice to meet you." Ryan shook hands with Mike. Before Mike could introduce himself, Ryan jumped towards Sarah who had just stepped up to Mike with Joe in tow.

"You must be Sarah! It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise," Sarah glanced at Julie who was mouthing Ryan's name, "Ryan. Julie talks about you often." Sarah effortlessly sidestepped a potentially awkward situation. She gave Julie a look, a secret sign of sorts between the sisters, meaning they had to talk about this. It was a surprise for her that Julie had brought with her, this guy she never heard a word about and it would have been beyond weird if she said something that would put a dent in their relationship. Joe had climbed up in Mike's arms in the meantime and was looking around restlessly.

"So you must be Rick."

"No, actually-"

"I could tell from the first glance. You two make a very lovely couple. Babe, you never told me you had such a cute nephew!" Ryan turned to Julie.

There was a look of horror on Julie's face. Whereas Mike was trying hard not to laugh out loud as Sarah elbowed him gently.

"He's Mike. Mike."

Julie pointed to the left of her towards a man in brown suit who was locked in a conversation with her parents, "That's Rick," she then gestured to Joe, "And this is Joe, Mike's son. NOT Julie's." She gnashed her teeth in frustration by the end. She was already regretting her decision to bring him as her date and couldn't wait to get him out of there.

"But you two looked so-"

"Ryan! Why don't you get us some drinks?"

"Sure, babe." Ryan walked towards the mini-bar, still looking bewildered.

Mike burst into a laugh as soon as Ryan was a few steps away. "Babe!?" he mocked Ryan's tone, which made Sarah giggle along with him. Joe who had barely a clue joined in with them.

"Shut it." Julie was seething inside. Sarah and Mike, and even Joe were laughing at her, because of the buffoon of a date and it only added to her growing sense of defeat. 'This is all going to shit, I should have...' she thought to herself wistfully.

"I'll k-"

"Julie!" Deborah called for Julie just as she was about to launch herself on Mike. She had never liked when someone laughed at her, especially Mike. But her mother's voice sobered her right up. 'Fuck, I can't run away now.' The one thing she dreaded the most was about to happen. She was about to disappoint her mother and then she was going to get that look. Whenever her mother sighed at her in disappointment, she couldn't wait to cover herself with a blanket and curl up in her bed. Though she very much despised her mother's chastising comments, she absolutely abhorred it if her mother only just silently sighed at her, as if it was too tiresome to even expect a little better of her.

"Babe, here's your drink." Ryan handed her a glass of wine. She glared at Mike, warning him, daring him to say anything. Mike pretended to fix Joe's clothes, but there was a smirk on his face. She noticed it, she didn't know why it was affecting her so much but it was, and her already fragile mood plummeted to rock bottom.

'God! Just kill me now!' She took Ryan's hand and dragged him towards her parents.

...

Julie was sulking in a corner and nursing a drink, alone. She was embarrassed at herself more than ever. The last fifteen minutes spent in the company of her parents were like hell for her. Deborah sighing every time Ryan opened his mouth was like a punch to the gut. And even John who had been his usual cheery self was shaking his head by the end. It was like a double whammy, to disappoint the one parent who was always on your side or the other one whom you never wanted to give a chance to criticize you.

"Babe, let's dance!"

Ryan shrugged his shoulders and walked away when Julie waved him off. She was not in a mood for a dance now. 'Why did I ever think it was a good idea? I should have known better,' she thought for the umpteenth time as she downed another glass.

Looking around she could see everyone in her family was having a good time, except for her. John was telling some story and George was there with him, the two of them doing what they did best, bring in more business. Her mother and aunt were chatting in their own little group. Sarah was wiping the crumbs of snack off of Joe's mouth. Rick was looking uncomfortable in the company of Ryan. 'Serves you right, Rick the dick, suffer some more,' she chuckled at the unusual situation. If there was a single bright spot in Ryan's visit that was the look of discomfort on Rick's face. She never much liked him and as time passed it got worse and worse to the point that she now openly disliked him. Sarah had been dating him for a long time and he still hadn't popped the ring, this just pissed her off.

After having a little chuckle to herself she searched for Mike. 'There he is,' Mike was chatting with some nobodies and he looked like he was enjoying himself.

'He's... he's not miserable!?'

This came as a shock to her. Mike used to be miserable in these kinds of parties, and she thought that at least he would understand her pain, that it would be just like the old times where they mocked the guests in their own little corner, giggling and teasing each other. But Mike was not miserable, and it wouldn't be like the old times.

She watched him as he floated around in the hall, having menial conversations with the guests, laughing at their bland jokes, complementing them on their little success, 'For someone who doesn't want do this, he's awfully good at it,' she scoffed. But the more she watched him the more impressed she was with his attitude. It seemed as if the whole room was his stage and all the guests were just puppets dancing to his tune.

