by Erin Zak
If I stated the facts first when I approached her, it might work. I could tell her that there was no rush, that I didn’t care when they left. I could ask them to stay. Forever.
How did this happen? How did I go from my peaceful introverted life to wanting to spend time with people I barely knew? And one of them was my daughter! If someone would have told me this was going to happen to me, I would have laughed in the person’s face.
The last two weeks had been a crazy fucking ride. That was for sure.
I found Susan in the kitchen looking at her phone. She quickly cleared the texting app from her screen when she saw me and turned her phone off. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying to me.” I pointed at her phone. “What do you have there?”
“A phone.”
“Susan, what’s going on?”
“So, I haven’t really been using my phone much because, well…” She paused, looked down at the iPhone and shrugged. “It’s not like I need to update anyone. And honestly? Seeing my inbox pile up with frantic text messages and voice mails from worried friends as Steven continues to look for us is not really helping matters.”
“That’s understandable—”
“My sister Melissa is on her way here.”
Susan blurted the words out so fast and over the top of mine that I barely understood what she said. “Excuse me?”
“My sister. Melissa. She’s on her way here. To St. Pete. To your condo.”
“I’m sorry. What?”
“Yeah, I think she’s freaking out.”
I was beside myself. “About what? Doesn’t she live in Chicago? She jumped on a plane and invited herself here? Who does something like that?”
Susan turned her phone on and tapped on the screen until she had the texting app pulled back up. She slid it over to me. “See for yourself.”
I looked down at Susan’s phone and started to read text after text:
Okay. So, I had to call the cops on your crazy husband. He came to Chicago looking for you. What the fuck, Susan? What is going on? Why is he acting like this? What happened?
You need to answer me, please.
Susan. What the fuck?
Okay. You’re going to make me do something drastic if you don’t respond to me.
You know what? Fine!
I landed in Tampa. You better be at this fucking address Beth gave me, or I’m going to kill you.
I looked up at Susan. “Why didn’t you respond to her?”
“I don’t know.” Susan shrugged. “I guess I didn’t want to talk to her…tell her anything… I was too worried. And if I start telling her about you, then what? I don’t even know what’s going on with you. She knew I was fine. And then the last two days I haven’t really been on my phone. I figured she’d at least talk to Beth.”
“Does Beth know that she’s coming?”
Another shrug from Susan.
“So, is she staying here?” My heart rate sped up. I didn’t really have room for more people! Or the desire to take in yet another person!
“I literally have no idea, Jackie,” Susan said softly. “I am so sorry.” Her voice was so sincere, and her eyes filled with tears.
“Oh my God.” My heart broke. “Do not worry about it. If she is staying here? Great. If she’s not? Even better.” I smiled, and Susan chuckled. I reached across the granite counter and lightly touched her right hand. “We’ll figure it out.”
As those words came out of my mouth, a knock at the door startled both of us. Susan covered her mouth with her hand and mumbled, “I’m so sorry.”
I let my head hang as I laughed. What else could I do? I left Susan in the kitchen and walked over to the door. When I opened it, I saw a woman that looked a lot like Susan standing there with a roller bag. “Hi. Melissa?”
“Jesus. Are you Jackie?”
“Yes.” What the hell was that supposed to mean?
“You’re gorgeous.”
“Well, okay then. I guess I can get over you inviting yourself down now that you said I’m gorgeous.”
Melissa raised her free hand in the air. “I am so sorry about doing this, by the way. I wasn’t going to, but when I didn’t hear from Susan, I honestly freaked out.”
Her Chicago accent was thick. I wondered how long she and Susan had been separated by all those miles. “Ya don’t say?”
Susan poked her head over my shoulder. “Hi,” she said softly, and Melissa’s face instantly changed from worried to melancholy, and she started crying.
