CHAPTER 11 #2
Miss Ruth propped the kitchen door open, and a heavenly smell wafted through it while she pointed an oven mitt towards me. “Told you I’d figure out a way to clean y’all’s mouths up. Malek is gonna put these babies through college at the rate he’s going.”
Seven plopped onto the couch behind Em and started playing with her hair. “And I’ll be the shameful one that doesn’t contribute a dime because I’m such an angel.”
Greg popped around the corner of the dining room holding a five-dollar bill and pressed it into a porcelain vase on a side table. “Gonna go ahead and do my duty…‘cause that’s bullshit.”
“That’s not the swear jar, stupid,” Seven winked, flipping him the bird.
Declan and Mr. Vernon finally came through with the rest of the grocery bags, and I met eyes with him as he passed.
We talked about a lot between the shower, the sex, and the car ride over here.
I’m really shocked how well we’re hiding all this right now.
“Swear jar’s on the kitchen counter,” he smirked, following Vernon into the kitchen doorway.
“You would know.” I dropped the last half-naked Barbie to the table and leaned over it, whispering. “Uncle Declan is a toilet mouth.”
“You still gotta put money in the jar.”
I picked up the half-sized Barbie that looked like she dug it out of a Goodwill bin and made a face at it before I tossed it to the side by its hair. “I see you…and I raise you. A new Barbie that doesn’t look like a trollop or the stuff Uncle Dec pulls out of our bathroom sink. Deal?”
“Oooo! Okay!”
We shook on it and Sev shook her head. “Things are becoming clearer.”
“Quiet, you,” I snapped.
“Em, where’s your sister?” Seven asked.
“Mommy took her to the potty. That’s how Viv makes her money.” We both tried to stifle our laughs. I had to look away. “Every time Vivian doesn’t poop her pants or wet the bed, they give her money. All I got was Papa’s gross candy.”
“Guess bribery runs in the family,” Malek said, shoving me over and crossing his legs to play with Em’s Barbies.
“I know you’re not talkin’, Malek Byrne.” Sev crossed her arms. He walked one of the dolls across the table and dramatically tossed the head back and forth.
“Like…oh mygahhhhd, your gifts suck…but don’t get me flowerssssah.” I covered my mouth and Mal snapped his tongue, flipping the Barbie around to whip its hair. “You upgraded my toyssssah?! How terribullllll…” Em cackled and Sev rolled her eyes, shaking her head while she leaned back into the couch.
“I faithfully hate you. And I don’t sound like that.”
“You sound exactly like that,” Greg called through a mouthful of God only knows what.
“That’s enough. Everybody at the table!” Ruth waved an arm towards the dining room and strutted off while we all got up and witnessed the quick death of my brother’s nipples before doing as we were told. Sev looked triumphant while they sat down…Mal just looked fired up.
Gross.
I’ve only had dinner at this house a couple of other times, and while it’s always immaculate, I have to say…
Ruth outdid herself tonight. She even made lemon centerpieces and a fancy five-layer dessert.
This is the treatment we should have gotten at the French restaurant.
Dinner wasn’t without its expected quirks.
Everybody took turns taking jabs at each other, Mr. Vernon and Malek talked cars, to which Declan immediately tuned out.
There was a very odd conversation with the littles about green beans that I’ve yet to understand.
Overall, I think we did pretty good, following Sev’s demands for best behavior.
I’m not having the worst time, which is also different for me.
Truth is…I’ve always had a family. Just not one like this.
The real kind that shows love in all the right ways…
ways that don’t make it hard to ease into.
The way Declan keeps looking at me just amplifies that.
I was all kinds of stupid for leaving him out of everything I’ve been up to.
I thought I was keeping everybody safe, but the truth is… we’re safer together.
“Alright,” Ruth said, dabbing the corner of her mouth and breaking up the chatter. “Since nobody’s asked, I guess it’s time to tell you the reason we wanted everybody together tonight.”
“Greg’s finally getting a sex change. I knew it.” Sev pointed her fork at him and he gawked, his wife Maggie hiding her face while she cackled.
“My vagina would be next level. And prettier than yours.”
Em scrunched her nose and Vivian ate gravy off her fingers, completely oblivious to everything.
“Son…for God’s sake. You really can’t be helped, can you?” Vernon shook his head. Random pieces of food flew across the table, and I dipped to the left to avoid it. “Okay, seriously though…we have news. And Greg’s preferred genitalia isn’t part of it.”
We all got quiet and stared down the table.
“Little Bean? You remember that old, abandoned property that’s been for sale forever near the vacation house?”
“The one with the fountain that looks like Bob Ross shaving his head?”
Greg snorted. “It’s a dandelion.”
“It’s an epic violation of artistic ability. Yeah, I remember.”
Seven’s parents glanced at each other, smiling, and Vernon held her hand before speaking again.
