“I thought you were just talking about how much fun you’ve been having in school?” Kitty asked, trying to focus on her driving now.
“I am, it’s just… I miss everyone,” Michelle explained. This was such a far cry from the angry, rebellious teen who got a scholarship for dance that Kitty could hardly believe it.
“Even your mean Aunt Kitty?” she asked.
“Especially her,” Michelle said and Kitty looked over at her and saw that the girl was serious, “You are always there for us Aunt Kitty. You have helped my dad and I when no one else wanted to. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Kitty said, feeling flustered but also vindicated. She really did love her niece and wanted her to succeed, even if it meant being the bad guy sometimes. She was glad that the girl appreciated that. Nonetheless it piled onto the guilt that she was already dealing with. The next little bit of the drive was completely silent. But they were both feeling good.
Eventually, their conversation started back up and Kitty learned about the girl’s friends and classes and everything else that was important in her life. She was so cute with how excited she was it was fun to hear about. Furthermore, she asked about Richie and about her husband and in general that had a very nice conversation. Before she knew it, Kitty had driven Michelle within an hour of home. She didn’t feel like she was any closer to soliciting her niece for sex, perhaps she felt even farther away.
“Ugh!” the girl said, and Kitty turned to look at her, “this drive is so long.”
“Yeah, I wish you were someplace closer to home as well. But you know how things are with money. You have to go where the scholarship is. That is just the way it goes,” Kitty explained and Michelle nodded her head somberly.
“I am really sorry Aunt Kitty,” Michelle said.
“Why?”
“I wish you didn’t have to drive out and get me. I know it is a real pain…”
“Oh no honey!” Kitty said, reaching over and rubbing her nieces shoulder, “I am glad I came to pick you up. I’ve had a lot of fun on this drive, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” Michelle said with a weak smile, “I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant that I am sorry that you had to drive all the way out there and everything. I am glad we got to hang out, but I wish that it wasn’t like that.”
“Oh your father had a job interview that is very important, he couldn’t come,” Kitty explained, she felt bad. She didn’t want her niece to think that she was in any way a bother.
“I kind of wish that neither one of you had to get me,” she said, looking out the passenger window.
“What do you mean? I thought you were saying you were looking forward to coming home,” Kitty was sort of confused by this sudden shift in attitude by her niece.
“I am twenty now, I feel like I should have a car,” she explained.
“I didn’t have a car until I was almost thirty!” Kitty said, she felt bad for the girl, but didn’t think that a sixteen year old truly needed a car.
“I know, but things are different now,” she explained, “All of my friends at school have cars and everything. I just don’t think it is fair.”
“Have you talked to your father about it?”
“Yeah, he said that we don’t have that kind of money. He said that until he has a long-term job he won’t even loan me any money. I mean I would pay him, or anyone really, pay them back. I even saw this car at this lot near school and it was only $2500 and I already have like $500 saved up,” Michelle said.
Then, all of the sudden it dawned on Kitty. This is what all the smiling and bouncing and ‘I love you stuff’ was all about. She was just as manipulative as her father! Michelle was trying to get Kitty to offer to loan her the $2000 she needed for some shitty car! Suddenly a boiling rage built up inside of Kitty. She couldn’t believe how low and dirty her niece was. Suddenly, all of the guilt she was feeling lifted. This was the way things were. Everyone was always trying to get things out of her. From her boss, to her husband, to her niece. Everyone except for Rachael and Richie. From now on, she told herself, those were the only people she was going to care about. This was not going to go well for Michelle, she was going to learn to be a better person than her father.
“Only $2000 eh?” Kitty said in an event and interested tone. She looked at her niece covertly out of the corner of her eye and saw that she was elated.
“Yeah and I am going to get a summer internship that pays so I am going to be able to pay it back really soon. To whoever gives me a loan, that is,” Michelle said. Kitty couldn’t believe how stupid this girl thought she was. She certainly took after her father. Kitty drove in silence for a little while, acting as though she were thinking about it.
“You know, I really think you are growing up at school you know?” Kitty said and Michelle gave her a smile with barely concealed deviousness, “I just think it is so great that you are so mature. All of your anger against your father, against me, it just seems to have faded away.”
“Thanks Aunt Kitty,” Rachael said and beamed. They drove for awhile longer. They were only about half an hour from home now. Kitty saw a sign for a state park that she and her son had gone to last year. It was a secluded spot with a pretty lake and lots of trees. She quietly turned down the road and made her way the two or three miles to the gravel parking. The dollar signs in Michelle’s eye were so big that she didn’t even notice. She could sense that she was reeling her aunt in.
“You know,” Kitty said casually, “I have a rather substantial private savings that my husband doesn’t know about.”
“Really,” Michelle said, as though she wasn’t putting two and two together.
“Yes, as a matter of fact I have it here in my car in cash. I meant to take it out of my old bank and put it in a new one today but I just completely ran out of time,” Kitty was acting very casually, she could see that Michelle was looking over at her now, trying to figure out what to say.
“How much do you have,” She seemed to think this was too bold, “I mean it is kind of dangerous to have money just sitting in a car.”
“Oh I know, I usually don’t go this long without putting it in a bank or investing in something with a good chance of return,” Kitty explained, “but right now I’d say I have about $3000 dollars in savings.” As she said this she pulled into a parking place in the empty lot. Finally Michelle looked around and realized that she didn’t know where they were.
“Where are we Aunt Kitty,” she asked.
“I don’t like to talk business at home,” she explained.