“Oh, Suzie, I’m so sorry. I freaked out, and Steven was being so mean, I didn’t know what to do. Patrick told me to get on a plane. I listened. I didn’t know what else to do.” Melissa stopped talking when Susan pushed around me and hugged her sister. They were similar in almost every way, but Susan was about four inches shorter, and Melissa had longer hair. It fell below her shoulders, but it was the same dark brown with natural curls. I stood there and watched them hugging, Melissa still crying and Susan telling her it was okay.
“Do you two want to bring this inside?”
Melissa instantly started giggling as she pulled away from Susan. She wiped at her tears and sniffled before she pulled her suitcase into the condo. “Oh, Lord, you brought Myrtle? This is big,” Melissa said as she knelt down to pet the dog.
Susan moved past me, but as she did so, she slid her hand down my arm, wrapped her fingers around my wrist, and squeezed. “Let’s get you settled before we get into it.” Susan followed Melissa to the living room and then motioned for her to follow to the spare room. “You can sleep in my room, Mel. I’ll sleep on the couch,” Susan said. I wanted to tell her that she could share my bed, but I thought that’d throw Susan right over the edge.
After I closed the door, I headed for the balcony. Myrtle was right behind me and was in the chair before I could even sit down. She snuggled up next to me and let out a deep dog sigh. This cute little dog was really growing on me. I could guarantee that I never thought that would happen. When I was younger, I’d always wanted a dog, but my parents said no every time, so I got to the point where I buried the desire and turned it into disdain. Every person didn’t need to love animals. But I was finding out that maybe I hadn’t buried it deep enough because I was really enjoying the click-clack of Myrtle’s nails on the tile floors.
I could hear Susan and Melissa shuffling around in the bedroom, an occasional laugh, and then I heard Beth squeal, signaling that she knew Melissa was here. Melissa said how tan they both looked, to which Susan said, “Florida sun is being good to us.” Melissa gushed about how much she missed them both, and I heard another couple of squeals. It must have been nice having family that stayed close. After my mom passed away, it was pretty strange to actually hang out with or see family.
“Care if we join you?” Susan said as she walked onto the balcony with Melissa trailing behind her. They both sat in unison on the couch, and I stared at them. The resemblance was really striking, but they had a lot of unique features. Susan’s eyes were brown, first of all, and Melissa’s were blue. And second, their noses were different. Where Susan’s was slender, Melissa’s was slightly wider. And Melissa had barely any lips while Susan’s were full and luscious. At least, I assumed they were luscious. I wondered if I would get to taste them soon. Or would I not be able to at all now that Melissa was here?
God, was I the most selfish person on the planet or what?
“So, are you going to tell me what happened? And no offense, Jackie,” Melissa said as she put her hand toward me, “but why the hell did you impose on her when you could have come to me?”
“Well, this really wasn’t my idea.” Susan smiled. “And it’s not like you aren’t imposing…”
Melissa let out a groan. “I know, I know. I shouldn’t have jumped on a plane like that. But I was worried sick. Jackie, in case you were wondering, I have horrible anxiety. It’s ridiculous.”
Susan looked at me. “What she’s try
ing to say is that once she had it in her head, there was no way she couldn’t do it.”
I knew that feeling all too well. “You might not believe this, but I completely understand.”
“But Mel, I promise, everything is fine down here. Beth is doing really well away from Savannah. I don’t know what we’ll do when it’s time to leave.”
“Shouldn’t you be heading home soon? I feel like it’s been quite some time now.”
Susan looked down at her lap and then at me. “Probably.”
My heart clenched, and I tried to put a lid on my emotions. It was not my time to be the center of attention.
“I have to tell you,” Melissa said. She bit her thin bottom lip and looked out toward the gulf. “Calling the cops on Steven was quite entertaining.”
“Well, what did you tell him?”
“Considering that he was irate, I told him nothing. But dammit, Suzie, you really put me in a bind. And Patrick, too. He was so thrown off.”
Susan sighed. I knew she was embarrassed. I could tell by the way she adjusted her position. “I’m sorry, Mel. I really am. I had no idea he’d fly off the handle like that.”
