by K L Hughes
Chapter 13
Leaving the McElroy home proved to be as awkward for Fiona as her arrival. The events of the weekend hung in the air like a thick fog. The entire family, with the merciful exception of Grandma Sophia, who elected to remain in her chair in the living room, had gathered on the large front porch to say goodbye. Fiona stood among them with her suitcase handle in one hand and the tinfoil-covered remainder of her prize pie in the other. The smile she wore felt as oversized and uncomfortable as the puffy marshmallow coat Rosie had insisted she take with her.
“Are you sure you want to go back early?” Rosie’s hands skated up and down Michael’s arms. “I think you should stay.”
“It’s fine, Mom. It’s just one day. We aren’t missing anything.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Really.” He drew her into a hug and patted her back. “It’s better that we go ahead and go.”
“Oh, hon. No one here’s going to make a stink, really. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Mom,” Lizzie said, shoving Michael out of the way to hug her, “we’re going.” She slung one arm around Rosie’s neck and smacked a kiss on her cheek. “Stink or no stink, so you’ll just have to let us.”
“Well.” She cupped Lizzie’s cheek, then gave it a quick pinch. “That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
“All right.” Charlie Sr. massaged his wife’s shoulders, then gently moved her aside. “Let’s let the rest of us get our hugs in so the kids can get on the road. It’ll be dark before you know it.”
“It’s not even lunch yet, Dad.”
“Come here.” He held Lizzie close, resting his cheek on the top of her head. “You don’t get into any trouble while you’re up there, hear?”
“Nope. I plan to get into as much trouble as I possibly can.”
He chuckled. “Little devil.”
“Always.” Lizzie turned toward the rest of the family, all hovering around like a flock of pigeons waiting for crumbs, and opened her arms wide. “Who’s next?”
One by one, the McElroy family said their goodbyes. They hugged on Michael and Lizzie as if the two were headed off for war. Fiona wondered if it was always this way or if this Christmas’s shocking revelations had anything to do with it. As they went about it all, Rosie slipped out of the crowd and right into Fiona’s orbit.
“Oh,” Fiona said. “Mrs. McElroy.”
“Oh, now, hon, we don’t have to go back to that.” She held her hands just in front of her, just over her stomach with her fingers locked together as if she was unsure of what to do with them. It clearly wasn’t in her nature to keep her hands to herself. She was a toucher, a patter, a hugger, but the ease between them seemed to have been soured. Rosie’s smile wasn’t as big or as bright and even seemed a bit timid. “I don’t want you to think I’m angry with you, because I’m not.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well, I’ve got no reason to be, do I? It was Michael’s half-cocked plan, after all.” She untangled her hands and reached out but seemed to think better of it just before she touched. Her hand retracted. “You’re still someone special to Michael, whether you’re dating him or not, and I suppose now you’re pretty special to Lizzie, too.”
Fiona tightened her hold on her suitcase and pie. She shifted from foot to foot, unsure of what to do or say. “They’re special to me, too. Both of them.”
“I hope so.”
“They are.”
“Good.” A long pause followed, filled only by the chatter of the others moving and talking around them. “Well, I guess I’ll say Merry Christmas, then.” She reached out again and, this time, followed through. Her hand landed on Fiona’s upper arm, a gentle weight, and gave a soothing squeeze.
“Merry Christmas,” Fiona said with a smile that felt more sad than good. “I’m glad I finally got to meet you. All of you.”
“Hopefully, we’ll get to see you again soon.” Fiona expected the words to sound hollow, something said out of courtesy or expectation, but they didn’t. They sounded and felt as genuine as Rosie’s motherly touch.
“Do you really mean that?” Fiona asked before Rosie could walk away.
“Oh, hon.” A bright smile showed all of Rosie’s front teeth, a smile that so reminded Fiona of Lizzie. “One thing you’ll learn about me is I rarely say things I don’t mean.” She squeezed Fiona’s arm again. “Now, you take care of yourself, hear? And come back and see us.”
Fiona grinned to herself as Rosie blended back into her pack of children. “Yes, ma’am.” She watched them all smiling at one another, laughing and pushing each other’s shoulders. Joking and saying goodbye over and over as they started conversation after conversation, never quite able to make a clean break. It was a beautiful kind of chaos Fiona was content to witness and grateful to be a part of.
“And when Jack calls, tell him to FaceTime me after, okay?” Lizzie told Charlie as she reached behind her to find Fiona, as if sensing Fiona’s presence. Fiona released her suitcase handle and took her hand instead. “Promise me.”
“I already promised I would, Liz.” Charlie laughed and kissed her temple, pulling her into a one-armed hug and yanking Fiona in along with his sister. “Now, stop hounding me.”
“It’s a favorite pastime of mine.”
“I know.”
“Tell Sophie to tell you to tell Jack to call, though, because even if you forget, she’ll remember.”
“How do you know I won’t forget to tell her to tell me to tell Jack, though?”
“Oh, damn, you’re right. Soph!”
“Hey.” Michael sidled up beside Fiona and took the handle of her suitcase. “You ready to go?”
“I’ve been ready for a while now.”
