Episode 634: Here For The Party

Quent strolled beside her. "One more each, she’ll never know as long as we add a couple more stops."

"We’re terrible," Justine said. They laughed though and dug their hands into Tansy’s treat bag. Their daughter chose that moment to turn around in her Supergirl costume. They stopped laughing and pulled their hands from the bag. Fortunately, Tansy was too excited to notice what they’d been up to.

"Isn’t this Aunty Adria and Uncle Ryley’s building? Can we go show her my costume?"

Justine and Quent exchanged a look. Justine wanted to say yes. She’d already refused when Tansy asked to stop at her Uncle Sebastian’s place, against whom Justine still held a grudge for his lack of solidarity.

"Isn’t Adria-"

"I’m not sure," Justine said, knowing where Quent’s question was headed. With Justine’s busy job, something had to give, and since it couldn’t be her husband and child, it was her little sister. "I haven’t talked to her for awhile. Tans, I don’t know if Aunty Adria is living with Uncle Ryley right now. I’m sorry, sweetie, but if she’s at grandpa and grandma’s-"

Tansy nodded. "We can’t go there. But maybe she’s here."

Adria was in fact there, and after she and Ryley gushingly complimented Tansy on being the fiercest hero ever, Justine took her little sister aside and gave her a massive hug. "I’m so proud of you for coming back to Ryley and not letting our parents run your life."

"I went to Dad’s office," Addie, said. She looked like she might cry. "I did the adult thing. I told him I’m not a businesswoman like you, Just. I’m an actress. I told him to get his money back on this term’s tuition. He said okay, thank you, I’ll take care of it."

"You were hoping for his support." Justine knew that useless hope. "I guess it’s a plus that he didn’t stand there and yell at you, telling you your life is worthless."

"That’s what he told you?"

"Basically."

A tear dripped down Addie’s cheek then. Justine wiped it away and hugged her sister again. The doorbell rang and when Ryley pulled it open the siblings turned to check out the trick-or-treaters’ costumes. Their jaws dropped.

"Is this a joke?" Justine asked. "Has someone dressed up as Dad for Halloween?"

Episode 635: Nobody Knows Me