I needed them to understand one important thing. “Mrs. Turner, I promised her I would come back for her. I promised I would help find her.” I shook my head. “I broke that promise.”
Mr. Turner rose from his chair and came over to us. I wasn’t even shocked when he pulled both of us into a hug. “We’re all going to make it through this, but we have to stick together.”
That sounded so wonderful, but I knew I didn’t belong here. I was an interloper in someone else’s house. Sooner or later, I would have to go home.
“Aimee?” Mrs. Turner pulled back from me. “I talked with your mother.” I stiffened, waiting for what she was going to say.
“And did she tell you to get me ready for another press release?” I said sarcastically.
“Well, she did say something about an appointment that you missed,” Mrs. Turner’s said, sounding aggravated. “I told her you were preoccupied and upset,” she said, pressing her lips together. “Aimee, dear,” she said, putting her hand in my hair. “How would you like to stay with us for a little while? I think you and your Mom could use some space from one another just to calm down a little.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I wasn’t sure what to say. Were they serious? I could stay here?
Mr. Turner cleared his throat. “Well, yes. We hope it wasn’t presumptuous of us, but we thought you could use some downtime before going back home. We’ve noticed that you haven’t been doing so well, and we would like you to talk to a professional about what you’re going through. Losing Maddy…”—his voice cracked—“it’s been something none of us should of ever have gone through. You’ve lost so much weight, and we can’t stand by and watch you fade away. We really want to help you get back on your feet. Would you please stay with us?”
I nodded and gripped Mrs. Turner’s hand. “I would love to stay. Thank you. I promise to be good and help wherever I can.”
“We just want you to get better, honey. We want to see you smile. I’ll call your mother and let her know what you’ve decided,” Mrs. Turner said with what sounded like anger seeping into her voice. It made me wonder exactly what my mom had said to her. Knowing what she said to her own daughter, I could only imagine.
“Would you be okay if we turned the study into your room?” Mr. Turner asked softly, looking over at his wife.
I hadn’t even thought about the sleeping arrangements, but I knew I couldn’t sleep in Maddy’s room. That only left the small study, but it would be fine for me. I couldn’t imagine sleeping in Maddy’s room without her. “That sounds great.” I agreed.
“Okay then, that’s settled,” he said, trying to smile.
Zane came into the room a few seconds later, and I wondered if he’d been listening to the whole conversation. “Is everyone ready to eat? I’ve been slaving in here for hours. Let’s not let it go to waste.”
Hovering by the door to the kitchen, I paused for a moment, unsure where to sit. I didn’t want to make the wrong choice and worried I was going to upset someone by sitting where Maddy used to.
“Aimee, honey, it’s okay. Come and sit down and eat something,” Mrs. Turner said, giving me a reassuring smile.
“Thanks, Mrs. Turner.”
“Oh, please, if you’re living under this roof, I think it’s about time you started calling us Joan and Frank,” she said, nodding toward her husband.
“Okay, I’ll try and remember that.” I smiled as I took a bite of my toast.
I felt like I was home for the first time in my life. They were hurting but didn’t lash out. They supported one another. I was so glad they invited me to stay.
Frank drove me back to the church to pick up my car. He even followed me to the gas station when he saw that my car was on empty. I wondered if it had to do with us going missing or if he was like that with Maddy as well. I quite liked it, to be honest. I’d never had someone look out for me before.
It was a little weird calling Mr. and Mrs. Turner by their first names, and I stumbled pretty much every time I opened my mouth. They both smiled when I corrected myself. Seeing them smile almost made me glad I kept making the mistake.
Joan asked me to help her in the kitchen, and began teaching me how to cook. I would probably never be any good, but it was nice to have some company. We could hear Zane and Frank upstairs moving the furniture around in the old study, my new bedroom, trying to sort it out for me. I was glad they hadn’t suggested me using Maddy’s room. They’d told me everything was just as she’d left it, and I couldn’t imagine living in her space without her there. The study was small compared to my old room, and going from a king-sized bed to a twin was going to take some adjusting, but I was right next to Zane’s room. That in itself made me feel safer. I just hope I didn’t wake everyone with nightmares.
“Aimee?” Joan said. I looked up from the chopping board I was busy staring at. “Have you put any thought into going back to school?”
The color drained from my face. “Umm…Mrs…I mean…Joan.” I took a deep breath. “I just don’t think I can face it.”
“Aw, honey, I know. Trust me, I know.” She put her arm around me, and I put the knife down. “I have to go back as well. It doesn’t seem right to go to school when Maddy isn’t there, does it?”
“No, and I just can’t face the stares and all the questions. I want to be left alone.”
“I know, but we have to keep moving forward. You have to go back to school and finish. I need to get back to normal.” She laughed bitterly. “Well, as normal as it’s ever going to be again. It would really help me if you were there with me.”
“Would you think about coming back to school with me?” I felt guilty and wanted to help her, but I didn’t know if I could do it. “You can come to me at any time. I’ll be there for you. Please, Aimee? You have to finish your education.” She rubbed my arm trying to reassure me. “Do it for me?”