“We’re gonna buy it. By next year we should be able to have restoration finished, you’ll have your own separate working space and Greg…
you’ll have your own office. There’s even a spot on the grounds with a stone wall that can be fixed up into a memorial garden. ”
“Are we going to the water?” Emmy asked, bouncing in her chair. Maggie shushed her and I was all smiles until I glanced at Seven. Truthfully, I thought she’d be happier about something like this. Malek looked like he was trying to read her too.
“What about Leviticus?”
Ruth tilted her head. “Still Leviticus. We’ll just have two locations instead of just this one. Since you and Malek still have the apartment…we were wondering if you’d want to make the vacation house your own. Run the new facility.”
“This is great. I’m down,” Greg smiled. “How long have you been planning all this?”
Seven was stoic next to Malek, who surprisingly matched her energy.
“Not long,” Ruth interjected, keeping a wary eye on Sev. “Neither of you have to go, but it’s an option. We’ve got enough budget now to hire staff if you wanna stay here.”
“How? I have to try to remember how to do math every time Greg needs to fornicate. I’m not a genius, but I do know that budget hasn’t been anywhere near enough for that in the past year. You’re not selling this place, are you?”
Vernon spoke up. “No, no, no. This is our family legacy, Beans. We’d never do that.
We recently got a donation that was…well, it was very generous.
We don’t know where it came from, but it’s a life-changing amount, and what we aren’t putting away for you guys and the grandchildren, we’d like to use to stretch the legacy out.
One day Emmy will do what you do. She’s fit to walk in her auntie’s shoes.
I want you all to have that opportunity when me and Mom aren’t here anymore. ”
Oh, fuck…oh…shit.
A mosh pit started in my belly, and I cut eyes at Declan, who reached under the table and squeezed my knee.
On the surface, he looked bored and impassive.
But we both know exactly what Vernon is talking about.
I completely forgot about the money. It was the last thing on my mind.
I tried to keep my face schooled, but…then I felt my brother’s burning stare.
I know that stare without having to see it.
I refuse to look at him. Odds are…he already knows.
Don’t say a fucking word, Mal. Please, God…keep your mouth shut.
“Do we have time to think on it, Dad?”
I’m so grateful Seven broke this silence…and the tension that could be sawed through between me and Malek right now. Now, his focus is on her. Sev’s focus is probably on trying to keep herself from thinking about blue or pink…and what this could change about their future.
“Of course you do. This is a big deal. If we do this, Malek…you and Seven will be co-owners of an established company with Greg and Mags. This will be an opportunity for growth and stability. Something to leave your children that there will always be a need for, no matter how dark people think it is. Whether they like it or not, the world still needs us to pick up all their broken pieces at the darkest time in their lives. You guys are my dream team. Bridget, Declan…there’s plenty of the pie for you too. ”
That got my attention.
“Us? But…but we’re not—”
“Family? You absolutely are. And we take care of our family. Grey rule number one.”
Don’tcryDon’tcryDon’tcry…
This is so weird. I feel a physical ache in my fucking chest. I’m gonna crack. I feel it. It’s happening.
“Um…can I be excused for just a sec?” I politely stood and scooted my chair back, and Ruth caught my eyes before she nodded.
I couldn’t get out of the dining room fast enough.
The heels of my boots clacked the whole way through the house and onto the front porch.
It’s freezing out and I left my jacket inside.
My hands shook at my sides and hot tears started rolling down both my cheeks.
I couldn’t even stop them. “Eww,” I wept, sniffling and trying to get rid of them without destroying my makeup.
I heard rustling at the end of the porch and darted my head that way…
nothing. Then, I heard the soft click of the front door.
“You alright, Bridget?”
Ruth. Sweet Miss Ruth that’s so absolutely not what society sees.
I hid my face and nodded, trying to hide behind my hair. She put a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Malek has never told me much about your parents…but I do know that they’re gone. I hope I didn’t offend you, that wasn’t my intention.”
“No,” I half-whispered, turning to face her as I wiped under my eye. “No, that’s not it, Ruth…I—I just…I’ve never…”
“Come here, sweetie.” She pulled me into the warmest hug, and it felt so foreign, but at the same time…
I swear, closing my eyes…I feel my mother.
It’s like being held by her for the first time.
I broke into body-wracking sobs over her shoulder.
“You always have a place here. I hope you know I’ll never try to replace them…
but I don’t ever want you to think that you’re not a part of us just bec—”
Her body went so stiff and still. I sniffled and pulled back to look at her. Her eyes were wide, and her jaw quivering as I looked at her in utter confusion.
“Ruth? What’s…” We both looked down and I spotted it. Red blood blooming over her side. Panic overtook me and my head flew in all directions. I saw shadows…several of them starting to emerge from hedges, down the driveway and around the corners.
“Oh, my God…no. No, no, no…”