Welcome to Hell: Rediscovering First Love

“Leave it to Keegan to bring the house down,” Littie said helping my sisters bring the food I had prepared out of the refrigerator and to the island in the middle of the kitchen.

“I want to see Yancy and Keegan for a moment,” I said leaving the ladies to do the work I should be doing. They were family they didn’t mind taking care of the final preparations.

Outside my mother and my daughter were sitting in the porch swing rocking gently, smiling and laughing. They hadn’t been this close since Keegan was a small child. Keegan’s blue hair tickled Yancy’s face.

“You could have told me,” I admonished them sitting down next to Keegan where there was room.

“What and spoil my surprise?” Yancy replied leaning around my daughter she held in her arms so that she could see me. “I owed you Gabrielle.”

“Nana is going to pay her beautician in Hell to change it back to dark brown. I don’t need to be blue, green or purple anymore.”

“Oh and what about the piercings?” I asked.

“I want to keep the belly button ring because I think it’s cool but the others except for one hole in each earlobe I’ll let close up. I wish I had never had the eyebrow done,” Keegan admitted touching the scar that only slightly marred her otherwise beautiful face.

“Thank God,” I replied.

“Thanks Mom,” Keegan said gazing at me with open honest emotion filling her eyes, Kerry’s eyes, which were just as revealing as hers. “For allowing me to do the things you’ve allowed me to do. I know it hasn’t been easy. I’ve made some stupid mistakes.”

“Nothing fatal although I have to admit that I never understood your choices in regards to the piercings.”

Yancy laughed out loud.

“Isn’t it wonderful being a mother?” She asked me.

For the first time I thought I understood what my sisters and I had meant to her through the good and the bad we were her heart, her reason for being on this earth.

The party had moved outdoors to continue the celebration. Most of the women were settled on chairs on the front porch. Dusk was settling in and the soft glow of candles lit the porch. The men were in chairs around a fire pit off the driveway. Leftovers from dinner were put away. Dishes were in the dishwasher and it was running. Movers were coming tomorrow to start packing and moving mine and Keegan’s belongings to Hell, Michigan. Life was pretty damned good. Too good.

A car pulled into the driveway. A familiar car. My stomach felt like it dropped to the floor of the porch. I was out of my chair faster than any pregnant woman my size should have been able to do.

“Who is that Gabrielle?” My mother asked seeing the look of horror on my face.

“Mom.” Keegan knew who it was.

Shock prevented me from answering. Everyone was trying to look at who was coming up the drive on foot. He was in jeans, a tee shirt and sneakers. I wasn’t sure I had ever seen him dress this way.

“I’ll be damned,” I heard Littie exclaim.

He left his car at the end of the drive better to make a quick escape if needed? Kerry was out of his chair just as quickly as soon as he figured out who the visitor was and met me in the driveway. His fingers laced through mine. Troy, Brad and Pop were suddenly standing behind us. I looked over my shoulder at the wall of men. What the hell was he doing here?

“James.”

He was standing three feet from me. I could see he held a bag in his hand. I couldn’t read the expression or emotions in his face. He kept the hard mask in place.

“I have a present for Keegan for graduation from my mother and me.”

He had some nerve. I heard my mother echo my internal sentiments out loud. Keegan came off the porch to stand by me. No one was saying anything.

“You look beautiful Gabrielle,” James said a hard tone to his voice.

I cou

ld feel every muscle and bone tense in Kerry. I pulled back on his hand keeping him at my side. James wasn’t worth it. Keegan hadn’t reached out to take the gift from James. He continued to hold the bag out to her.

“I don’t want it,” she said softly.

I understood why. My head turned towards her. “Take it,” I urged her knowing this was the only way he would leave. His purpose had been to disrupt her party. He had accomplished that. He would not ruin her party.