A Ship in Harbor is Safe

The radio hums lightly, providing the only noise in the vehicle.

“Is there anything I should know,” Athena asks, “before we get there?”

Sidney shakes his head, looking over at her. “Why? Are you nervous?”

“A little,” she shrugs.

Shaking his head, Sidney smiles and covers Athena’s hand with his own. “Don’t be nervous. Please, it’s just my parents.”

“Just your parents,” she smiles.

He looks back over at her, gently squeezing her hand. “They’re pretty nice people, Athena. Just be yourself. They’ll love you.”

“You seem really confident about that,” she smiles, looking down at her free right hand.

Sidney smiles, “I am.”

“What about your sister?”

“She’s pretty nice, too,” Sidney laughs.

Yeah, I hope so, Athena thinks to herself, staring down at her right hand. She looks up when the vehicle slows down, eventually coming to a halt as Sidney squeezes her hand.

“Do you trust me?” He smiles.

Athena nods slowly, “yeah.”

“Okay, then just… trust me right now. My family’s gonna love you and you’re being nervous right now for no reason.”

Leaning her head back against the seat, Athena wraps her hand around Sidney’s, to return the gentle pressure that he is putting on her hand.

The vehicle begins to move again after the traffic light turns green. Within five minutes, Sidney is putting the Range Rover into park.

Athena looks up again, taking in the view of the house that she assumes is his parents’. She looks over at Sidney, only to find him already looking at her.

Neither of them makes the effort to move, instead opting to just sit and stare at each other.

“You gonna be alright?” Sidney smiles slowly, squeezing Athena’s hand.

She smirks, releasing his hand, “I think I’ll manage.”

Sidney exits the vehicle with his keys in hand, walking around the front of the Range Rover.

Athena gathers her purse, trying to hide the smirk playing on her lips.

“What are you smirking about?” Sidney chuckles as he opens the passenger door.

She shakes her head, turning in the seat with her large bag on her lap. “I just think it’s funny that you insist on opening doors, and pulling out chairs and stuff.”

“Well, I think it’s funny that I’m the only guy that’s done that for you before.”

Athena slides out of the passenger seat, slowly letting her sandals come into contact with the concrete of the driveway. “There was another word I would’ve gone for, but okay.”

Sidney watches her duck under his arm before he closes the door, “what, corny?” The doors of the Range Rover lock loudly when Sidney presses a button and tucks the keys into his pocket.

Shaking her head and hiking her purse’s strap onto her shoulder, Athena tucks some hair behind her left ear. “Actually, I was gonna say cute.”

The smile that takes over Sidney’s face quickly infects Athena, leaving them both standing in the driveway, grinning from ear-to-ear.

“C’mon,” Sidney laughs after a second, walking toward Athena and placing his hand on her back to guide her through the two vehicles in the driveway and up a walkway to the front door. Opening the storm door, Sidney smiles, “go on.”

Athena smiles as she steps inside, looking around the foyer.

Sidney deposits his shoes by the door, and Athena follows suit.

“Sid? Is that you?” A female voice from the kitchen calls out.

Closing and locking the front door, Sidney smiles at Athena. “Yeah, Mom! It’s me.”

“Sid!”

A small smile tugs at the edge of Athena’s lips as she watches Sidney’s arms wrap around the young girl who nearly tackled him.

“You must be Athena.”

With a smile on her face, Athena turns around to face Sidney’s mother. “Yes ma’am. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Please, call me Trina. And it’s nice to finally meet you, too,” she is only an inch or two taller than Athena. “Sid’s told me a little bit about you.”

Athena follows Trina up a short staircase and into the kitchen, not even looking back at Sidney. “All good things, I hope.”

“Nothing less than great,” Trina smiles at the young woman, “although, being honest, I haven’t heard all that much.”

The young blonde nods as she tucks hair behind both of her ears. “Well, I’m an open book.”

Trina smiles as she nods, “you’re from Canada?”

Slowly, Athena takes a seat at the small breakfast bar. “Thunder Bay, Ontario.”

“Oh, wow,” Trina sets her glass down on the counter. “So how’d you meet Sid?”

“Um,” Athena slowly turns her head toward the threshold of the kitchen when Sidney walks in, “our friend Jordan introduced us.”

Sidney smiles as he takes a seat next to Athena at the bar, “what are we talking about?”

“I was just asking how you two met,” Trina shrugs.

Sidney nods, “yeah, Staalsy introduced us.”