“Uh, yeah, you did. He’s been doing that for years. Since you fucking met him.” Melissa put her hand on Susan’s leg and squeezed. “You should have left him ages ago.”
Susan nodded, and her eyes briefly found mine.
“He hit you?” Melissa asked, and she turned to look fully at Susan. “If we owned a gun, I might have shot the son of a bitch.” Her accent was out of control.
Susan laughed and leaned into her sister. “I kind of wish you had a gun now.”
“Me, too,” Melissa said while chuckling. It was her turn to look at me and hold my gaze for a few beats. I knew she was silently asking me if Susan was okay, so I nodded, and Melissa smiled. She had a beautiful smile, like her sister’s. I smiled back and tried not to think about Susan’s “probably” when asked if they should be leaving soon. I could not stop, though, and I could tell it was going to drive me nuts.
After Melissa and Susan had their time on the couch, I moved inside and let them be alone. They were laughing a couple times, and it made me feel slightly better about everything. I wasn’t sure why, though. Maybe because Susan wasn’t a hot mess any longer. Or maybe because I loved hearing Susan’s laugh.
* * *
Beth came bounding into the kitchen. “Do you need anything?” she asked and looked around the kitchen at the few items out of the refrigerator. “Even though I’m not going to be here for dinner I can help you if you need help.”
“Actually, yes, I could use the assist. Can you chop these veggies for a salad? A rough chop.” I watched Beth pull a medium-sized knife from the knife block and begin slicing the cucumbers and tomatoes. She knew how to handle the knife, which surprised me. “Do you cook at home?”
She nodded before she started speaking. “Mom taught me. Y’know, she’s Italian, so like, she loves to cook. And when my grandma Joy would visit, she’d take over the kitchen. The whole house would smell like garlic and pasta sauce. She made the best meatballs. I swear.”
“I do love a good meatball.”
“I mean, right?” Beth chuckled. “I miss her. She was a cool old lady.”
“When did she pass?”
“Like, two years ago. Mom was a hot mess.” Beth slid the chopped veggies into a bowl, tossed them a few times, and then said, “Do you have seasoned salt? I have this cool concoction I like to do with veggies for salad.”
I smiled, raised an eyebrow, and pointed to the spice cabinet. The little things amused me about her, like her ability to throw me off guard by enjoying cooking or how she seemed to be becoming a woman right before my eyes. I didn’t have the right to see this progression from a small, insecure kid to a self-aware young adult. I didn’t have any rights. But I was enjoying the show, regardless.
“I feel like maybe we should stay.”
Beth’s words broke my train of thought, and I stared at her, my mouth hanging open.
She looked at me and then back at the vegetable mixture. “I mean, like, y’know, I don’t want to go back.”
My mouth was still agape.
“It’s weird…” she said with a shrug. “I don’t know how to deal with this new person I’ve found within myself. I don’t know if she’ll survive the suffocation of Savannah.”
“Beth, honey,” I said. She turned, looked at me straight on, and I stopped. Her eyes were pleading. And my heart broke.
“The idea of going back there after everything is too much. And I don’t think either Mom or myself can go back. I know she’s trying to be strong. Acting like she can handle going back, when I know deep down…” Beth paused, and I saw her take a deep breath. “She is going through some shit.”
I was speechless. What the hell was Beth trying to say?
“I don’t want to leave you, either,” Beth whispered. She looked at the countertop, and I could tell that she was trying to hold herself together. Her chin was quivering, which was the same thing mine would do, and the dimple I passed on from my grandfather was so apparent.
“Look, Beth, listen to me,” I said as I placed my hands on her shoulders and turned her to face me. Her eyes found mine, tears filled to the brim. “You both can stay as long as you want and need. But,” I paused and wiped a tear as it slid down her cheek. “You’re going to have to start at a school. You can’t not go to school.”
Beth smiled and released a small giggle. “You really would let us stay?”
“Yes,” I said with a nod. “Of course I would.” Was she crazy? I was thrilled that was even an option! Of course, Susan might not be too hip on the idea. I wasn’t sure. “So, who’s going to break it to your mom?”
