by Willow Dean
The whole estate appears very well maintained. They must have a decent gardener to keep it in such pristine condition. It sure as hell can’t be just Rick and his uncle.
It would require an entire goddamn team to maintain the garden alone, never mind the rest of the mansion and the expanse of ground that it covers. All in all, it must be an expensive upkeep.
As the car pulls up to the front doors, I work hard to suppress a shudder as my eyes go straight to the steps where Creepy McCreeperson tackled me.
I’m not too keen on reliving that experience again.
Looking back, I didn’t feel all that fearful at the time. Whether it was down to the alcohol or the adrenaline, I don’t know.
It was almost as though I knew deep down that my body wouldn’t sustain any irreparable damage and that everything would work out in the end. It was an odd feeling.
Instinctively, my body didn’t allow me to be consumed with terror. Instead, it recognized the need to get someone to come to my aid.
I’ve always been clear headed and rational in stressful situations, I guess it just never really registered until now.
The car comes to a standstill and Mum turns back to me, handing over the leather jacket. I raise a questioning eyebrow.
“We said our thanks last night. Now it’s your turn, Pumpkin,” she says wickedly.
Great. Just great. Well this isn’t going to be awkward as fuck, is it?!
Deciding it’s better just to get it over and done with, I huff. Snatching the jacket from her hands, they all laugh at me as I jump out of the car like my ass is on fire.
Of course, as luck would have it, I don’t even get a second to prepare myself as the front doors open to reveal a very large and intimidating figure.
It takes everything in me to not roll my eyes at whoever’s job it is to decide my fate.
“Good afternoon, M. How are you feeling today?” Rick’s eyes light up with mirth as he crosses his arms over his chest and leans against the doorframe.
The sparkle in his eyes dims slightly as they inspect my body from head to toe, before eventually coming to settle on my ankle.
It’s almost as if he’s checking me over for any new injuries I may have acquired overnight. I doubt the awkward gait I’ve adopted has been missed by his appraisal either.
Wearing shorts and slip on trainers, the multi-colored splatter that is my ankle is hardly hidden. Neither are the polka-dot spots that are dotted around the front of my thighs and shins from where that fucker smashed me against the stairs.
“Much better, thank you. The ankle isn’t quite as painful as it was last night. As for everything else,” I say distractedly as I give myself a quick once over. “Well, the bruises will heal quickly.” I shrug.
An odd look flits across his face, one that I can’t quite place.
“Erm…” I clear my throat, diverting my gaze. “I er- I just wanted to thank you. To thank all of you for your help last night.”
His congenial nod of acceptance is in complete contrast to the cocky way he continues to hold himself.
Enjoying watching me squirm, it’s obvious he’s in no hurry to ease my discomfort.
Gah, this is awkward as hell! Someone please kill me now.
“So…erm yeah. Oh! Here, I don’t know where he lives, but I thought Aus might appreciate getting his jacket back too.”
Yeah, what a great idea! Hand it to his friend so you don’t have to see the guy who’s jacket you used as a snuggle buddy last night.
Ignorance is bliss and all that.
Taking the jacket from me, his eyes hold a satisfied gleam as his hand gently brushes against mine.
He chuckles at the reddening of my cheeks before his mood instantly sobers.
“We’re just glad you’re okay, M. I’m really sorry about last night. It happened on my watch and it should never have gotten to that point,” he apologizes, looking truly regretful.
For what I’m not sure, but it’s clear he’s leaving something unsaid.
Anger and guilt swirl in his eyes before his usual calm facade falls back into place. “Where are you off to?” He asks, trying to divert my attention.
“Oh. Erm, we’re going camping in the Redwoods, just West of here. It’s our annual trip.” A smile lights my face as I recall fond memories.
Dad on his guitar as Mum and I sing along. All of us gathered around the campfire, toasting marshmallows.
Trekking in the forest. Fishing. White water rafting, and my all-time favorite, climbing.
Lost to my thoughts, Rick’s voice startles me when he speaks again. “Well enjoy yourselves and stay safe. Oh, and thanks for returning the jacket. Aus would be lost without it. It’s his favorite,” he teases knowingly.
What ever happened to hoes before bros?!
Gem told me exactly what I did with Aus’s jacket last night. It seems like Aus wasn’t exactly shy about sharing that information with others either.
Bastard.
Without another word, I don an awkward smile and hightail it back to the car with a limp that makes me look a lot like Bambi.
Waving a hand over my head in goodbye, I purposely avoid looking back as I settle into my seat and ignore the snickers that fill the space.
Gem finally comes to the rescue, preventing any awkward conversations my parents planned on starting.
“Come on, Jacksons. Let’s get this show on the road!” She hollers as she leans over the console, turning the radio volume up to max.
It’s camping time biatches!
5 Mila
Car jams are mine and Gem’s thing. They are without a doubt, one of the most entertaining and enjoyable things to do as a family.
Everyday, but today that is.
Head banging whilst recovering from a hangover really isn’t such a great idea. Nor is it pleasant.
Just over an hour into the journey now and we are both overcome with the desperate need to find solid ground, in an attempt to retain at least some of our dignity.