It was another eye-opener for her. Her gangly, anti-social cousin had somehow grown into some kind of savvy, handsome man. The way he conducted himself, his whole aura seemed much more mature than his age. For the first time in her life, she felt like he was the mature one, like he was the kind of intellectual, rooted and driven man that she often imagined herself to be with at this point in her life.

Julie glanced back and forth between Ryan and Mike, and couldn't help but compare the two of them. Ryan, a retired pro-athlete, handsome, rich, fantastic in bed, seemed like a very decent choice to her, until this evening. Now as she watched Mike weave his magic across the hall, as the men seemed to hang on his each word, and as the ladies kept giving him second glances, Ryan suddenly seemed like an afterthought. She was having a hard time coming to grips with this new reality.

It had been more than six years since she last met Mike but she could not believe that a man could change so much in a few short years. 'What the fuck happened to him? What did I miss? Sarah never mentioned anything... and why does he keep looking at her direction every few seconds?' then she realized that he was not looking at Sarah, but Joe. He was checking if Joe was doing alright. She felt further ashamed of herself, she had completely forgotten about Joe, whereas he behaved as a proper parent and not some guy who had been saddled with his friends' kid.

'I should've asked Ashley to come. Shit...'

She felt overwhelmed by all the different emotions running rampant in her brain. It was as if she was drowning in a cocktail of regret, longing, shame. She needed her friend, she needed Ashley.

Ashley had stayed away from tonight's party as was the case with any other party at the Sutton household. Julie's entire group of friends knew one thing about her to be true, she didn't like these grand get-togethers, and she absolutely hated it if ever any of them made an appearance. Tonight though she missed her friend and wished she had asked her to come, surely she would have helped her to calm down.

Her eyes were fixed on Mike and she couldn't take them off no matter how hard she tried. She was transfixed.

'At least I don't have a kid to look after...' It was the only thought that had kept her from going crazy. The one thing she could say was not ideal about Mike. But then she got scared, scared about the choices she made and scared about the possibility of a lonely future.

It was quite hard for her to understand why she was feeling so much inferior in front of her cousin. Up until a day ago she was a confident young woman at the prime of life and nothing could faze her, but at the moment she only saw further doom and gloom for herself. She felt like she was at a standstill and everybody else, including Sarah and Mike, had moved on. 'Mike is essentially a parent now. I can't even begin to imagine what that must be like. I don't know if I even want to know...'

Her train of thought was cut short as she saw Mike talking to Sarah and no other guest nearby. "Finally the vultures are away," Julie muttered to herself. She downed her drink and moved towards Mike, there was so much that she wanted to say to him, to apologize to him for not being there in his time of need. She felt weighed down, like she had to get it all off her chest as soon as she could. But before she could get to him, Mike had pulled Sarah with him to the middle of the hall.

"Fuck... Let's just wait till the song ends," she sighed ruefully, cursing at her bad luck.

Mike and Sarah seemed very comfortable in each other's arms, like they had been doing it for a long time. Joe was also dancing to the side of them trying to get in on the act. Vanessa swooped in from behind the little guy and took him away which made for a funny scene, even Julie, in her terrible mood, had to laugh at that.

"At last, the song's over..."

Julie bit her thumbnail, suddenly very nervous at the prospect of opening up to Mike, but she had made the decision that she would not hold back anymore. For the first time in years, she realized how distant they had grown to each other. She always believed that once he returned home they would pick it right back where they left it, that even though it would be awkward at first, it would be just a matter of time before they were back to the way they were before. Now, there was a sinking feeling in her gut that time was running out.

Mike and Sarah had continued their dance, leaning against each other. Sarah was giggling as the tune picked up and their moves grew bolder along with it.

'Whoa, he can even dance!? What can't he do?'

She got herself another drink as she gazed at her sister and cousin moving in sync with each other.

'Sarah I can understand but Mike!? And Sarah is looking so... radiant. It's been a while since I saw her this happy." Julie glanced at Vanessa and then Deborah, 'Humph... both of them are also much more chipper than usual. It's not like he is a magician or something...' She once more turned to look at Sarah, 'She really is looking beautiful tonight. Well she's always looked nice...'

For as long as she could remember, Julie had always thought that Sarah was the most beautiful of the four women in the family. Growing up she always idolized the beauty of her mother and aunt, who looked absolutely stunning tonight, and she was sure many a heads would turn if they took a walk out on the street. But there was something about Sarah that she always thought made her the prettiest. If she had to describe her in one word, it would be elegant. Though her mother was also very graceful, it just came naturally out of Sarah, each and every little action oozed elegance.

Julie was still staring at them when the song ended and a round of applause rung out, to which Mike and Sarah bowed lightly in acknowledgement. She had only just taken a step when Joe, who had been watching them with teary eyes, ran into Sarah and hugged her legs tightly in his little arms. He was still clutching her finger in his hands when Mike raised him to his shoulders, as if afraid that he would be whisked away from their side once again if he ever so much as let go of them. This act would seem cute to Julie on any other night, but there was something else that had crept into her mind.

