“Hi, Samantha.” Martha said, only mildly surprised to see her neighbor on her front steps.
Since William’s passing, the Twists made it their personal mission to ensure their neighbors were well at all hours. What really surprised her was that Samantha had come alone. Usually she came with Francis, or Ben. But today, it was just her on the Anderson’s porch.
“Feeling alright?” Samantha asked, noting the dry tears on Martha’s face, and the rather defeated expression she was now trying to hide.
“I’ve been better, but don’t worry on my account.” Martha said, stepping aside to let Samantha inside.
“How is Eric?”
“Upset. He and Nate both went upstairs to get some sleep.” Martha said. She could vaguely hear the two talking, but had no desire to interrupt. She was glad her sons were getting closer.
“And Eric will listen to Nate.” Martha thought. Not that Eric didn’t listen to his mother. It was just one of those teenage things, where you prefer to take advice from a sibling, rather than a parent.
Martha and Samantha went into the kitchen to talk, since it was clear Martha had spent the afternoon on the couch crying. Samantha could see the tear spots. They sat next to each other at the kitchen island
“Is Francis still at the hospital?” Martha asked.
“She called a few minutes ago, said she was on her way back.”
“Is Julie going to be alright?”
Truthfully, Martha wasn’t too concerned. She was still a bit angry at the girl for trying to forcefully turn Eric last night. Even if Julie hadn’t been in her right mind, that wasn’t something Martha could forgive so easily. Finally she understood why Samantha had given William such a hard time he tried to force himself on her.
“I don’t know. Francis said that she’d physically on the mend. But mentally, the girl is cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs. She’s got some amnesia on top of her delusions about Eric being a merman.”
“I wonder set her off, so to speak. I mean, Eric’s decision to become a werewolf couldn’t be the only reason.”
“Sorry, you’re asking the wrong Twist. Just here for emotional and morale support.” Samantha smiled, which Martha returned.
“And I so appreciate all the support you’ve given.” she said, placing her head on Samantha’s shoulder.
She was so grateful for everything they had done for her family in the past couple months. Martha only wished she could return their friendliness. Aside from the night she was turned into a werecat, Martha hadn’t spent any “quality time” with the two women. Mostly due to the fact that she hadn’t felt much like doing anything other than crying.
Samantha started to stroke Martha’s hair, and tried not to let herself get too worked up. She seriously doubted Martha was “in the mood” right now. When Francis arrived, and let herself inside, she found her wife and Martha still in the kitchen, silently enjoying each other’s company.
“Mind if I join?” Francis asked. Samantha and Martha both started, having been lost in their own thoughts. But seeing Francis, they smiled and gestured for her to join their little cuddling party.
“Any new developments?” Samantha asked. Francis shook her head and sat on the other side of Martha.
“Nothing positive. Julie seems fine, other than the fact that she keeps spouting ideas about her and Eric’s wedding in two years.”
“Oh wow.” Samantha said.
Martha wasn’t capable of saying anything. She kept wondering if they’d have a repeat of the whole incident with Yvette. Eric was already a were, but Julie seemed pretty set in her fantasy. And that got Martha’s blood boiling, the thought of yet another air headed bimbo tearing her family apart.
“Anyway, let’s not dwell on the subject. Are Eric and Nate around?” Francis asked, seeing a spark ignite in Martha’s eyes. They very briefly went feral.
“Upstairs, chatting. They both went straight to their rooms when we got home. We all needed a nap.” Martha said.
“I don’t blame you. Last night was such a mess. Is Eric adjusting alright?”
“I think so. Though it’s hard to say, he hasn’t said much since he got home.” Martha shrugged. She couldn’t have known that her sons had spent the earlier portion of their afternoon discussing that very subject.
---------------------------------------------
Upstairs, Nate was fidgeting very nervously on his brother’s bed. They’d moved into Eric’s bedroom so he could change into some clean clothing. Which was good, because it gave Nate some time to think about how to respond to his brother’s question.
Eric asked if Nate could explain women to him. And the fact of the matter was, Nate didn’t know a thing about women. The brief encounters he’d had with the opposite sex were just recreational. Nothing serious.
“Uh… I don’t know if you want me to explain that stuff. I’m not that good when it comes to relationships. You’d be better off asking Ben.” Nate said.
“Really? You seem to know what you’re doing.” Eric commented.
“I do?”
“I guess. I mean, Alex looks happy enough with you. I’m sure some of that stuff can apply to females too.” Eric said casually. Nate almost fell off the bed, caught off guard by his brother’s comment to say the least.
“I… did Ben tell you?” Nate asked, righting himself with some help from Eric.
“No, I just figured it out on my own. You two have been giving each other these weird looks ever since you made the change. And then last night you came out of the woods smelling like him.” Eric said.
“And you’re okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you’re okay with me being… gay.” Nate said it aloud for the first time. Nate wondered if this was how alcoholics felt when they went to AA meetings. “Hello I’m Nate and I’m gay…”
“Why wouldn’t I be? Mom’s not straight. It’s not that big of a deal really. I bet half the town is either bi or gay. And you’re still my brother so… Nate!” Eric exclaimed when his brother jumped up to hug him. Nate was fighting back tears, and holding Eric so tight Eric thought his spine might break.
Of all of his family, he’d been worried about Eric’s reaction the most. He knew his mom would be alright, since she herself had just come out. But Nate wasn’t sure what to expect from Eric. But then, Moon Lake had opened all of them up to new things. And Nate was so relieved to know that this bit of information wasn’t going to ruin their relationship.
“Alright, I’m okay with you being gay but I’m not okay with you breaking my back.” Eric said. Nate smiled and released his brother.
“Sorry, I was just worried you’d react… differently.” he said.
“Did you tell Mom yet?”
“I will. I wanted to wait to make sure we were all in a, um, good place.”
“Well, I’d say this is as good as it’s going to get. And the longer you wait, the more awkward it’ll be later. I don’t know how long you can keep this a secret. You and Alex have been going around making goo-goo eyes at each other for weeks.” Eric teased.
“Thank you for pointing that out. But back to the original question, I really don’t think I’m qualified to answer your questions about women.” Nate said.
“Maybe not as qualified as someone else, but I’d still like to hear what you have to say.”
“Uh. Not now right?”
“Like I said, whenever Mom’s not around, and you’re comfortable.”
“Okay. What’s brought this on?”
“I dunno. Just thinking about stuff.” Eric shrugged.
Nate watched his brother’s face carefully. Whatever, or whoever Eric was thinking about was making him get “goo-goo” eyes too.