“That’s interesting… when’d you go out to Thunder Bay, Sid?”

Sidney shakes his head, “we met in Vegas.”

Trina’s eyebrows rise, as her daughter leans on the counter next to her.

“Taylor, this is Athena.” Sidney points to the blonde woman sitting next to him.

Athena smiles at the younger girl, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” the young girl smiles without showing any of her teeth.

Trina looks at Athena, “were you just visiting Las Vegas?”

“I was actually living with my grandmother, taking care of her,” Athena speaks softly, tucking hair behind her right ear.

Sidney’s hand moves from the counter top, to Athena’s knee. He looks at his mother, “where’s Dad?”

“He’s on the deck.”

“C’mon,” Sidney grabs Athena’s hand and pulls her away from the kitchen.



“Alright,” Troy Crosby stands up from his recliner, stretching his back. “This has been fun. But I’m going to bed.”

“It’s only eleven thirty,” Sidney smiles.

“Yeah,” the elder Crosby laughs, “tell that to your girlfriend.”

Sidney shakes his head, not bothering to argue with his father. Both Taylor and Sidney listen to hear their parent's bedroom door close.

Taylor attempts to cover her yawn as she leans back on the couch.

“You tired, too?” Sidney smirks.

The young girl shakes her head, repositioning herself to sit more comfortably on her legs. “Someone else seems to be, though.”

Both Crosby children look to Sidney’s right, to see Athena curled up in a tight ball with her head resting on the arm of the couch. She hasn’t moved for about an hour, but her chest expands and contract slowly.

“Yeah, it’s been a long day for her.”

“Was she nervous this morning?” Taylor asks quietly, over the hum of the plasma screen television, playing a rerun of Friends.

Sidney nods, smirking, “so nervous.”

“Are you gonna go meet her family?”

Sidney shrugs, “I’ve already met her mom.”

“Are you two, like, dating?”

He shakes his head this time, “no.”

“Why not?” Taylor smirks, watching her brother squirm slightly.

“Honestly, I don’t know.” Sidney looks away from the quiet television, to his younger sister, “I guess I wanted you guys to meet her before I did anything.”

“Well, Mom and Dad like her. Do you think she’ll be able to keep up with you once the season starts?”

Leaning further back into the couch, Sidney shrugs. “I think she can.”

“You are bringing her to Pittsburgh with you, right?”

Sidney smiles, “I can’t make her go. I’m definitely inviting her, though.”

“Are you just gonna stay at Mario’s with her?” Taylor nearly laughs at the thought.

Shaking his head, Sidney smiles, “I’ll figure it out when I find out what she’s doing.”

Taylor nods slowly, “are you guys sleeping here tonight, or what?”

Sidney shakes his head, “no. We should get going.”

The young girl tries to suppress her giggles when her brother slowly squats down in front of the sleeping woman.

Saying nothing, Sidney slowly brushes some hair out of Athena’s face. He speaks quietly, “we have to go home.”

Athena slowly opens her eyes, “okay.”

“Did you have a good nap?” Taylor smirks from behind Sidney.

Nodding, Athena smiles as Sidney stands up and pulls her up off of the couch. “Yeah.”

In silence, Taylor follows the couple down into the foyer to lock up the house once they leave. “Be careful driving home.”

Sidney nods as he pulls his shoes on, “always.”

“And make sure you come visit again before you both head to Pittsburgh,” Taylor puts emphasis on the word ‘both’.

Sidney’s eyes widen slightly when he looks at his younger sister.

Athena smiles and nods, “oh, definitely. Hopefully sooner than that, though.”

Taylor nods, sending an amused smile in her brother’s direction, “yeah, hopefully.”

Picking up on the look lingering on Sidney’s face, Athena nods. “It was nice meeting you, Taylor. Tell your parents I’m sorry that I fell asleep and couldn’t say goodnight.”

“Oh, they’ll be fine.” Taylor smiles, waving it off. The young girl isn’t thrown off when Athena gives her a hug. “Mom was pretty much falling asleep on the couch, too.”

“I’ll go wait outside,” Athena says quietly to Sidney, stepping toward the door and unlocking it. She slips out of the house almost silently.

Taylor smiles at her older brother. “You should really ask her out.”

“Yeah, I know,” Sidney nods.

“Call me when you do, maybe I can come visit.” Taylor smirks, giving her brother a hug.

Sidney laughs, embracing his sister. “You can come visit before then.”

“No, I’ll wait. Now go, she’s outside waiting for you.”