'They do look like a couple...'

"Babe, I-"

"Let's go," Julie said to Ryan. She took the glass from his hands and drank it in a single gulp, and took off towards the door. Ryan quickly followed behind, a little confused by the sudden change in her mood.

...

The party was winding down. Sarah had earlier put Joe to bed, and left with Rick. Deborah had also retired to the guest room since John had led George and some of the other board members to their house. After seeing off the last few guests, Mike came up to his mother.

"Care for a dance my fair lady?" He bent down and took Vanessa's hand in his own.

"Don't tease me!"

Vanessa got up from the couch and stood looking at Mike. She felt incredibly proud of him. The whole night all her attention was focused on him, and she was glad that he didn't shy away from anyone or anything. It was a load off her mind that he at least seemed like he was over the death of his two closest friends. Though she very much expected him to enjoy himself, there was still a little shadow of doubt in her mind that he was still not back to his usual self. He had been indifferent to "fun" the last few times when she had gone up to meet him. It was as much a relief as joy to see him getting back to his usual self.

"Do you even have the energy for me after your little performance with Sarah?"

"For you, I'll always have the energy!"

Vanessa's jaw dropped in surprise, 'Did he just...' But then she saw a little smile threatening to break out at the corner of his lips and her eyes widened at his audacity. She swatted his chest, "You little..."

"Come on. You know you want to..." Mike said as he dragged her with him.

"But there's no mu-"

"We don't need it," Mike lifted her hands to his shoulders and pulled her to him by her waist.

Vanessa gave in to his demands. She leaned her head on his chest and let him lead her around in a slow dance. Oddly, she was quite comfortable in this unexpected situation. It had been a while since she enjoyed herself to the full out there on the dance floor.

'He's got me there, I did want to.'

In her high school days she was an exceptional dancer and had won a number of amateur contests. But that was all in the past. Since George was never that big on learning it, she was restricted to only a few minutes of a few simple movements with her husband and that too on occasions. So it was a very special feeling, as a mother and as a woman. There were just too many emotions welling up inside her for her to make sense of them. Mike had grown up to be such a handsome, attentive and thoughtful man. She had been tapping her legs to the tune when he was on the floor with Sarah.

'He must've noticed...'

Now here she was, in an empty room, only the two of them without a care for anyone else. She gave herself to the moment and her earlier reservations flew out the window.

"It's nice."

"Yes," Vanessa sighed in contentment. She locked her arms behind his neck and closed her eyes. His racing heartbeat was a sweet melody to her ears. A naughty thought came to her mind which then led to a smile and a question, "How do I look?"

"Beautiful."

"Come on, be honest. How do I look?"

Vanessa tilted her back to stare at him. Their dance slowed down to a halt. Mike chuckled at her playfulness; it was her trademark thing to ask. He could honestly say that there wasn't a single day in his life that his mother had not looked pretty. He was quite sure that even when she was a young woman she must've looked gorgeous. But she was always so nervous about it or pretended to be just to make him uncomfortable. He didn't actually believe that anyone that beautiful would ever need someone else to compliment them on their beauty. But he knew that she liked to play this little game with him, to make him sweat, to get something sleazy out of his mouth. And then the teasing would follow.

"Honest. You look absolutely stunning. Black suits you; you should wear it more often."

"Really?" Vanessa was beaming. She quickly gave herself a once over, very pleased by his flattery.

"Really. I even had someone ask me if you were my sister."

"Yeah, right."

She missed this closeness with him. In the past few years, she was always looking for an excuse to fly over to his place, but it just wasn't the same. Her head resting over his chest, she hummed, "I missed you."

"I missed you too."

"Don't lea-" Vanessa didn't finish her sentence. She was not supposed to restrict his freedom, but it was hard. She was supposed to support his choices, even if it meant not being able to see him for months, but it was hard. She was not supposed to act like a clingy mother, but it was hard. It was hard for her to not have her son around. The last few years she had missed him dearly and if she was being honest, she didn't want him to leave ever again.

"I won't." Mike kissed her on top of her head.

Vanessa squeezed him in her arms; his words were like a shot of adrenaline. Her whole being was vitalized. Those words alone were enough. Sensing her mood, Mike increased the tempo of their dance. She had no trouble keeping up with him, she giggled as their movements got flashier. It had been a long time since she had this much fun on the floor. Her body was pulsing with energy. In her mind she could do this forever. She loved that she could well and truly let go, she loved that she could share this with her son and she loved the fact that this might not be the only time they were going to dance in each other's arms.

'It's my new favorite thing, to dance with Mike.'

He spun her by her finger and jerked her towards him. She stared intently into his eyes, "Sarah's not the only one..." and spoke as she caught her breath.

"I can see that."

"Well, Robin seems to have taught you well." Vanessa winced as soon as the words were out her mouth. "I'm so-"