Sleigh Belles

by Beth Albright

  41

  Dallas and Cal arrived back at her house after noon. She unlocked the door, kicked off her shoes and went straight to the kitchen to feed Wilhelmina. The kitty heard the rustling and the can opener and ran in to greet her momma, purring and rubbing up on her legs with her huge white tail.

  “Hey, little girl, Mommy missed you,” Dallas said sweetly, bending over with Wilhelmina’s food and giving her a rub down the back.

  Cal stayed behind in the living room, turned on her fireplace and plugged in the little Christmas tree. Dallas reappeared in the kitchen doorway.

  “Can I get you anything?” she asked him.

  “Just you. Come sit with me by the tree,” he offered, holding out his hand to her.

  Dallas shuffled over to him in her sock feet and snuggled into his side. The warmth and amber light created the perfect setting for Dallas to get out in the open all that was on her mind. She wanted to talk about what she knew she needed to do—speak to her mother—but just the thought of that whole Pandora’s box started to make her stomach twist into knots.

  What would she say? It had been so long, and the pain sometimes felt insurmountable. It had been easier to keep ignoring it. That is, until the Vivi and Arthur thing. Dallas had realized deep in her heart that forgiveness was truly the only way out of all that pain.

  It wasn’t just her mother she had to worry about, though. The even bigger issue was her brother. She had continued to direct her niece and nephew in the Christmas play over the past week since she had run into them at the craft store. They didn’t realize anything was out of the ordinary, since Houston must still not have told them anything, but she always felt a little anxious around them, knowing they were her own flesh and blood. She looked at them differently now, knowing all she had missed.

  She wanted so badly to end all this—this twenty-year silent moratorium. But the old familiar voices would whisper in her ear, You didn’t start this, they threw you out. The words stopped her every single time from listening to her heart and just picking up the phone.

  “Tell me what’s goin’ on in there,” Cal said as he kissed her forehead.

  “I know I just need to do something,” she began. “After all that happened at Vivi’s, I know if I can just forgive all this stuff from so long ago, things might be different.”

  “Well, baby, then do it. What’s holding you back?”

  “I’m afraid, Cal.”

  “And that’s totally understandable. You’ve had no basis for trust with either of them. It’s true what they say, trust has to be earned. And believe me, they haven’t done anything to earn it yet. This time they are coming to you. I mean, didn’t your mother tell you Houston wanted to see you, too?”

  “Yeah, but he’s never reached out himself. And then he didn’t even say a word that night in the craft store. I have no idea how he feels at all.”

  “It doesn’t matter, you know? You have to forgive him, too, if you really want to finally be free of all this.”

  “A part of me doesn’t wanna give them the satisfaction, you know?”

  “I know—but then you’ll always wonder what if. I’m sure you’ve been wondering that already with your mom calling and texting all the time. If you think about it—what have you got to lose? They’ve already hurt you about as much as they can, right?”

  Dallas nodded.

  “And think about this for a second. Just what if it turned out really good? You’d have a whole helluva lot to gain.”

  She lay back into him and twirled her hair, thinking through everything over and over.

  “Aren’t you wondering?” Cal asked her, trying to guide her toward a long-awaited resolution.

  Dallas didn’t answer.

  Ghosts of her happy childhood invaded her mind, images of her with her mom and brother during Christmastimes long ago. Then, the haunting images of her alone in Blake’s house, in Blake’s family, where Blake was the star of the show. The letters she’d sent to her brother, and the agonizing wait for a response that had never come.

  “I have been wondering. One thing in particular, though, has been really bothering me.”

  “The night we ran into your brother?”

  “No, it’s my mom. She keeps calling and texting and every time she says, It’s time. What do you think she’s talking about?”

  “I don’t know. But I do know one way to find out.” He drew in a deep breath and looked sweetly at her. “Do you think you’re ready?”

  “I’ll never be ready, really, but she is right about something. It’s definitely time to try.”

  Cal smiled at her and handed Dallas her cell phone. Dallas found the number from the missed calls and pushed Call with her trembling fingers, biting her bottom lip.

  It was ringing. She inhaled deeply.

  “Hello? Mom?”

  42

  Dallas showered and got dressed in a hurry. She was on her way to face her past. Her brief phone conversation with her mother had made her even more anxious.

  “What am I doin’, Cal? I’m not even gonna know what to say. Houston doesn’t even know I’m going over there,” Dallas said, pulling up her boots. “I told Mother not to say anything...that I might change my mind.” She was sitting on the end of her bed talking ninety miles an hour. Nerves had taken over what started out to be a calm day. But it was now or never. She knew she needed to try to put the pieces of her family back together.

  “Is she going to be there, too?” Cal asked. “I know you didn’t talk to her for very long on the phone.”

  “Yes, she’ll be there, but I just wanted to make sure Houston wanted this, too. I mean I only saw him that night at the store. He’s rejected me for all these years, so it’s hard to imagine that he wants to reconnect now. But Mother said that the whole time she had been trying to contact me was not just for herself but for him.”

