SF Chapter 30: The Incident II
After talking a little more with his sister, Daniel went upstairs to talk to his niece.
A moment later, knocking on the door, he opened it slowly when he got no response. "Hey, Haley."
"You can come in, Dani," she said, lying on her bed and flipping through a fashion magazine.
He went over and sat beside her on the bed.
"That's not fair," she started venting her frustration. "Mom doesn't trust me!"
"I wouldn't either…" he mocked.
She gave him a light shove. "I know you did way worse things when you were my age!"
"You bet I did," he smirked, moving closer to her again.
She rolled her eyes at how her uncle had zero shame admitting that. "Help me with this, Dani!" She finally pleaded.
"No way, Hay-hay," he shaked his head, lying on top of her. "I can buy you a new dress, but don't ask me to put myself between you two."
Most of the time, Daniel wouldn't interfere in those fights. Annoying his sister was one thing, but undermining her authority was completely different.
"I wish I were like you… or had talent like you," she muttered. "You're basically free to do anything, and when you turn eighteen, you'll be able to live on your own and everything else."
"Yeah, I'm really lucky," he chuckled. "And I'll buy a big house right in front of the beach!"
"Stop being annoying," she scolded, feeling wronged.
Seeing her expression, Daniel grew a bit more serious. "That's just how life is, Haley. Some people get a lot, others very little, even though they have zero fault in it. What you need to do is make the best of what you were given."
"Look at you. A very cute girl, with an incredible family, living in a nice house in LA. There are a lot of people who would trade places with you in a heartbeat."
Then he confessed, "You know, when we were kids, I was a little envious of you for having Sis and Phil as your parents."
"I love mine, but they can be a bit difficult." He added honestly. "Not like I'm being the perfect son either..."
They stay quiet for a moment, when suddenly Haley started giggling.
"What?"
She revealed, running her hand through his hair, "I just remembered when I was eight, you asked me to marry you and painted a huge heart with our names up there," she pointed at the ceiling.
"I was awesome even when I was ten!" Daniel declared, feeling no shame about what he had done. "I remember Sis saying: you're like her brother, you can't marry her."
He burst out laughing. "And your dad agreed, saying, 'Yes, she'll marry her daddy!'"
"Ew, gross," she laughed as well. "I remember we used the marriage thing to annoy Mom a few times after."
"Good old days," he spoke, adjusting himself on the bed. "I don't get why Sis kept bringing up that we were like siblings. Me being your uncle is also illegal."
"I miss the time when you lived here," Haley commented.
Daniel took her hand. "Hey, you know I'm always here for you. We made a pink promise in the past. And a bro never breaks a promise with another bro."
She groaned, "Don't start getting lame!"
"I swear, a lot of this is my dad's fault," she accused poor Phil.
"Who are you calling lame??" he got outraged. "I'm aweeesome!" Daniel declared in a high-pitched voice, before starting to tickle her.
"Stop it, Danii!" she started laughing.
[Haley commentary]
Haley was sitting on her bed, with her legs and arms crossed. "Yeah, I always had a good relationship with Dani, even better than the one I have with my siblings."
"Yet, I still haven't been to the house he's living in. In Malibu!" she emphasized. "Mom is against me going alone. I mean… he's my uncle, cousin... and like a brother. What is she even afraid of?"
[Commentary ends]
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Mitchell and Cam were taking care of Lily at their place when the doorbell rang.
"It must be Alan," Mitchell said to his boyfriend. "He texted me saying he was stopping by."
They went to answer the door.
"Hi, Alan," Cam greeted, gesturing for him to come in.
Mitchell gave him a look. "You seem happy today. Did something good happen?"
"Well, I was at my house - you know, the one Judith is living in," Alan started telling the story, "and there was kissing. Mutual kissing. Unprompted, but reciprocated by yours truly."
"Wow. Yikes," Cam muttered, making an excuse to head to the kitchen.
"Mitchell, she kissed me. Isn't that good?" he said excitedly, in sharp contrast to his cousin, who just stared at him, unsure of what to say.
Mitchell scratched his head, stuttered for a moment, but finally said, "I'm happy for you."
"I knew you would understand. My brothers, on the other hand, are so unsupportive," Alan scoffed.
[Cam and Mitchell commentary]
The couple was sitting on the chairs off to the side of the living room.
Cam spoke while gesturing, as always. "Mitchell is bad at small talk," he remarked.
"I am not," his boyfriend denied. "I just want to be polite… you know, be supportive…" he tried to reason.
Cam simply rolled his eyes. "Anyway, Judith and Alan are like a crocodile and a one-eyed zebra. It's a completely screwed-up relationship."
Mitchell just stared at him, opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't add anything.
[Commentary ends]
But before Alan could continue, the doorbell rang again.
"Who might that be?" Mitchell wondered.
Meanwhile, Cam, who had just come back, muttered, "I just hope it's not Judith."
"Mom?"
"Aunt DeDe?" Alan asked, surprised by the person standing at the door.
"Oh, I might have preferred Judith…" Cam murmured again, regretful. "Hi, DeDe," he added, faking enthusiasm.
DeDe immediately pulled her son into a hug. "Hi, honey."
"I-I didn't know you were in town," her son stuttered. "You didn't call."
"Well, I couldn't wait to see your new baby," DeDe remarked.
[DeDe and Alan commentary]
"Out of everyone in that family, Alan is the only one I feel connected to," DeDe confessed, patting Alan's arm as he sat beside her.
"My relationship with my younger sister, Evelyn, is difficult," she said with resentment. "I did everything I could to be a good older sister, but all I received in return was betrayal. The same goes for her other two sons."
And DeDe added, "There's also the fact that Alan is like me - we're always treated very unfairly."
"Yes," Alan nodded in agreement, "yes, that's right!"
"I mean," she looked at him, "other people may say you're not as good-looking as your brothers, or as successful, or rich..." she went on, "but I think you're just fine, Alan."
"Thank you?!" Alan made a conflicted face.
[Commentary ends]
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