“Why do you think Aunt Melissa is here?” Beth smiled, looked at her watch, and then said, “Well, I gotta go. Peggy will be here any minute.”
“Whoa there, missy! No way.” I grabbed her arm as she walked away and gently pulled her back to me. “What the fuck do you mean why do I think your aunt is here? Don’t you lie to me. I can tell when people are lying.”
Beth shrugged. She had that same smile she had on when she first met me. It was wide, and her teeth were straight like mine, and I shook my head at her.
“You’re a little shit.”
“I know.”
Beth started to walk away again, and I said after her, “If you think you’re going to go out without Peggy coming up here to say hello, you are sorely mistaken.”
Beth turned, her mouth hanging open. “Jesus, when did you decide to become a mom? That was really good!”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m serious, Beth.”
“Oh, I know, Jackie,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll make sure she comes up to get me.” Beth turned and walked away, laughing the entire time.
Chapter Eleven
BETH
Peggy was so perfect with Mom and Jackie. And she even wowed Aunt Mel, which wasn’t normal. She was difficult and hard to please. But Peggy had her laughing, and I honestly had a hard time dragging her away. I didn’t want to stay with adults and talk about what’s new on TV (I loved the reboot of Will & Grace, so I would have totally talked about that), or what series did they recently binge on Netflix (Stranger Things, both seasons, in a day and a half, no fucking judgment please), or something lame like that. When I pulled on the sleeve of Peggy’s Beastie Boys T-shirt to signal to her that I was ready to get the hell out of there, she reached over and put her hand on my jean-covered knee and squeezed. I almost passed out.
And I saw my mom notice. And she glanced at Jackie, then at Aunt Mel, and then back at Peggy. She never made eye contact with me, which was probably good because I was ready to combust.
When we were safely inside Peggy’s Beetle, she turned and looked at me. “You’re so nervous, aren’t you?”
I let out a groan. “Yes. I am. I’m sorry. I get so freaking nervous around you.”
“Why is that?” She placed her hand
on my forearm and squeezed. “I’ll never hurt you. You know that, right?”
I couldn’t stop looking at her hand. She had a silver band on her middle finger and a tattoo of a heart right above it. Why was that so fucking sexy? Why, oh why, did I find everything about her so goddamn sexy? Literally every. Single. Thing. And I wanted so badly to tell her everything going on in my head, but come on, no one wanted to be word vomited on like that again.
“Georgia, look at me,” she said softly. Her voice was so perfect. It reminded me of a summer night: nine at night in a Dairy Queen drive-thru when I finally got to the first bite of the vanilla ice cream cone dipped in cherry. And that fucking nickname? I couldn’t handle it.
I pulled my gaze up to her blue eyes. Her makeup was flawless, her black eyeliner had wings, and her eyeshadow was glittery, and I couldn’t help myself as I leaned forward and captured her lips with mine. It was so everything I ever wanted in a kiss. It was a million times better than the night before. It was better than any other kiss I’d ever experienced before. She was literally changing everything about who I thought I was, and I didn’t give a flying fuck.
I bit her bottom lip and heard her moan softly. My panties were so damp. Was that normal? Was I supposed to be feeling like this from only a stupid kiss?
But God, it wasn’t stupid, was it? It was incredible. And I was starting to accept that whatever was happening to me was going to leave me breathless in its wake.
“We should go,” Peggy said against my lips and into our kiss. “Or I’m going to do something you might not be ready for.”
My entire body was set on fire. I pulled away from her slowly. “Peggy,” I whispered.
“C’mon, Georgia, let’s get out of here. I want to take you to my favorite spot.” She ran her fingertips down my cheek and along my jawline to where it met my ear. I had goose bumps everywhere. And I loved it. She placed one more tiny kiss on my lips before she turned toward the steering wheel and turned the car on. The engine sputtered to life, and she laughed. “I gotta get a new car.”