Gem appearing a particularly sickly, and slightly concerning, shade of green.
“Erm, Dad,” I croak, taking a second to inhale a deep breath to try and calm my nausea. “Please can we stop at the next service station. I think-” Uh-oh.
Breathe, Mila. In and out. In and out.
“I think Gem and I could both do with a pit stop sometime soon,” I request hastily, just as another wave of stomach wrenching nausea rolls over me.
Being mature adults, my parents simply chuckle at our obvious discomfort. Gem can’t even acknowledge my plea. Instead, her hand shoots to her mouth as she closes her eyes and breathes deeply.
“Sure thing, Pumpkin. Just give me a heads up if you need us to make a chuck stop before then,” he teases, looking to Gem in the mirror as she gives him a shaky thumbs up.
Shaking my head in amusement, I stop rather quickly when it feels like my brain is sloshing around whilst being pulverized by Thor’s hammer.
My stomach really can’t cope with the motion either.
Deep breaths. In through your nose. Out through your mouth.
Fortunately, not too long after, we see signs for the service station and take the exit. It’s a trucker stop that we often use, but it seems rather busy in comparison to normal.
Gem and I practically launch ourselves out of the car before it’s even come to a full stop. The two of us walking around like prisoners who haven’t seen the light of day in years.
It takes everything in me not to drop to the floor and start kissing the blessed, unmoving earth.
Dramatic much? Hell, yeah. Do I care what you think? Nope.
It feels so good to be on solid ground, despite my ankle shouting in protest every now and again.
Gem grabs me by the arm and drags me towards the shop just as Dad shouts, “Back at the car in fifteen!”
“Sure thing, Daddio!”
The cheek of this one?!
Gem’s remark has me chortling with laughter as I peer over my shoulder
to see Dad shaking his head, chuckling to himself quietly.
Mum gets his attention and they start talking so I turn back to watch where I am walking. It wouldn’t be very good if I toppled over on my ankle again now would it?!
“What sweets do you want, Mimi? Fancy getting some nice ol’ snickerdoodles?”
“Bleh, anything but! I fancy some of that amazing double chocolate ice cream that you like.”
“I gotcha, Babe. Let’s get some tasty treats!”
As we approach the shop, four bikers pull in. Dismounting and flipping out their kickstands, they take off their helmets and shut off the engines.
They must be sweating it up in their leathers, it’s hella hot out today!
As if noticing us staring, they all lift their heads to look over in our direction. A shiver runs down my spine as goose bumps rise on the back of my neck.
“I would say they are good looking, but they give me the major creeps,” Gem shudders. “Let’s get that ice cream and leave. Pronto.”
I nod in agreement as we quicken our pace and head into the shop.
“You grab the ice cream and I’ll get us some soda. Want anything in particular?” With a quick shake of her head, we part ways.
I’m perusing the fridges when two of the bikers stroll in, right up behind me. Anyone else would think they were just looking at snacks, but I’ve always been far too observant for my own good.
I watch on as they discretely assess the room and mark all the exit points. Causally angling their bodies so they can see the entire room, they remove their hands from their pockets and pretend to peruse the shelves.
Each action is measured. Each gesture appears normal and subtle enough to be overlooked by a regular person.
Neither of which are overlooked by someone with hyper-vigilance like me though. I see it all.
It doesn’t escape my notice when they attempt to flank me by standing flush against the end of the shelves I’ve sandwiched myself between. Trying and failing miserably at boxing me in. I made sure there was an open aisle behind me for that exact reason.
Idiots.
Not bothering to see what’s on offer, I quickly grab a couple of random sodas off the shelf and meet Gem in the queue for the tills.
My ankle protests violently at my haste, but I ignore it. I have no idea what they are up to and I’d rather not find out.
The two remaining bikers moving to stand behind us have me silently urging the queue to hurry up. Of course, the sweet little old lady in front of us picks that moment to start searching her Mary Poppins bag for her purse.
God damn it!
I’m all up for helping the older generation and respecting my elders, but she needs to hurry the fuck up. I just want to buy these things and get the hell outta dodge!
For all I know, they could be normal guys just trying to go about their business. I’m probably just paranoid after what happened last night, but I’d rather not chance it.
I’ve always had good instincts and I don’t intend to start ignoring them now. Something feels off.
Clearly I’m not the only one who feels that way either as Gem starts shifting uneasily at my side. I lay a comforting hand on her shoulder and give her a reassuring smile as we reach the checkout.
Paying for the items, we waste no time in leaving. Putting myself between Gem and the bikers, I follow her lead as someone stumbles into me from behind, grabbing my arm in the process.
“Sorry, Miss. I didn’t see you there.”
Whatever, Buddy.
Giving him a disgruntled look, I yank my arm free. He immediately withdraws his hands and places them by his head.
Ignoring his apology, I hustle after Gem and guide her towards the car. Hobbling unsteadily on my ankle, I throw a few furtive glances over my shoulders to make sure that we aren’t being followed.
I let go of the breath I’d been holding as we round the corner and have the car in sight, with Dad pacing back and forth uneasily in front of it.
As he hears us approaching, he turns to face us with his phone glued to his ear as a look of relief flits across his face.