There was no way I could refuse her. After everything she’d done for me, I had to go back to school if that was what she wanted. I didn’t know how I would cope, but I had to give it an honest try. I nodded as she cuddled me.
“We’ll be fine, honey, you’ll see.” She kissed the top of my head. “Come on, let’s finish cooking dinner,” she said, patting my shoulder. “Thank you for helping.”
“You’re welcome,” I said and returned to the chopping board.
“Mom,” Zane said as he came into the kitchen, “Dad said there are a few boxes of things in the study he wants you to go through.”
“Okay, I’ll go and help once I finish with dinner,” Joan said, stirring the sauce.
“So, what’s going on in here?” Zane said, walking over and stealing a piece of green pepper off the board.
“Hey,” I scolded. Zane just smiled and shrugged his shoulders.
“What were y’all talking about?”
“I just convinced Aimee to go back to school with me.” Joan looked over at me and smiled.
“Oh, that’s great,” Zane said, trying to steal more food. I held up the knife menacingly. He looked at me, asking me silently if I was okay about school. I shrugged.
“You might end up with me at Mid-State next year,” he said, giving me a small shove with his shoulder.
“I doubt my grades will be good enough,” I mumbled, going back to cutting up the veggies.
“I’m not going back to school until next year,” he said seriously. I stopped cutting and looked back up at him, a little surprised, “I missed a few exams this past week and I…” He sighed, “I think I just needed to have some time off to be here for Mom and Dad,” he said, glancing over my head. “So,” he said, nudging me again, “I can help you get your grades up if you want.”
“Really?” I was surprised by the offer.
“Sure,” he said, smirking. “Why wouldn’t I? It would keep me busy, and how could I turn
down the opportunity to ride your ass for a few months?”
“Zane!” I had to smile as Joan scolded him.
He laughed. “Sorry Mom.” She laughed with him, and he said, “God, that felt almost like old times.” He went over and gave his mom a hug.
“We’ll get there,” she said, hugging him back. “We’ll get there.”
Each day that I stayed at the Turners, I felt myself slowly healing. I had put on a bit of weight, and Zane said I looked better, so that was something. I still couldn’t get rid of the nightmares, and I had dark circles under my eyes. Mr. and Mrs. Turner insisted that I see a therapist, and even though I wasn’t better yet, it was nice to talk to someone else who wasn’t directly involved and wouldn’t judge me.
School had been as horrible as I’d imagined. Everyone pestered me with questions they realized I wasn’t the same person anymore and gave up. I still heard the whispers in the hallways, and I really tried to not let it bother me, but it still did. The only thing that kept me going was the thought that soon, I would be graduating, and I hoped never to see these people again.
Joan was doing better than I was, and it was nice to see her busy. I think teaching was the only thing that kept her going. She told me it was still a struggle to get out of bed each morning, but she used the time at school to keep the sad thoughts away. She went to grief counseling, and said it was really helping her. Frank and Zane went with her a few times but then said they couldn’t do it anymore.
Zane talked about taking a few online courses over the summer so he wouldn’t fall behind, but it was all talk just to keep his parents happy. He told me that he would catch up next year and take a few extra night classes. It didn’t seem to bother him.
I spent all my time with him. I wasn’t sure if it was healthy, but he was the only one who understood and treated me like a normal person. He still played jokes on me, and there were times it felt strained as we remembered something from the past. We understood what the other was going through. It wasn’t awkward. Not like my old friends at school who paused and stopped mid-sentence when they thought they’d said the wrong thing.
As far as my mother was concerned, she ignored me completely. When I went home to grab my clothes and schoolbooks, she was conveniently away at an appointment. The one time she did stop by, she didn’t invite me to return home. A part of me was hurt by that, but the other part was glad I didn’t have to tell her I didn’t want to come home. Her visit was short because she was heading off to New York with a friend and wanted to check on me before she left. I didn’t ask who it was; it didn’t matter. I supposed I should be grateful she told me at all.
“Aimee?” Zane said. “Earth to Aimee.”
“Oh, sorry,” I said. We were sitting on the couch, and I turned to face him.
“You okay?” he said, concern showing on his face.
“Yeah, sorry, just thinking.” I gave him a little smile, trying to reassure him I wasn’t going to break down on him again.
“About?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Mom,” I said with a small shrug.
He didn’t say anything. He just hugged me, and I leaned in and sighed. This was nice. Zane and I had really grown close over these past few weeks. He’d really helped me in so many ways.
“Want to watch a movie?”
“Yeah sure, that sounds great,” I said pushing off him. “You choose the movie, and I’ll go make the popcorn.” I got up and went to the kitchen.
“What do you want to see? Comedy or comedy?” he shouted from the living room. I had to smile. He knew I couldn’t handle much else right now. We’d all had enough drama and action to last a lifetime.
“I guess comedy!” I shouted back, chuckling.
Then there was a knock at the door.
Oh, fabulous! The reporters had finally left us alone over the past few days. We’d hoped they’d finally given up. We just wanted to be left alone. Frank had disabled the doorbell and changed the phone number a few days before I moved in. Ironically, because we hadn’t been bothered in a while, he was talking only last night about reconnecting it.
