Living for Today

by Kennedy, Brenda

  “I knew being inn keepers could be a problem for when we started dating. Alternating date nights could be a quick fix to this problem.”

  “Maybe on occasion we could hire one of the cleaning ladies or Lou Ann and Steve could watch the inn for nights we double date,” Xander suggests.

  “That’s a great idea,” Skylar says excitedly.

  I have to agree. The bell over the main door rings, alerting us someone is coming into the inn. “I’ll get it.” I stand and walk out of the living quarters and into the bed and breakfast area. A woman is standing there with two small children.

  “Hi, I’m Ava. May I help you?”

  “Ava Emerson?” the woman asks.

  I look at her to see if maybe I can recognize her. I don’t. “Yes.”

  “Hi, Ava.” She reaches her hand out for mine. “I’m Olivia. These are my twin daughters, Abigail and Emily.”

  I shake her hand before acknowledging her identical twin daughters. I kneel down to look at each child to see if I can tell them apart. Although some twins are identical, there’s always a distinguishing factor to tell them apart.

  I say to them, “Hi, I’m Ava.” They look embarrassed and look away from me. I stand and gently stroke their soft brown hair. “How can I help you?” I ask Olivia.

  “You don’t know us, but I wanted to personally thank you for the gift cards and the check you sent us a while back.” I look at her and I have no idea what she’s talking about. I have to wonder if Mom and Dad didn’t do something and put my name on it. When the confusion is apparent on my face, she says, “We’ve been staying in a shelter for battered women. I was going to send you a thank you letter, but I wanted to meet the person with such a kind heart in person.”

  I remember the article in the paper of the woman being dragged from her house nearly naked by her live-in boyfriend as he beat her. A man stopped his car, called the police, and rescued the woman and her two children from the drunken abuser. The paper didn’t mention names or ages of the woman or the children. I sent the kids a gift card from Toys-R-Us and sent the woman a check. Not a significant amount; I just wanted to do something nice for them, and to the man who rescued them. My face and heart soften as I remember the article. Sometimes I wonder what would happen if I were to be put on trial for being a Christian. Would there be enough evidence to convict me? This gift card and check are some evidence that I would be proud to have used against me.

  “How are you?”

  “Better. Everyday gets better and everyday gets easier.” She smiles.

  I look outside and I don’t see a car in the driveway. “Did you drive here?”

  “No, I don’t have a car. We took a bus and walked here from the closest bus route.”

  The nearest bus stop must be a half-mile away. I look at the table and it’s cleared off, but the food is still out on the buffet. “Are you hungry? We still have food from breakfast and I haven’t eaten yet.”

  “No, we couldn’t, but thank you.”

  I watch Olivia, and I can see she thinks she’ll be putting me out. The two girls we hired to clean come in and get some breakfast before they start their morning routine. I look into the chafing dishes and there is plenty of food. Of course there is. Skylar and Drew set out way too much food for the few guests we had this morning.

  “It’ll go to waste unless someone eats it.” It’s not a lie. “Please? I’d love to chat with you some more.” It’s already after 10:00 and it’s almost too late for breakfast and it’s too early for lunch.

  Skylar comes out and says, “Ava, are you going to eat or should I clean this up?” She looks from me, to the woman, then to the two small children. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”

  “Skylar, this is my friend Olivia, and her twin daughters, Abigail and Emily.”

  “Hi, it’s nice to meet you,” Skylar says, smiling.

  “Thank you, and it’s nice to meet you.”

  I hear two voices that sound identical coming from behind Skylar. Drew and Xander come in.

  “I’d hate to waste all of this food. I might have to eat again,” Drew says. I’m not sure if he’s teasing or if he’s serious.

  “Olivia, this is my boyfriend, Xander, and…” I look at Skylar and smile. If she’s sleeping with Drew, they must be boyfriend and girlfriend, right? Then that’s how I’ll introduce them. “And this is Skylar’s boyfriend and Xander’s twin brother, Drew.”