  “Why didn’t he try himself?”

  “She said he thought I’d never respond, since he never did.”

  “What in hell made her think you’d respond to her?”

  “She would do anything for Houston. If he was afraid to contact me for fear of rejection, he’d go to her, and she’d do anything he asked her to. She wouldn’t care how many times I said no, she’d bother me till I said yes. It obviously worked.” Even though Dallas was going to try to find forgiveness in her heart today, it was impossible to prevent at least a little bitterness from creeping up.

  “Don’t forget, you hold all the cards here. If you get the least bit uncomfortable, we can go. You just give me a look or a nod.” He smiled and reached over and squeezed her hand, but noticed she seemed to have something else to say. “Did she say something else, baby?” Cal asked.

  “Yeah, she said something else—she said she loved me.” Dallas looked at Cal, her eyes glistening with emotion. “If she really did, though, how could she throw me away? I asked her that and she started to cry and said she was so sorry. But how can I trust that when I know she will do anything for Houston and has never felt the same for me?”

  “For now, we’ll just give her the benefit of the doubt. Let the past be the past and we’ll see what happens. You’re in charge. Don’t forget that.”

  Dallas liked how Cal said “We.” There was security in that.

  She stood up from the bed and pressed her jeans down with the palms of her hands.

  “Here I go,” she said.

  “Look at me,” Cal said, taking her face in his hands and looking her right in her eyes. “This is yours today. You have all the power. You can say yes or no to any of it or all of it. You can accept as much as you want of them. You’re just going to hear them out. Then you won’t let them leave any questions unanswered.”

  “Thank you. What would I do without you?” She leaned into Cal and hugged him.

>   “I’m right beside you,” he promised. “Ready?”

  Dallas nodded and slid her fingers through Cal’s.

  “Okay. I’m ready.”

  * * *

  The ride to her brother’s house was quiet. Dallas sat in the front seat of Cal’s car, nearly squeezing his hand blue as he drove halfway across town to the south side, near Hillcrest High School. His old model Porsche 911 pulled into the driveway on Magnolia Circle.

  Houston’s house was big, though not like Cal’s. This lovely area of town was the perfect spot for families, with great schools and the sort of neighbors who would host backyard barbeques. It occurred to her she didn’t even know what Houston did for a living. She didn’t know her brother anymore. He was a complete stranger.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” Dallas said as she opened her car door.

  She stood on Houston’s driveway, knowing things would certainly be different from back when they were young. She had never seen Houston’s adult home. She had missed him falling in love with his wife, Amy. She hadn’t been part of his wedding—she hadn’t even known he’d had a wedding until recently. Every single thing would be new to her as soon as she crossed that threshold just inside his front door.

  Dallas was also about to see her little actors from the play, Anna Beth and Austin, and she knew that in just a few minutes their lives would change, too, when they learned she was their aunt.

  If life could be like a fairy tale, she wouldn’t be alone anymore, she’d finally have her family back. But she knew fairy tales were just that, and so she prepared herself to take what she could get.

  She held Cal’s hand as they walked up the sidewalk and rang the doorbell of Houston’s home. She could see the big family Christmas tree through the front window. The thought crossed her mind for a split second to turn back to Cal’s car and run. She stood nervously at the door, shifting her weight. The huge wreath on the door prevented whoever opened it from seeing who was there ringing the bell. Dallas could hear a dog barking, and the children laughing—and the footsteps of whoever would click the lock and finally open the door, changing all of their lives forever.

  43

  Dallas tightened her grip on Cal’s hand just as Anna Beth swung open the door.

  “Ms. Dallas! Look, Austin, our teacher’s here.” She wrapped her arms around Dallas’s waist in excitement. “Look, it’s Mr. Cal, too!” She ran off to find her brother, Austin, just as Amy rounded the corner from the kitchen drying her hands with a dish towel.

  “Come in, come in,” she said, a puzzled look on her face.

  Just then, Houston came in from up the hallway. He froze at the door, and Dallas could see their mom just in the other room. LouAnn smiled at Dallas, looking relieved that she had actually shown up, then she rounded up Anna Beth and Austin and took Amy and headed out of the living room and into the kitchen.

  Cal gave Dallas’s arm a squeeze. She smiled a small smile and nodded, letting him know she would be okay. He walked on into the kitchen behind LouAnn and Amy to give Dallas and Houston their privacy.

  As soon as they were alone, Houston stepped toward his estranged sister and hugged her, tightly, for several seconds, as though he’d never let go. Both of them began to sob. All of those years of anger and resentment seemed to melt within their embrace. “Dallas, I don’t know where to begin. All I can think to say is that I’m so sorry,” Houston said. “I am just so sorry for everything.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry, too. But...I tried to write to you. Did you get any of my letters?”

  “I did. I was just so stupid back then, and so was Mother for allowing me to act that way.” His face was streaming with tears as he led her to the living room and sat down on the couch.