Zane groaned and mumbled under his breath. “I’ll get rid of them,” he said as he poked his head into the kitchen on the way to the front door.
I smiled to myself. We were all fed up with it.
I heard the front door open and Zane say, “We aren’t interested,” and then I waited for the sound of the door slamming shut, but it never came.
Curious as to what was going on, I peeked out the kitchen door.
“I’m not a reporter,” the man said, looking frantic. “I’m really sorry to intrude, but I was hoping that I could speak with you for a moment.”
“Fuck, what’s wrong with you people?” Zane said, exasperated. “I said we weren’t interested in any more interviews. Now just leave us alone.” Zane tried to close the door again, but the man must have had a death wish, because he reached out and stopped tit.
“Are you Zane?” The man limped forward.
“Yeah so? Everyone knows who we are.” If the man kept pushing him, I was worried Zane would be up for assault charges in a minute. “Look, we just want to be left alone! Can’t you appreciate that?”
“Like I said, I’m not a reporter, and I really need to speak with you,” he begged. “My name is Dalton McKenny. I was with Maddy in Mexico.” The man’s eyes teared-up as he desperately tried to get Zane to listen.
Zane didn’t say a word; he looked shocked. I walked up behind him and touched his arm, and he stepped aside to let Dalton pass.
“Um…,” I said, not sure of what to say. “Would you like to sit down?”
“Yes, thank you. I’m sorry to intrude. I know this is a difficult time for you,” he said as he limped into the living room.
Zane managed to find his voice. “No, I’m sorry I was so rude to you. We’ve just been inundated with reporters.
“No, that’s fine,” Mr. McKenny said, stopping and staring at the photos of Maddy on the shelf. “I’ve had my fair share as well. I understand completely,” he said, never taking his eyes off the pictures.
“Would you like a drink?” I said, not sure what to do in these circumstances. I had no idea what to say or do.
“No, thank you. I really just wanted to come and meet Maddy’s family,” he said, taking a deep breath and finally turning away to look at us. “Are your parents home?” he asked, looking at Zane.
“Oh, of course, sorry. Let me call them. They should be home shortly.” Zane rushed to the kitchen to call them.
I couldn’t stop staring at him. Was he the last person to see Maddy alive?
I’d forgotten my manners. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t introduce myself. I guess I was just a bit shocked,” I said, smiling. “I’m Aimee, a friend of the family.” I stood up to shake his hand, but the surprised look on his face made me stop.
“What?” I asked not sure what I’d said to make him look at me that way.
“I’m delighted to meet you, Aimee,” he said in a sad voice, trying to smile as his eyes were tearing up.
I didn’t say anything. I just sat back down on the couch, staring at him.
Zane returned to the room, looked from me to Dalton, and cleared his throat. “Um, Mom and Dad should be here in a minute. Is everything okay?” He looked concerned and came to sit by me, grabbing my hand.
“Yes, I’m sorry.” Dalton turned to face Zane. “I’ve heard so much about you all. It’s really nice to put names to faces.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. McKenny,” Zane said as he wiped his hand over his face, “We don’t know that much about you. The police told us a little about what happened to you, but they couldn’t give us all the details with it being an open investigation.” He sighed. “It was probably for the best that we weren’t able to read your full report.” He gripp
ed my hand a little tighter.
Dalton nodded. “That’s probably for the best.”
“Did you see her die?” I nearly whispered, and my eyes widened, not quite believing I’d said that out loud. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” I recovered quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked. I just—”
“Aimee, it’s okay,” Dalton interrupted. “No, I didn’t see her die.” He sighed. “We were separated at the time.” His voice cracked. It was obvious he found this difficult to talk about, and I felt terrible that I’d asked.
I nodded, not quite sure what to say. Then I heard the keys in the front door as Frank and Joan hurried into the house.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. McKenny. We came as soon as Zane called. I hope you haven’t waited long.” Frank rushed over to Dalton, who was standing up to greet him. Frank had his arm outstretched and shook Dalton’s hand fiercely.
“Please, call me Dalton.”
“I’m Frank, and this is my wife Joan,” Frank said, holding her to his side.
“I’m sorry we weren’t here when you first arrived,” she said, offering her hand as well.
“Don’t be silly. You didn’t know I was coming.” Frank pulled Joan to the sofa to sit down. “I’m sorry I didn’t call, but the police wouldn’t let me have your phone number or your address. I had to call a friend at the local paper for help in locating you,” he said as he sat back down and took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” I looked over at Joan, who was already in tears. I think I was in shock. I just sat there with my mouth hanging open but quickly closed it as soon as I realized. “I wanted to be at the memorial, but I was still in the hospital at the time, and they wouldn’t let me out,” he said sadly.
“Of course.” Joan sniffed. “We understand.” She reached over to squeeze his hand.
“Maddy and I spoke almost every day about our families,” he said, and Joan cried even more. Dalton looked concerned. “Is this too much? Would you like me to go?” he asked Frank.
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