Reminiscence {Book Two of the Vengeance Trilogy}

Chapter Twenty One: Better Days

As soon as the front wheel of my bike touched the grass, I quickly hopped off and raced towards the door. Aunt Aileen had finally finished raking the leaves off of the lawn, but part of me wished that they were still there so I could hear them crunch underneath my steps. It was something so small, but it always put a smile on my face. Aunt Aileen always told me to appreciate the little things in life to make the days seem a bit better.

I burst through the front door and took a deep breath in through the nose. Aunt Aileen was burning one of her favorite autumn candles; patchouli and ginger. I quickly tossed my bag down by the front door and rushed to the kitchen. Aunt Aileen quickly turned around from the kitchen sink, her blonde ponytail whipping over her shoulder. She wore a warm smile, but still had a single eyebrow raised at me.

"Danny, what have I told you about running in my house?" she asked as I hopped up onto the kitchen counter next to the sink where she was peeling carrots.

"I don't know, something about buying a house?" I replied, causing her to chuckle a bit. I loved making her smile. I could never make my mom or dad smile. They only got angry at me, even when I was trying to be well-behaved. Still, Aunt Aileen saw the good in me. It didn't matter if I was being a brat or being an angelic child, she always believed that I was good.

"When you buy your own house, you can run around all you want, but until then, no running in mine."

"Right, that's it." I took an apple from the fruit basket that was sitting on the windowsill over the sink.

"Oh, before I forget, I have a book for you to read. Make sure I give it to you before you leave," she said, moving the carrots over to the cutting board that also had freshly washed potatoes on them. I took a bite of my apple as I watched her chop the vegetables carefully.

"Please tell me this one will be more exciting. The one you gave me last week was a doozy."

"Hey, I love Elliot Vanderbelt's writing. He creates an amazing atmosphere in his stories."

"Yeah, a great sleeping atmosphere," I snickered, but Aunt Aileen simply rolled her eyes at me. Days like these were always my favorite. The ones where I could ride my bike to my aunt's house after school and hang out with her. God knows I would do anything to get away from my parents. It was strange how Aunt Aileen talked about my mother. She and Aunt Aileen were actually very close growing up, but once mom met my father, she closed herself off. My mother began to prefer the life of luxury that he could provide, while Aunt Aileen just needed somewhere small and cozy.

Other kids my age hung out with friends after school , but considering most of the kids I went to school with found me to be a bit...abrasive, that wasn't an option either. It wasn't that I didn't want to make friends, I just wasn't good at it. I wasn't really the friend type anyway. I was more of the funny guy who makes a lot of jokes kind of guy. Anyone who tried to be friends with me normally found my humor offensive once I got to know what to make fun of them for and suddenly my jokes weren't so funny anymore.

"By the way, I'm having...someone, over tonight for dinner, so you're going to have to leave a little earlier than usual," she told me without looking away from the vegetables she was chopping. I stopped mid-bite of my apple and stared at her in confusion.

"Someone? Who is this someone?" I asked. Aunt Aileen stopped chopping and stayed silent for a few moments. She leaned back on the counter with her arms folded across her chest and smiled at me, but it was different. It was like she was worried about telling me a secret. We never really kept things from each other. She knew that I would drink at parties, sometimes excessively. I knew that she and my father despised each other, which is why she was ousted from our family gatherings and such. An ugly tightness in my chest told me this was different.

"I met a very nice man. I've already gone on a few dates with him. You would like him," she said, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Aunt Aileen didn't bring a lot of guys home, but the ones I've met never really enjoyed my company and the feeling was usually mutual. Even if she told me that I would really like him or he would really like me, we wound up hating each other by the end of the night. I will admit, there were some guys that I might have chased off, but they weren't all winners either.

"Yeah, okay, sure, and that's why you want me out of the house, right? Because I'll like him?"

"Danny, you are without a doubt the most important person in my life, but that being said, you don't exactly come off as approachable."

"Well, maybe I would be more approachable if the guys weren't such knobs."

"Danny," Aunt Aileen said in an exasperated voice. I know I wasn't making things easier for her, but I never wanted to be anything but honest with her. I never wanted to lie to her like I did with most people. She was the only person who could actually see me as I was and still accept me. Part of that came with brutal honesty. "I really like Daley. He's different from the others. I want you to meet him, but I won't let you until you can promise me that you'll be nice to him. I don't want you to feel like I'm replacing you, but I'm still going to see him."

I could feel my face scrunch up in distaste, but at the same time I knew there was truth to her words. I had to be happy for her. She wasn't going to replace me with this Daley guy. Not to mention, I don't think she even could if she tried. I'm not exactly an easy person to just get rid of. I tend to stick around a lot longer than people expect. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Aunt Aileen and if this Daley guy made her happy, then who was I to question it?

"Fine, I guess I can allow it," I sighed. Aunt Aileen was grinning from ear to ear as she engulfed me into a tight hug. I couldn't help but smile as well, but my mind was still thinking about this Daley guy. If he did anything to hurt Aunt Aileen, I would make sure that his first time meeting me would be unforgettable. For now though, I just enjoyed a warm, loving hug from my aunt.