  I didn’t get the expression I was hoping for from Skylar or from Drew. Maybe they are a couple. I watch as Olivia realizes there are two sets of identical twins in the same room. I look at the girls and their baby dolls they are holding, and they are also identical.

  “Twin brothers?” she asks.

  “Yeah, but I’m the good-looking one,” Drew teases.

  We all laugh. “Olivia has identical twin daughters, Abigail and Emily.”

  Skylar says, “I always wanted twin daughters.”

  Wait? What? She did? I didn’t know that. Maybe I did and I just can’t remember it.

  “It’s a handful,” Olivia says. “But I love them to pieces.”

  “You should join us for breakfast,” Xander says. “Ava and I haven’t eaten yet.” I thought he ate earlier this morning. Was he waiting to eat with me? When she looks uncertain, he says, “It’ll just go to waste. Really, you’ll be doing us a favor.”

  Olivia smiles and says, “Are you sure?”

  I step closer and say, “We’re positive.”

  Everyone gets a plate of food and drinks, before gathering together around the table. Olivia’s twin daughters eat but they seem shy. I wish I had some toys for them to play with. They hold their baby dolls closely with one hand while they eat with the other. The girls are dressed identically with the same white bow in their brown hair.

  “How old are your daughters?” I ask.

  “They’ll be four in another month.”

  “Christmas babies?” Drew asks.

  “No, Abi was born on New Year’s Eve, and Emi was born a few minutes later on New Year’s Day.”

  I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this ever happening before, although I’m sure it has. “Wait? So your identical twins don’t share the same birthday or the same year, and they’re a year apart?”

  “Crazy, right?” Olivia laughs. “They’re actually three minutes apart, but it was enough time that they were born in separate years, making Abi a year older than her identical twin sister, Emi.”

  “They’ll have a lot of fun with that when they’re older.”

  “They will.” Olivia smiles. “But I’m afraid when they get older, it’ll be a two-day-long party. In a few years, Abi will probably tell Emi, ‘When I was your age, I…’ and then say what she was doing a few minutes earlier.”

  Skylar looks at Drew and asks, “When’s your birthday?”

  I look at Xander because I have no idea when his birthday is. “It’s May 17th,” Drew says. I’m shocked when it’s the same day as Skylar’s. Skylar loves her birthday, and she thinks it’s awesome when she knows anyone who shares her special day with her.

  “Mine, too,” she squeals.

  “When’s yours?” Xander asks me.

  “February 27th.”

  Xander picks up his phone and adds it to his calendar. “Now I’ll never forget it.”

  No one asks how Olivia and I know each other. It’s obvious that I don’t know her very well from the questions we ask back and forth.

  They stand to leave and I walk them out to the front porch. “Thank you for everything and for the breakfast. You’re very kind and we appreciate it.”

  “You’re welcome. I’m glad you stopped by. You have a lovely family.”

  “Thank you. It’s just my girls and me.”

  I’m relieved that she isn’t with the boyfriend whom I read about in the paper. “You said earlier that you’re still staying at the shelter?”

  “We are. John, he’s my ex, he’s still living at the house we shared. I’m ac
tually moving back to Texas next week. I like the area, but there’s nothing here for my girls and me.”

  “You have family in Texas?”

  “My mom and dad are there. I need to get going, but thank you for everything. It was very kind of you and I’ll never forget it.”

  “You’re very welcome, Olivia. Do you need a ride home?”

  “No, the walk will do us good. Besides, it feels good to be out and about.”

  “Okay. Thank you for stopping by with the girls. It was nice meeting you.”

  The girls and Olivia turn to leave and I watch them until they’re out of view. I’m so glad she’s picking up the pieces and moving on without her abuser. She is definitely making the right decision.

