“You’d better eat, because you must be delirious,” she jokes.
We eat in silence for a few minutes before she talks, her voice low and trembling.
“Aunt Chloe and my dad are siblings. Loved each other dearly. From what I know now, she hated my mom at the first sight. My dad was in deep and got Mom pregnant with Natalie. Chloe had a fit, and so did my grandparents, but Dad married Mom and tried to do the right thing. He moved to Alabama for a job, leaving the whole family behind.
“Chloe was the wild child, and when Dad started his family, my grandparents’ attention was directed solely on her. The harder they tried to control her, the more she rebelled. One day, a drifter rolled into town. As she tells it, he was the man of her dreams. They settled down in a small house south of town, and things were good for a while, but a few months after Chloe found out she was pregnant, he was killed in an industrial accident. My grandma used to say that she’d never seen devastation run so deep, but Chloe didn’t give in to depression.
“Cruz is named after his father, but everyone called him CK. One of the things CK was able to do was patch the rift between my parents, grandpare
nts, and Aunt Chloe. Dad stepped in to help Chloe as much as possible, which gave Cruz and Natalie a chance to grow up together for a while. When Mom got pregnant with me, she freaked out. She was terrified of another baby. My dad assured her it would be okay and convinced her not to abort me. From the time I was born, I was a nuisance.”
A nuisance? Is that how she grew up, thinking she was a bother? She looks at me with trepidation. I reach over and take both her hands in mine, waiting for her to continue. As much as I want to interrupt her to smother her in compliments and assure her she’s a gift to the world, I’m scared I may not get the rest of the story.
“Natalie was out of the baby stage and could do things on her own. I was a pest to my mom. Aunt Chloe knew it was bad and tried to help. She came to Alabama almost every weekend. My dad knew my mom was neglecting me, so he tried his best to make sure I was being taken care of. When Cruz started school, it was harder for Chloe to come down, so we came up to Nashville. But Mom always kept Natalie with her. Even when my grandparents died, Mom and Natalie only came for the funeral. My life was like that as long as I remember. Traveling on the weekends, playing with Cruz, hanging out with my dad.
“As the years went on, things got strange in my home. My dad tried, but we all knew Mom was having affairs. He wanted Natalie to have a normal home life, but she was too far imbedded into Mom. She was nasty, uncooperative, and rebellious. Mom waived it off and laughed, but never punished her. Dad couldn’t control her. By the time I was twelve, they both hated me.”
I watch as one lone tear drips down her cheek, followed by another. Then there’s an avalanche. She doesn’t sob, or even make a sound, but wet streaks pour down her face and I pull her into me. Small hands slink up my torso and grab my neck tight.
A movement in the room catches my eye, and Cruz and Alex stop in the doorway, watching us. They back out quietly as she has her moment.
“We don’t need to talk about anything else this morning.”
“There’s so much more.”
“Is this a one-time conversation?”
“No.”
“We’ll talk again when tears aren’t soaking my shirt. I’ve already told you. Not going anywhere.” I wipe her tear-stained cheeks gently.
“Woohoo! Anyone up and making out in the kitchen so I have to bleach my eyes before my coffee?” Cruz gives a very welcome interruption.
The somber mood changes immediately when they enter. Ember’s eyes shine as she smiles at them. “No one’s making out.” She laughs.
“Little Star, you need to check your cell. It’s going crazy. And Robbie, yours is, too,” Cruz says, taking Ember’s plate and placing the two phones on the counter.
There are several missed calls from my mom, her assistant, and one text from Raven.
Raven: 311— Get her under control.
“Robbie?” Ember’s panicked voice gets my attention.
“What’s wrong?”
“I have a slew of messages from all of Raven’s friends about showers, parties, and the wedding weekend. They’ve asked for my personal email address, my drink preferences, and Charlie wants to know if I have an aversion to – and I quote- ‘dicks, dildos, rabbits, cum cream, and other specialty objects’!” Her face flushes, and I cringe.
“Shit, babe, I thought I could keep you away from the initiation into the asylum. Guess my sister told her crazy friends you’re coming to the wedding.”
“You are kidding me? What do I say?”
“Easy answer, you respond with your email address and get ready to shop. You have a wedding to get ready for,” Cruz says, eating the rest off her plate.
She doesn’t even look at me as she pushes away and stalks toward her cousin who is leaning against the wall smugly. “Cruz! I don’t even know what rabbits, cum cream, and other specialty objects are. You forget, I live with two gay guys most of the time!”
“Gay or not, that stuff is awesome.”
I watch her face heat to the color of almost burning red before I speak. “Ember, I’m gonna go call my mom and handle her. Raven sent me a code 311 message. You okay with dinner tomorrow night?”