FIONA

Chapter Twelve: Sibling Rivalry

Beverley pulled the lasagna out of the oven when Fiona entered the kitchen with the lemon cake. "I picked this up at the store on the way home, sister, dear. Also, I got a call from Blaine. He's going to be picking me up at seven-thirty on Saturday night. And…"

She was stopped mid-sentence when Beverley raised an index finger in the air for a time out. "I already saw Mrs. Stinson. I know you said you wanted to buy a coffee cake for me to take to her. However, I'll take the lemon cake to her on the next visit. I visited with her this afternoon. And we had a nice talk. She told me, in addition to having chemo; she had her tumor removed by surgery. So, even if I had the tumor removed, there is still the possibility I'd need chemo. But I'll talk to my doctor about it when I see her on Monday. Now, if you will continue, I'd be happy to hear about your day."

"I was going to say, Blaine told me he's looking forward to our date. I'm going to go through my pieces of writing, tonight after dinner, to decide which ones I'd like to show him. Anyway, what else did you and Mrs. Stinson talk about?" Fiona asked while putting the lemon cake in the refrigerator. Near the back, she saw a beautiful package, containing a cake which read, "Happy Birthday, Fiona." Her eyes welled up with tears. Even through all her worries, my sister managed to buy me a birthday cake. She has her cancer to contend with; yet, she remembered to buy me a cake for my birthday.

"Just general things. Her family. You, Blaine, and your upcoming date," Beverley responded, dishing out the lasagna.

Wiping her eyes with her hands, Fiona asked, "What about Blaine and our date? Why would she want to know about him?"

"I brought it up, Fiona. It's just that his intentions make me suspicious. He…"

"What about his intentions? He likes me. I like him. We're going out Saturday to enjoy each other's company," Fiona blurted out, grabbing some silverware from the drawer.

"He never gave one thought about you in high school. Yet, all of a sudden, he's interested in going out with you. Why would he not have asked you out when you were in high school? Why wait until now? What's the catch?" Beverly asked, taking the plates inside the dining room.

Fiona brought in some glasses of water and the silverware. "He probably had lots of things on his mind. For instance, his studies. And besides, I never even told him back then I liked him. Never gave him any indication I was interested in him, because I was good at hiding my feelings. Just be happy for me, will you?" she shouted, as she sat down picking away at her plate of lasagna.

"Are you sure he doesn't have any hidden motive or agenda? To be honest with you, Fiona, I don't trust him. But, you are a grown woman, and, are more than capable of deciding for yourself, as to whether or not getting involved with the man is the right thing for you to do regarding your own best interest. If you want to get involve with him, you certainly don't need my permission. I can't stop you. I don't want to stop you. It's your life. The only thing you can do is see how everything plays out. That's all."

After putting a bite of lasagna into her mouth, Fiona dropped her fork onto the plate, got up and left the dinner table.

"Fiona, where are you going? You didn't finish your dinner. You need to eat something," Beverly said, getting up from the table, following Fiona into the living room where she sulked on the sofa.

"Why do you have to ruin things for me, Beverley? First of all, I know what I'm doing. I'll be twenty-nine years old tomorrow. Don't you think I have some common sense? Am I stupid, and, not able to decide for myself about people? Honestly," Fiona said, bluntly, "I don't want to talk right now. I'm too upset with you to further discuss the matter of Blaine anymore with you. I came home in a great mood, excited about the date, and here you are being negative about it. You do all you can to bring me down," tossing one of the sofa pillows at her.

Picking up the pillow from the floor, Beverly walked over to Fiona, gave her the pillow, and said, "I'm sorry. I can't help feeling the way I do. I have this unnerving feeling there's much more to the guy than you perceive. But, maybe you should at least give him a chance to see how things play out. Just be careful. Something about the guy doesn't settle right with me, that's all," and walked over to the lounge chair where she relaxed for the remainder of the evening.