  “I just want you to know, I realize now that you were a child and you thought you were saving me. But I was just a kid back then, too. I know that now, but so much time had gone by that I just didn’t know what to say anymore. I had no idea how to make up for what I’ve done to our family,” he sobbed.

  Houston swallowed hard, trying to pull himself together. Finally, he managed, “I’ve missed you. Do you have any idea how much I’ve missed you?” He hugged Dallas again. “I want to know every single thing I’ve missed.”

  “Looks like I’ve missed even more,” Dallas said as he held her. “Whatever happened to whatshername?”

  “Oh, Eleanor? She eventually divorced her husband, then ran off with someone else. She was exactly what you said. But I was too young and full of myself back then to see what was right in front of me. After all those years passed and she was gone, I was afraid to try to contact you. You had stopped writing, and I knew I deserved what was happening. I was afraid you’d never speak to me again, and rightfully so, but I couldn’t bear to face the rejection. I know how selfish that must sound.”

  “So, you never even tried? Of course I would have been so mad at you, but even with all that, I would have forgiven you. In the end we would have had our family back together. I’ve always thought, since all these years had passed, that you were still mad at me. I’ve felt disowned and thrown away. With Mother not talking to me either, I thought for sure you must have married the witch and you were somewhere living happily ever after.”

  “My ego was my worst enemy. Then my pride got in the way. Back then I couldn’t be wrong about anything, but the price I paid in losing you wasn’t worth any of it. I lost my little cheerleader. My very best friend.”

  Dallas was so emotional, she could barely hear him as she laid her head on his chest and they both sobbed.

  “I love you, Dallas. Let’s not lose another minute.”

  “I love you, too, and I’m sorry it took me so long to forgive you.”

  “Now it’s time to forgive Mom, too,” he said.

  “Let’s not get carried away, here.”

  They laughed, easing the tension of the moment a little.

  “I know she’s a tough one. She was the parent, and it was her job to help us figure all that out. But I know she’s sorry, too. She has lived with the guilt of it all for so long, and she’s wanted us all back together for years.”

  “Why did she wait until now to try and make it happen? I mean, I really appreciate that you two didn’t live in silence forever, and I’m grateful that we’re here today, but it’s been twenty years, Houston. Why is it so important to her that we reunite all of a sudden?” Dallas asked.

  “She didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?” Dallas sat up and wiped her tears with the sleeve of her sweater.

  “Mom had a major health scare last month.”

  Dallas was stunned. Her mother’s weary-looking appearance that night at her house made more sense now. “I had no idea. Is she okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s fine. But it really took a toll on her and made her think about everything.” Houston relaxed his back into the sofa and held Dallas’s hand as he explained. “She’s agonized over this split for so long. The truth is, all of us have been so scared and, really, so stubborn. So, when she thought she was sick, she thought she’d lost her opportunity to bring us together. But then she found out the tests came back negative, and it was like she had another shot at life. This is all she’s been thinking about since then. It’s like we’ve all been given a second chance to finally get it right.”

  “That’s why she’s been tenacious in calling me.”

  “Well, you didn’t get that trait outta the clear blue, you know.” He raised his eyebrows at her and smiled. “Want to go meet the family?” he asked her.

  “I most certainly do,” Dallas said, smiling. “But what will you tell the kids about why they never knew I was their aunt? I don’t know about you, but I’d rather they didn’t hear all about what happened. I want to have a clean slate with them, if I can.”

  “I’ll tell them we all just foun
d out. For now that should work. I know they’ll be asking questions soon enough, but by then I’ll have thought of something.”

  “And Amy?”

  “I told her a little bit the other night after we ran into each other. I’ll fill her in on everything else after the kids go to bed tonight.”

  Houston stood up, still holding her hand. “Dallas, I’ve really missed you. Let’s make an agreement. Never again, okay?”

  “I promise, never again. If either of us ever have a problem or get mad, we’ll just scream it out like all families do. I’m so happy I have you back. I never want to lose my family again.”

  Her eyes brimming with happy tears now, she finally had her hero back. And it didn’t even take her a second to find that forgiveness and that trust she was so worried about. It was right there all along, just under the surface, waiting for the moment when it would all be okay again. They embraced again, holding each other tightly before heading into the kitchen.

  Now she had to face her mother. After all those years apart, she harbored much more anger toward LouAnn than Houston. She felt her mother was much more responsible for what had happened. But now, as they walked into the kitchen, Cal, LouAnn and Amy all sitting at the table watching Anna Beth and Austin play in the backyard, she knew it would all be okay. Her eyes met LouAnn’s as she stood and hugged her only daughter, both of them crying tears of joy and regret. Dallas had never even realized she had so much emotion inside her, since she’d been shoving it down for so long. But over the past month, her firewall had begun to crack, and today the entire thing had come crashing down. She was just beginning to see that maybe fairy tales and Christmas wishes actually do come true.

  44

  “How do you feel, babe?” Cal asked as they walked back to his car.

  “Like an entirely new person,” Dallas answered, exhausted from the entire experience, but feeling content with how well things had gone.