The voyage over

Sadie's POV:

I am standing in the hallway of an apartment building. I look down at the outfit that I am wearing in an effort in steady my nerves. I am wearing a dark red top with short sleeves. There is a blue elephant perched proudly in the middle of the top. I am also wearing a long skirt that is the same color of my shirt. I finished the outfit with hose and matching shoes. I am wearing this outfit for a very special reason. I am escorting my girlfriend Leah and her little sister Andi to my parent's home so they can get acquainted. Giving myself an extra check just did not work. I am still nervous.

I do not know why I am so nervous. My parents already gave my relationship with Leah their blessing when they called to congratulate me for winning the Blackbourne Award. Maybe I am thinking that this is too good to be true even though I know that it is. If there is one trait that my parents have instilled in me more than any other, it is honesty. Maybe I am nervous since I am in a different kind of relationship. Some people would call be a lesbian since I am dating a woman but I would have to disagree. For one thing, this is the first time that I have done something like this. Besides that, I have always believed that labels belong on clothes and not on people. Before I could work up the necessary courage to ring the bell, I am jolted out of my thoughts when someone opens the door. The surprise of the newcomer made me jump a little. I barely noticed Andi's sparkly blue dress.

"Sorry, Sadie," Andi apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"That's okay," I accepted. "Did you come out here looking for me?"

"I didn't know that you were out here," Andi debated. "I was a little nervous about meeting your parents so I was going to take a quick walk."

"I guess that we are all a little on edge," I guessed. "I see that you are wearing your hair down today."

"I like to wear it down for special occasions and I definitely think that meeting your parents qualifies."

"I'd say it does," I agreed.

"Do you like my hair up or down?"

"I think you should do whatever makes you happy," I objected.

"Your opinion means a lot to me," Andi persisted.

"It doesn't matter very much to me, but I guess I like it better down," I gave in.

"Why don't you come in?" Andi suggested while stepping back into her apartment.

I entered the apartment to find the one I was looking for Leah standing in the kitchen and looking at me. I hurried over to give her a hug which lessened my nerves quite a bit. After the hug lasted for a couple of seconds, I took a step back while leaving my hands on my girlfriend's waist so that I could give her a quick kiss. I could not help but sigh when it was over.

"That makes me feel so much better," I cooed.

"I am glad that I could help especially since I am a little nervous myself," Leah commented.

"It makes me very happy to see you two in love," Andi complimented us with a big smile on her face.

"It makes me happy that you feel that way," I responded.

"I am happy to have your blessing as well," Leah concurred.

"I don't know why I am so nervous since my parents have already given us their blessing," I mused.

"Taking your steady to see your parents for the first time is a big deal whether they accept you or not," Leah explained.

"Are we ready to go?" Andi wondered.

"Sure," I conceded.

"How long will it take for us to get there?" Andi wondered.

"Thirty minutes," I revealed with a smirk. It does not surprise me that Andi is impatient for long car trips. She is a teenager, after all.

After Leah locked the door, I marched to my blue station wagon and held the door open for my girlfriend. Andi is different. She would probably scream if someone tried to do anything like that for her considering how independent she is. Leah once told me a story about a poor unfortunate boy offering to carry Andi's books. That girl sure gave him an earful from what I hear. I knew that it was best if I just let Leah's sister get in the car herself so I opened my own door and sat in the driver's seat. I didn't feel that I was ready to go at the moment so I tried to start up some conversation.

"How is school treating you, Andi?" I queried.

The car was strangely silent after I asked Andi about school for some reason. When I looked behind me, I saw that Andi was giving her full attention to a tablet that was laying on her lap and she had a pair of ear buds plugged in her ears. I was slightly surprised because of this development because I was not even aware that Andi had brought that toy into my car. Leah noticed that her sister was in her own little world so she gave her a little tap on her left hand.

"Sadie asked you a question!" Leah admonished.

"Oh, sorry," Andi apologized.

"How is school treating you?" I repeated.

"Oh, it's fine," my girlfriend's sister hedged.

"I'm afraid getting information from my sister about school can be like pulling teeth at times," Leah clarified.

"There is something that I would like to talk about before we go," Andi confided.

"What is it?" I pressed.

"Leah tells me that you know about our family situation," Andi told me.

"Yeah, I guess that I got a little curious," I murmured while awkwardly running my fingers through the back of my hair.

"It was very hard for us after our parents died," Andi began. "Our relationship got a little strained and we had a few fights. It was really hard for us when Leah was dating well... certain people. I could tell that she was not good for her and that caused a few fights. I could tell that she could not have cared less about me."

"Do you like Harry Potter?" I asked Andi.

"Ooh, I love Harry Potter!" Andi squealed. "I have all of the books!"

"If we really have to talk about well... certain people then let's either call her 'You-Know-Who' or 'She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named'," I suggested.

"I like the second one!" Andi laughed.

"It does seem to fit," Leah concurred.

"Shortly after Leah finally got away from She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, a bright ray of sunlight came into our lives and brightened everything up," Andi recalled. "That ray of sunshine was because of you,Sadie. We were both a lot happier and we got along with each other so much better."

"I am glad that I could help," I mused. "Listen, I know that you both have had a rough life because of your family situation so I will do whatever I can to help. If either of you ever need someone to talk to because of this or any other reason, you can always come to me. I want you to be happy because I love you both."

Before I knew what was happening, Andi unbuckled her seat belt and grabbed me in a crushing hug. It usually bothers me when people hug me this tightly, but it was different this time. I felt like I was draping a blanket of love around my body so I reveled in the hug of the energetic teenager. It was almost as if I was a member of their family.

"I love you too, Sadie," Andi cooed while kissing my cheek. She let me go soon afterwards.

"That goes double for me!" Leah proclaimed while hugging me and kissing me on the lips.

"Let's get this show on the the road!" I blared while buckling my belt and turning my key in the ignition. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Andi buckling herself in again and going back to her music.

"It will probably be hard to get Andi's attention for the rest of the trip," Leah warned me while flashing me an apologetic smile.

"As long as she gets it out of her system before we get there," I commented while shrugging my shoulders.

Starting my trip on the road helped to lessen my nerves quite a bit. You feel like you can do anything when you have people who love you with you. I think back to when I moved back to San Francisco to New York. I think about how Mark instantly got me accepted into his circle of friends. Back then, I had no idea what was going to happen to me. It seemed that every day of my life afterwards gave me a different surprise. I had no idea that I would fall in love with a woman, but now I wouldn't have it any other way. I did not have long to think about my memories before it was time for me to ring my parents' doorbell. A breath caught in my throat when they opened the front door.

"Mom and Dad, this is my girlfriend Leah and her sister Andi," I introduced.