Finishing his call tersely, he walks over to us and places an arm around our shoulders, guiding us back to the car.
“Ready to go, girls?” He falsely cheers as a veil of tension settles in the air. His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes as they dart uneasily over our shoulders.
“Who was on the phone, Dad?” I ask anxiously.
“Oh, just someone from work.” He waves us off. “There was an issue with one of the deliveries and they needed some paperwork that was in my office. I was just telling them where to find it. Did you get what you wanted?”
“Erm, yeah. We are all set to go,” I say distractedly.
Spinning around to look for Gem, my heart falters for a second when I can’t find her. That is, until I catch her head ducking below the window of the back seats.
Bitch!
Peering over the lip of the window at us, spoon in mouth, she’s already in the car chowing down on the ice cream.
Our ice cream.
Dad squeezes my shoulder and urges me to get in the car. “Come on, Pumpkin. We best get moving. It’ll be dark soon.”
Thankfully, the rest of the journey goes smoothly and we arrive just before sundown.
After setting up camp we gather around the campfire to eat, using felled logs as seats, whilst exchanging ghost stories and reminiscing.
A couple of two-man tents stand erect behind us, each containing only the bare essentials. No electronics. No distractions. Just nature and good company.
Relaxing under the stars together, we simply enjoy the sounds of the night as the fire crackles in front of us.
Dad disappears for a minute before returning with his guitar and sitting on the log closest to the fire. His face is illuminated in warm shades of orange and red as he begins to tune the instrument.
Dancing excitedly in front of him, the fire flares and ebbs as if it too, senses the promise of music.
After several minutes of awful twangs, he begins to strum a slow ballad as Mum sings along to the tender notes.
Recognizing the song, I harmonize with them as Gem chips in every now again.
The cry of the coyotes in the distance only complements the beauty of the music. Everyone and everything at peace, as it should be.
There’s just something so liberating about being surrounded by natural flora and fauna, whilst basking under the light of the stars.
When shared with those who you love, you find yourselves floating in a sea of peaceful serenity. Something so tranquil and soothing to the soul, that it offers a sense of warmth and completeness that fills you to the very core.
I expel a heavy sigh as my parents begin to sing my favorite lullaby. All of my stress and anxiety simply drain away.
Tilting my head back, I take in the wonders of the vast night sky as Gem’s hand slots perfectly into mine. A sense of belonging fills me, but it’s tinged with an edge of fear and uncertainty that I can’t place.
We lay there for hours just relaxing by the fire. Laughing and joking around, throwing in the occasional singsong here and there.
The atmosphere soon becomes serious again when Dad decides to regale us with tales of his more youthful days.
More than an hour later, and he is still engrossed in his most famous retellings, one that I’ve heard a million times from when he was in the army before he retired.
He’s an avid storyteller. I’ll give him that. It’s amusing to hear what he comes up with next. Some of the stories he comes out with are so far fetched they are so very difficult to believe.
One of them takes place in the middle of the Amazonian rainforest. Following his commander’s orders, they extracted the victims of an illegal experimentation ring and shut down the whole crime syndicate involved.
I could have been swayed to believe him with a little encouragement, until he added me into the mix. Apparently, he was my knight in shining armour a
nd swept me off my little tot feet, carting me out in a pink dinosaur costume.
Yeahhh…not buying that.
The whole thing was somewhat plausible up until he divulged that nugget of information. Yet, I can’t help but sense a hint of truth to his words.
The way he cycles through a multitude of facial expressions gives enough information to belie the authenticity of his recollection. To what extent though, I’m not sure.
His story is just about coming to an end when a wave of exhaustion envelops me. All I want to do is crawl into bed and cuddle up to sleep.
When he finally finishes, I say goodnight and break off from the group. Gem follows shortly after and joins me as we both get ready in silence.
Lying down to face one another, she looks at me solemnly. It’s not hard to notice the sadness in her eyes and I’m pretty certain I know exactly what she’s thinking right now.
“Thank you for looking out for me, Mimi. You are all so amazing. I actually feel like I have a family who cares about me when I am with you guys.”
Closing her eyes for a few seconds, she takes a deep breath, only to re-open her eyes to reveal a glossy gaze.
“I feel like I belong here, ya know? You guys respect me for who I am and what I can do. You don’t belittle or ridicule me for my choices. It’s refreshing, and well…comforting. It’s-” Her voice breaks as her eyes slam shut.
Closing herself off from the world, she takes a heavy, shuddering breath.
Gently taking her hand in mine, I wait patiently for her to continue.
“It’s nice to feel loved and cherished by someone,” she whispers as a lone tear slips down her face.
I tug on the edge of her sleeping bag. She understands exactly what I want as we both do a shimmy shuffle closer to each other.
Pulling her to me, we snuggle close, enjoying each other’s company. Resting my chin on her head, I stroke her hair away from her face thinking of how to phrase my next words.
“Gem, you are my sister, whether by blood or not, nothing will ever change what you mean to me. Everyone should be allowed to make their own choices in life. Everyone should be cherished and supported by their loved ones, irrespective of the path they choose to take. You are no different,” I state firmly.