“Yeah, saying goodbye is a marathon in this family. You kind of just have to drag yourself away at some point.” He glanced to where her hand entangled with Lizzie’s. It had become a tether. Lizzie held on but strained against it, shouting reminders at one sibling, then another. “Oh, good. You’ve already got hold of her. Just tug her, and she’ll come.”
Fiona snorted. “Okay.” She gave Lizzie’s hand a gentle tug and was surprised to see it worked. Lizzie shuffled backward as if being reeled in on a fishing line.
“Wait,” she said, suddenly digging her heels into the porch. “Where’s Jessie?”
“I’m in the car!”
Everyone seemed to jump at the same time, startled by the annoyed voice ringing out from behind them. Jessie sat in the passenger seat of Michael’s car with a bright-blue beanie jammed down over her thick hair. The driver’s side window was down, and she seemed to have been watching them all for a while.
“What are you doing?” Michael asked, only then realizing that his keys weren’t in his pocket anymore. The car was running, its exhaust billowing out the back pipe and clouding up the cold air.
“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m going with you guys.”
“Jessica Lynn, you can’t just hop in a car and decide to drive to a different state!”
“I’m not driving. Michael is.”
Michael laughed and looked at Rosie. “Is it all right if she stays with me for a couple days?”
“Well, I guess, but you’ll have to drive her back down.”
“Yeah, I will.”
She called to Jessie. “What about your presents, hon?”
“Yeah, I opened mine while you guys were arguing about Mike and Lizzie leaving. Literally died over the Ray Bans.” She popped on a brand-new pair of sunglasses despite the sky being mostly gray. “Thanks!”
“Spoiled rotten, I tell you.” Defeated, Rosie waved at her youngest. “I guess you’re too grown now to kiss your old mom goodbye, then.”
“Yup. Bye, Mom.” The window began its ascent, and Jessie slowly disappeared behind the glass. “Love ya!”
“
She seems pretty alive to me considering she ‘literally died’ an hour ago,” Brian said with a snort. “All right, guys. I’m going in. It’s cold as all get-out. See you guys.” He clapped Michael on the shoulder. “Safe trip.”
“Yeah, thanks, man.”
All but Brian stayed to watch them toss their bags into the car and climb in. Lizzie and Fiona piled into the back as Michael took the driver’s seat. Rosie waved and waved as the car started up and crept out of the snow-covered driveway.
“Finally,” Jessie said as Fiona clipped in her seatbelt and Lizzie skipped her seatbelt altogether. She lay down across Fiona’s lap instead and stared up at her, an easy smile on her beautiful, freckled face.
“Finally,” she repeated, reaching up to trace the length of Fiona’s nose with the tip of her index finger. “Here we go.”
Fiona grabbed her hand and kissed her palm. “Here we go.”
“Ooh, Mike, you think Taco Bell is open?” Jessie asked. “I’m munching so hard right now.”
“Oh my God,” he said, “are you high?”
Lizzie laughed and stretched one hand toward the front seat. “Pass it.”
“I brought the pipe, too,” Jessie said as she passed back a skinny silver vape pen. “It’s in my bag.”
“Nice.” Lizzie quickly took a drag. She trapped the smoke in her chest for one long moment before blowing it loudly back out. “Want?”
Fiona looked at the pen being danced around in front of her face. “I’ll pass on the pot,” she said, “but I could definitely go for Taco Bell.”
“Deal.”
“As long as you’re buying.”
Lizzie narrowed her eyes at her, then smiled. “Deal.”
“Will you buy mine, too?” Michael asked.
“No.”
“But you’re buying Fiona’s.”
“That’s because she owes me,” Fiona said, and Jessie leaned into the space between the seats so she could look back at them.
“What for?”
“Oh my God,” Michael said as he looked up and caught Fiona’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Please don’t.”
It was too late. A laugh began to build in her chest. With one glance down at Lizzie, Fiona lost all control. She cackled around the words as she and Lizzie simultaneously shouted, “An incredible orgasm!”
About KL Hughes
KL Hughes is an American author and screenwriter. Growing up in a small town, she spent much of her time inventing various ways to entertain herself and others. Whether through vocal performances or theatrical reenactments of books, movies, and actual events, Hughes showcased her extensive imagination and creativity at an early age.
Hughes later pursued and earned a bachelor of liberal arts degree in theatre arts and English literature. Her collegiate studies allowed her to develop and hone her skills in both creative writing and editing.
Working as a writer full-time, Hughes lives in California with her wife and two dogs. When not writing, she enjoys theatre and film, travel, visits to old cemeteries and haunted houses, putting on one-woman musicals for her wife, long walks and hikes, family time, and, of course, a good book.
Connect With KL Hughes
Twitter: @Chrmdpoet
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© 2019 by KL Hughes
ISBN (mobi): 978-3-96324-264-9
ISBN (epub): 978-3-96324-265-6
Also available as paperback.
Published by Ylva Publishing, legal entity of Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Ylva Verlag, e.Kfr.
Owner: Astrid Ohletz
Am Kirschgarten 2
65830 Kriftel
Germany
www.ylva-publishing.com
First edition: 2019
No part of th
is book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.
Credits
Edited by Michelle Aguilar and Amber Williams
Cover Design by KL Hughes
Print Layout by Streetlight Graphics