Which, speaking of our meeting this morning and before I forget. They did announce that the remodel is finished, that an inspector will be here on Tuesday to make sure all codes are met, that plans were followed, and that everything works. Provided all goes well Nephmesu will have a new home to come to. And if not, his tour will still proceed through Portland as expected so they'll have time to correct any issues that are discovered. There will be a soft opening for select guests to be able to tour the space, but of course without Nephmesu it won't be complete. Kind of exciting, but with the things happening on his tour Hal and I are a little concerned with what'll come home with him.
Anyway, after work Max was waiting for me in the parking lot. That was probably the only indication I had that something was up. But she's always been good about being there for me, so I didn't think anything of it. Instead of taking me home, she took me out to Tocabe. Which was awesome enough, it's only my favorite. But then I walked in to find almost everyone there. Mom, Dad, Hal had skipped out of work early to beat me there. They had invited Candace, and with her came Sam. I don't want that to sound like he wasn't invited, but he was Candace's ride. I was glad he was there.
Batel even made it, she drove up yesterday and made it in this morning. So I got to introduce my sister around. She's doing great too. Says she really enjoys college life, even has a boyfriend. Though it's not serious enough to tell the parents about. She'll be up for a few days but can't stay the whole week. I guess a lot of her course work is online now so there's a lot more leniency about skipping class provided she turns in her work. It's too bad I'll have to work, but on Wednesday we can spend some time together before she heads out.
Efe couldn't made it, but I guess that's life in the service. He did send a card and a letter, which was sweet. Really reminded me how much I miss the both of them though. Batel had left early in the summer so she could get an apartment and job in order before classes started. But Efe's been playing soldier for years now. I'll have to ask him when his next leave is when I write back.
It was a little awkward with Hal. Not that I minded him being there, just that everyone was treating him as my boyfriend. I don't know, we get along easily when we're not talking about this conspiracy business. And even when we are, we do still hit it off pretty well and it's nice having him around. So we didn't fight the perception, and I didn't correct anyone. Partly because I didn't want to have to try and explain everything, but honestly it's not a terrible thought. He is cute.
I guess I was surprised that Candace and Sam showed up at all. And I'll admit I was avoiding having to talk to Candace for fear of what she'd say. But I couldn't avoid introducing my sister, so that didn't last long. Candace was great, and it made be feel self conscious for avoiding her at all. When the chance presented itself, she broached the subject. She made it clear that our friendship is more important that any disagreements we might have.
We talked, and she agreed that Sam and Her had handled things inappropriately. She'd had a few days to think it over, and she regretted treating both Max and I that way. Candace wasn't sure where that attitude had come from, but now that she knows about it she said she would work very hard to overcome it.
For my part, I recognized that she and Sam were acting out of concern for Max and my safety. That I accepted her apology, and that I did appreciate their concern. I apologized for the things I had said, they were also out of line. But I did make sure to express my own concern about Sam's over-protectiveness. Candace listened to me, I feel she really heard me this time. I stressed that I knew she felt safe by him, and that ultimately he was looking out for her. But that I felt he was overstepping his bounds.
She wasn't ready to agree with me, but she did say she'd think about it.
While we were talking, Sam and Max were also talking and I think they too were reaching a similar agreement. I'll have to ask Max about it later, but knowing she's so infatuated with him her glow for the rest of the evening needed no explanation. Sam did make his way to me later and also apologized. I was a bit more guarded with him, but we had a similar conversation to that I'd had with Candace. I recognized that he doesn't have to like my choices, but I stressed that it doesn't give him the right to order me around. He clenched his jaw like he wanted to argue with me, but nodded and agreed that he was out of line.
Turns out, this was all Mom's idea. If Max had thrown this all together, she wouldn't have invited Candace or Sam. But we were both glad they were there. Mom did well, and I think she knew it though she might not have known the specifics.
There wasn't a lot of presents, which was fine. Just having their company was present enough. Besides, the food was every bit as amazing as I've always found it to be. It's been too long since the last time I'd had their Fry Bread Nuggets. Donut Holes just aren't the same.
Hows that term? My cup runneth over? I needed this. I was feeling a little lost being angry with Candace and Sam. I appreciate their apologies and I'm glad we could work things out. Candace is so open and I think she was as relieved as I was for us to be able to talk again. And I am glad Sam was there, I am glad he apologized. But there's something going on with him, and I'm not sure how far I can trust him. I'm sure he'd protect me to the best of his ability, not that it's his place to do so, but he would. But I kinda feel like his over-protectiveness hints at something more. As much as anything this makes me worried for Candace.
I'm just not sure what I can do about it.
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