Unsure (A Jonas Sister Story)

Chapter 11

Amelia lightly strummed her guitar. She hadn’t let anyone know that she played guitar. She thought it would look like she was trying too hard to be a Jonas. She let the notes of an old song flow out through her fingers.

[AN: She sings the first song in the video. I had a hard time finding a video of this song.]

“I always thought that the musical talent came from my mom’s side of the family, but now I think it might have something to do with dad.” Joe said. Amelia looked up from the bed where she sat. 

“I used to think that I got my singing talent from my….dad?” she faltered on the last word. She wasn’t sure if she could still call him dad. After all, he wasn’t her father, at least biologically. If she was honest with herself she would admit that he was never a real father to her. More like a kindly uncle. 

“So he sings?” Joe asked sitting down gently beside her. Amelia relaxed her body against the guitar allowing it to hold up the top half of her body as she studied the carpet at her feet.

“He did. He does. When I was little he used to sing me to sleep. Not every night, just on the weekends when he was there for my bedtime. He worked an awful lot. He still does I guess. He always wanted us to have everything we ever wanted. I remember on Sunday mornings he would let my mom sleep in, and he would make these elaborate breakfasts for my brother and me. As I got older I would get up with him and help make all the recipes. That’s always been my connection with him. Music and food.” 

“So the memories you have of him are good then?”

“I have a lot of good memories of my….dad.” Again she stuttered unsure if she could still call him that. “There aren’t a ton of memories, but there are some. He really is a caring man. Heck, he even raised someone else’s child as his own.” She quietly stared down at her feet unable to continue.

“What happened?”

“Things changed. Time passed. I grew up. He just started distancing himself from me. It’s kind of pathetic now when I think about how hard I worked for his attention. Once my parents split up for good it was like he was never there. Never a part of my life. I was just a reminder of his ex-wife’s infidelity.” 

He leaned in and wiped the tears from her face. “Amelia, I’m sorry he did that, but you have to know that it is not your fault. You didn’t make those choices. Our parents did.”

“I know that. I know that I had no control over their actions in the past, but it still hurts. First, I have one dad that abandons me, and now I have a dad that was never there suddenly wanting back into my life.” She chuckled humorlessly. “It’s kind of funny if you think about it. Here I’ve been all upset because my dad preferred my other sibling over me, but now I get it. He prefers him because he is his kid. I’m not his kid. I’m just the bastard child his wife gave birth to as their marriage was sinking down a hole. None of that matters now. So why are you here Joe? I thought you hated me.”

“I never said I hated you,” Joe replied.

“You accused me of plotting with my mother to steal all of your money. Why don’t you just go now? I really don’t need your sympathy.”

“Shut up!! Just shut up for one dang minute!” She froze unsure what to do in the face of his anger. “You talk a lot, did you know that? Words are endlessly spilling out of your mouth, but they don’t mean anything half of the time. Despite what life has brought you, you are still this annoying, infuriating, overzealous, pompous, unbelievably strong woman. Just for once, can you admit that you are more than the sum of your experiences?”

Amelia looked at him blankly. No one had ever said something like that to her before. No one ever thought to yell at her about her behavior. Joe stood there catching his breath after his angry outburst. She cracked the smallest smile as she realized that maybe there were benefits to suddenly having little brothers.

“You really think I’m strong?” she asked smiling through her tears.

“Among other things,” Joe replied embracing her. “Do you think you can stop trying to protect me, and maybe let me get to know the real you. Amelia smiled at her younger brother. It shocked her to say it in her mind. Maybe at some point she would be able to say it out loud to them. She knew that it would please all of her brothers to hear that she saw them as her family.

"So are we okay now?" Amelia asked. Joe nodded. "Good. Now tell me about Nicole."

“Only if you agree to tell me about David.”

[AN: Awwww....sibling bonding!]