by Fran Seen
“All Drummond’s are winners, huh? Aunt Beth smokes crack, Dad! Uncle Bill has gotten like, six DUI’s in the last year and last week got arrested for pandering at the Motel 8,” Minnie shot back, smacking both of her palms on the table.
Dad cleared his throat, ignoring her outburst. “I was wrong. It was selfish of me. I wanted my daughters to continue the firm. Now, I see how unhappy you are, and I’m sorry that I’ve caused you distress.”
Minnie studied Dad’s face for a long moment before replying, “Apology accepted.”
“But no face tattoos, okay?” Dad added, and Minnie’s laugh bounced between us. “Now, Dolly,” he turned to me, giving me a sad smile. “If you don’t want to intern at the office or go to law school, that’s your choice. Your sister and I won’t love you any less. I think—” he exchanged a look with Minnie. “That we are guilty of pushing you in a certain direction, because of the potential we see. Please, tell us what you want to do, and all of us will listen.”
This was a first.
I choked on a piece of biscuit, and Charlie slapped me on the back. “I—I want to move in with Charlie,” I started.
“How about you two get married first?” Dad offered a compromise.
Charlie sputtered out okay after taking a sip of sweet tea, but I ignored him. “No, people live together before they get married. It’s a thing now, Dad.”
“Get with it,” Minnie chimed in, waving a drumstick at Dad. “Pre-marital sex is on the menu.”
Dad visibly shuddered. “Will you sleep in separate rooms?”
“No!” all three of us yelled. After Dad sighed, he pulled out a chair and slumped into it.
“I still want to go to law school, though,” I pointed out, leveling my gaze at my father, and he perked up. “UNC has a satellite campus near Cherokee, and I could work as a paralegal until the spring semester begins.”
Charlie flashed me a grin, “Now, there’s an idea.”
“You have my blessing,” Dad announced, pulling a bucket of chicken into his lap. He began picking the crispy skin off of all the meat and eating it with his fingers. Charlie and I couldn’t wipe the smile off of our faces. Against all odds, the universe reunited us once again, utilizing my family’s breakdown as a vessel for repair.
After dinner, Minnie, Charlie, and Dad helped me pack my things, and we loaded the boxes into the truck bed of the Ford. I hugged my sister and dad goodbye and watched them grow small in the rearview mirror as we drove away. “Sorry for dragging you into the Drummond Disaster of 2012,” I apologized.
Charlie patted my thigh, keeping his eyes on the road. “You gotta be kidding me,” he snorted. “I witnessed the Drummond Disaster? Just wait until you endure Taco Tuesday with the Blackbird family.”
We replayed the night’s events, discussing my dad’s choice of windbreaker, the punches (or slaps) thrown at the office, and my family’s odd taste in artwork. Content, with our sides hurting from laughter, Charlie and I drove through the night, back to the slice of heaven nestled within the land of blue smoke.
Acknowledgments
Thank you to everyone who took the time to read Blackbird: an Online Romance. I appreciate your support.
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Also by Fran Seen
Available now on Amazon.
Also by Fran Seen
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