  Xander

  When Drew and Skylar leave, Ava tells me the story about Olivia and her children as we clean up the breakfast dishes. Of course I knew that domestic violence existed but I guess I wasn’t aware how prevalent it is. Why do men feel the need to beat on women and children? If I so much as thought about raising my voice to a woman, I have no doubt I’d be answering to my dad. No matter what age I am, he’d step in and talk some sense into me. Thinking back on my childhood, I don’t think I’ve ever heard my dad raise his voice to my mother. Sure, they’d have disagreements, but it never escalated to anything more than that. I remember once when they were arguing, Dad got a Coke out of the refrigerator, poured it into two glasses, and gave my mom one of the glasses. I knew early on that my home life was loving and desirable. We had many friends, and our house was the gathering place for everything and anything.

  Once the dishes are done, she makes a list of things she needs to get from the local store. When the afternoon tea is set up, and Skylar and Drew aren’t back, I tell her she can leave and I’ll be more than happy to run the tea.

  “You think you can do this?” she asks, unbelieving. “Are you feeling up to it?”

  “I feel wonderful.” I look at the small buffet with the food, the flavored tea bags, and the teapots and dishes. “Refill the food and hot water as needed, clear off the dirty dishes, and collect the tips. Yeah, I think I can do this.”

  “Don’t count on that many tips.” She laughs.

  I was just joking about the tip part. “Go, I can handle this. Drew and Skylar should be home any minute now.”

  She looks around before nodding. “Okay, call me if you need me.”

  “I will. Do I need to wear an apron or a name tag or something?”

  “No, only if you want to.”

  Bending down, I kiss her. “Now go before I change my mind.”

  “I’ll be back soon.”

  “Just be careful.”

  While she’s gone, I clear the tables, refill the food and water, and chat with the women having tea. They don’t need anything; however, they are very chatty. I don’t recall Ava talking this much to her guests. When Skylar and Drew return, she immediately takes over the tea.

  I look at Drew and remember that he went home yesterday. “So, should I assume you’re seeing Skylar?”

  “You should assume that I like her.”

  “Will this be a problem for us?”

  “For me and her us, or you and me us?”

  He’s such an ass. “You and me us.”

  “No, it’ll be fine. I really like her.”

  “Good. I really like Ava and I don’t want you messing it up for me.”

  “I won’t.”

  “Oh, good God, Grace. There’s two of them.” Drew and I both turn in the direction of the woman’s voice. Standing there are two of the women who were having tea.

  We both stand and greet the women. “Did you enjoy your tea?” I ask.

  “We did. Now which one are you?”

  “I’m Xander. I was waiting on you in the tearoom. And this,” I turn to face Drew, “is my brother, Drew.”

  “Identical twins?” the other woman asks.

  “Yes, Ma’am. We are.”

  “You see that, Grace? Twins.”

  “Mable, I got eyes, don’t I? Xander, when do you work next?” Grace asks.

  “I was just helping out my girlfriend,” I say.

  “He’s here everyday,” Drew adds.

  Thanks, Drew. “Will we be seeing you tomorrow?” I ask.

  “No, we can’t make it tomorrow, but maybe Friday. Will you both be here on Friday?” Mable asks.

  I speak up before Drew does. “Drew will be here for sure. I may be out with my girlfriend, Ava.”

  Grace says, “I’ve heard that identical twins are very close, beginning with or even before birth. Is that true?”

  “Mom says that when we were infants, we wouldn’t sleep unless we were next to and touching each other.”

  “Well, Drew, I hope to see you on Friday,” Grace says.

  Drew smiles. “I hope to see you both, too.”

  “Be careful going home,” I say.

  “Thank you, we will.”

  When they leave, Drew and I walk inside. I text Ava to make sure she’s okay.

  Xander: About done?

  Ava: Leaving now.

  Xander: See ya soon.

  We both help Skylar clean up from the afternoon tea. When Ava pulls up and honks her horn, we all go outside to greet her. She has several items in the trunk of her car that she needs help to carry into the house.

  When everything is in the house, I ask, “Does anyone care if I go take a nap?” I can see the worry in everyone’s face. “I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

  “You can sleep in my room if you want,” Ava offers.

  I look at her and then look around the room at Skylar and Drew. They are now focused on the snacks that Ava bought. I doubt I’ll get much rest in the living quarters, but I jump at the chance to be near Ava. “Sure, thanks.”

