http://naughty-bangles.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] naughty-bangles.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] tamingthemuse2015-10-24 03:52 pm

Prompt 483 Affinal - Saturday morning visit - naughty_bangles - original

Title: Saturday morning visit
Author: naughty_bangles
Rating: PG
Prompt #483 Affinal

When my brother married his long-time sweetheart, he acquired a brand new family with his in-laws. I has never thought I would as well.


And yet, one fine Saturday morning, less than a month after the wedding ceremony, Cassandra, my brother’s sister-in-law, was knocking on the front door of my apartment. I opened the door, thinking I would find Marina, the overwhelmed mother of four from the first floor, but instead of her caffeinated smile, I was greeted by a cascade of dark brown hair that flew around as soon as she heard the hinges creak.


“Hi, Diane”, the young woman beamed and took a step forward, not doubting for a moment that I could refuse her to enter my home.


And indeed, I was too surprised to even think about it.


“How did you get here?”, I asked stupidly, stepping back to let her come in.


She flipped her hair while she crossed my threshold, the perfect representation of youthful carefreeness. “I took the bus. Several of them, actually”, she added after a pause.


“And how did you get inside the building?”, I asked again, closing the door, annoyance slowly replacing surprise. “The door doesn’t open without a code.”


“A woman with a bundle of kids opened it for me. Really nice, likes the idea of sister-in-law visits. Says it’s important to build good and strong relationships when two families come together.” She shrugged.


Indeed, it sounded like something Marina would say. So much for the semblance of security of the building. Rolling my eyes, I gestured toward the living room for her to take a seat, and I went up to my little open kitchen, where the coffee machine was done warming up. I put the little coffee pad inside and started the drink before asking my early visitor:


“Want some coffee?”


“Sure”, she replied from the couch she was sitting on. I let the coffee machine work its magic on my cup, and started sipping it while Cassandra’s was brewing. I didn’t think politeness was applicable to people that came uninvited on a Saturday morning.


Finally, I put the cup on the coffee table in front of the young woman, and sat in my favorite armchair, turned a little too much to the right to be really comfortable to discuss. Maybe I didn’t care because I didn’t really want to talk anyway. We stayed in a semi-comfortable silence until Cassandra decided to break it:


“I’m sure you’re wondering what I’m doing here”, she said matter-of-factly, brushing aside at the same time any thought I could have entertained about her finding this situation normal.


“I can’t say I’m not surprised, indeed, but I guess you have an explanation or something.” I tried not to sound too judgemental, but I didn’t quite succeed.


“I have”, she replied. “Now, if it is a good one or not, only you can judge it.” Somehow, in the space of this single sentence, she looked like ten years older than she probably was.


“Try me”, I replied, a little hesitant, a little suspicious. I was about to either hear a really strange story, or be pranked by my sister-in-law’s little sister.


“Since you are now part of the family”, Cassandra said, reclined against the back of the couch, her cup of coffee nestled between her hands, “we’ve thought you should have your part of our traditions.”


I raised an eyebrow. “I’m just the sister of the guy who married your sister. I don’t think it really makes me family, you know.”


Cassandra waved her hand, as to chase the idea away. “You will share blood with Danica’s daughters. So it counts.”

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