  “Yeah?” she asks with a big smile.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good. I’ll try real hard to be quiet.”

  “You’re fine, I just need to rest for a few minutes.”

  When I lie on her bed, I inhale her scent on the pillowcase. It smells of cranberry and vanilla. It reminds me of my childhood. In fact, it reminds me of every wonderful memory from my childhood.

  I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep, but when I wake up it’s getting dark outside. Disoriented, I adjust my eyes to my surroundings. Ava. The clock reads just after 5:00 pm. It’s not as late as I had originally thought. The time change still messes with me. I’ll never understand daylight savings time or the reason for it. It seems to get dark earlier and earlier. When I leave her room, everyone is in the kitchen cooking. Skylar and Drew are making something together with fruit, while Ava is stirring a pot of something over the hot stove.

  The gifts from earlier are gone and the living quarters looks just as it did before Ava came home. “Did you sleep well?” Ava asks.

  “I did. Is there something I can help with?”

  “No, we have everything under control.”

  “I need to take my meds, I’ll be right back.” I stop and turn on my heels. “Are we still on for our date tonight?”

  “I went ahead and made dinner while you slept. I wasn’t sure what time you’d wake up. If you still want to go out, I’m sure Drew and Skylar will take care of this.”

  Although I appreciate her effort, I’m disappointed I won’t get the chance to take her out this evening. “There’ll be another time.” I hope.

  When I go upstairs to take my meds, I call and cancel the reservations for this evening. I had dinner reservations at Carla Jo Dean’s restaurant and I also reserved us a horse and carriage to pick us up at the restaurant and take us around River Walk, the city market, and several of the park squares. Although I’m disappointed about the date, I’m not disappointed about having dinner with Ava at the house. Anytime I get to spend with Ava, I know it’ll be a great time. I don’t know how much time I have left with Ava, so I need to make every minute count.

  We have spaghetti, salad, and some kind of apple desser
t that Skylar and Drew made. It’s nice sitting with Ava, my brother, and Skylar around the small four-top round table. The conversation flows easily. When my vision gets blurry, I blink it away. It could just be a side effect from the meds. I’ll just remain seated until it passes. When no one seems to notice, I’m thankful. I know my time here is limited, and it’s going by far too fast. I want more time with Ava. I need more time with Ava. I wish I had found her sooner, so I would have had more time with her.

  I talk to my oncology doctor often via e-mail and on the phone, but I think it’s time I see him in person. My symptoms are changing, and not for the better. If my vision clears up tonight, I’ll email him requesting an appointment; if not, I’ll call him in the morning. I have an upcoming appointment, but I don’t think it’s soon enough.

  Ava and I haven’t had time to talk much today about her nightmare last night. I was hoping to find out more about her marriage and her husband. The more I think about it, the more I think her amnesia could be a blessing to hide such horrific memories. Can a person live through such violent acts? Of course they can, but can they actually move on and live a happy life knowing what they’ve been through? I hope so. For Ava’s sake and for Olivia’s sake.

  Drew says, “I was thinking about taking Skylar on a horse and buggy ride through the park squares this weekend.” I look at him with a glare. Of course he would. That was my date I had planned for Ava. He had no way of knowing that’s what I had planned. I guess great minds and identical twins think alike.

  Ava says, “I always wanted to go on one of those. I think it’d be so romantic.” I hold her hand beneath the table.

  “Babe, that sounds like so much fun.” Skylar leans in and kisses him.

  “Yeah, Drew, I think it’d be a great time, especially this time of year.”

  My vision cleared up and we all help with the dinner cleanup. Drew and Skylar are a lot more intimate than Ava and me. I wonder if their relationship isn’t just physical. That’s okay if it is, they’re both adults. But it’s not what I want with Ava. I want something with more meaning. Why? I won’t even be around this time next year.

  “I should let you get to bed. Thank you for dinner and I’ll see you first thing in the morning.”