Chapter 20
CHAPTER
TWENTY
FREYJA
My cheeks heat from his compliment. If I were to look into a mirror, I’m sure they’d be a crimson shade of red.
The recipe didn’t take as long to put together as I thought it would, so I was able to feed the masses before a riot broke out—as they playfully threatened to do as I blended the ingredients together in the mixer.
I giggle to myself as I watch the men devour their breakfast. It feels so good to watch something I made bring a smile to others’ faces. Cooking has always relaxed me and this time isn’t any different.
Glancing up, I notice that even though Nova has a smile on his face, it’s fake.
The skin around his eyes is tight and crinkly, a true interpretation of how he’s feeling.
He’s hiding something from all of us in order to make our day better and not blemish it by what my father did.
I wish he didn’t think he had to do that, but I can understand why he is so I don’t point it out to my sister or his friends.
Instead, I let him have his way but vow to myself that I’ll corner him and ask about it later.
When breakfast is concluded, the men say their goodbyes and Nova leads me and Chaney into the living room.
I walked past this room on my way to the kitchen earlier, but I was distracted and didn’t pay attention to the stacks of presents underneath it.
A gasp leaves my lips when I notice that there’s so many of them I’m having a hard time counting them all.
It looks like the Hallmark channel, one of my new favorite stations I’ve found and have been binging, has come to our house and decorated.
“What’s all this?” Chaney asks, glancing over at Nova.
“This,” he says, spreading his arms out wide, “is Christmas, ladies.”
“Are you sure, Nova? I’ve seen this on television, but this… it doesn’t happen for us,” she declares.
“It does now,” he vehemently states. “I didn’t go out and buy unnecessary things for you two.
Christmas isn’t about the gifts you receive, it’s about unity, compassion, and spending time with family, but you girls, y’all didn’t have anything and I wanted to show you that the world isn’t like what your father told you it was.
I didn’t have to punch my way through the store, I didn’t have to steal to provide.
I didn’t wrestle anybody for food, and one day, when you both are ready, I’ll take you out and show you how it really is out there. ”
“I’m not going,” I assure them. “There’s no way you’re getting me back in that thing,” I say, pointing out the window where his truck sits.
“I promise you, one day, you’ll get used to it,” Nova encourages. “We can start off slow, drive around the property.”
“You’re always saying ‘one day’, Nova, but I’m here to tell you, nothing about that death trap is something I can get used to,” I avow. “I have zero interest in even trying.”
“You can’t stay holed up here in the house forever, Freyja. You will have to venture out, especially when you go to see the doctor for a check up,” he states.
“Doctor? Why would I need to see one of them? I’ve never had cause for one before now, Nova, and I don’t see me needing one in the future,” I sass.
“Don’t be flippant, Freyja,” he scolds, but it isn’t harsh, if anything, it’s teasing. “You have to go, seeing as you’ve never had a thorough workup before. We need to make sure you’re healthy.”
“I hear a lot of the word ‘need’ being tossed out there by the two of you,” Chaney surmises, shaking her head.
“Maybe we should table this discussion for now because you’re both stubborn and you’d have better luck beating your hard heads against a brick wall and being victorious than winning this argument. ”
Ignoring my sister, I spout off, “I’m healthy, Nova.”
Chaney hangs her head and reaches out with her hand to grab mine. “Sister, you’re not. You’ve been sick a lot lately. Wouldn’t it be better if we knew why that was?”
“I’ve been fine since we’ve gotten here,” I argue. “I haven’t run a fever, had any cold chills, and I’ve had energy. More than I’ve ever had.”
“Okay,” Nova says, holding his hands up in a pleading manner. “Chaney’s right, our emotions are running high right now, so we should drop this. After the holiday is over, we’ll revisit this conversation and weigh the pros against the cons.”
“Fine,” I stubbornly agree.
“Thank you,” Chaney says, her tone brightening. “Now, let’s talk about these presents and why we need so many of them.”
“Nope,” Nova denies, “we’re not going there. This year, you two are simply going to enjoy the generosity of me and my brothers. Swallow your pride, Chaney, and give me this.”
“It’s important to you, Nova?” I ask.
“That can’t be right,” Chaney disagrees. “He just met us, why would this be important to him?”
“Because it feels good to give to others,” Nova politely explains. “Because you girls have had a shit life and an even shittier hand dealt to you, courtesy of your father. If you won’t do it for you, do it for me.”
“I still don’t understand what you get out of this, but fine, we’ll accept them as long as you let us do more around here,” Chaney compromises.
“Are you trying to barter with me, Chaney?” Nova asks, humor dancing on his face.
“Call it what you will, Nova, but that’s the deal. Take it or leave it,” Chaney asserts.
“Fine. You can do small things around here, but you’re not maids and I won’t have you thinking you have to do it all.
I’m a grown ass man who knows how to get his hands dirty doing dishes and I’m well aware of how a washer and dryer works.
But I do hate to sweep and mop the floors and can’t stand vacuuming or dusting.
It messes with my allergies.” He smirks, thinking he’s brilliant.
But I’ve learned how to read between the lines and his excuses are crap.
“Great! Then you can scrub toilets and we’ll take care of the rest,” I tease.
“Toilets?” he asks, cringing.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I giggle.
“Don’t worry, Nova, I was joking. Plus, I’d rather make sure they’re sanitary enough for me to sit on.
Women pick up things men don’t according to the medical journals I read.
I’m picky about the bathroom so I’ll make sure those get cleaned until they’re spic and span. ”
“Medical journal? You read one for fun?” he asks, looking taken aback.
“It was a new book brought home by Father after I earned it. I was excited to scan through it and absorb as much information as I could until I started learning things that made me shiver,” I recall, biting my lip as some of the things I discovered coming back to the forefront of my mind.
Some diseases are chilling and make your tummy turn.
“I’m starting to feel like a broken record with all of these questions, but how did you earn it, Freyja?”
“You want to know about that instead of the things I read about?” I inquire.
“Because some of the things in that book are things people need to know. For example, sexually transmitted diseases. Did you know you could get some by sitting in a public restroom if they didn’t clean the toilets properly between each use? ”
Nova holds up his hands, again, his face turning green. “I took health class in school, I’ve seen enough pictures and films to last me a lifetime about STDs and what they look like, thank you very much.”
“I hurt my wrist,” Chaney blurts out. “Freyja wanted to learn about splinting and stuff so she begged Father to bring something home to teach her how. He told her he would if she learned how to get blood out of clothes. She concocted her own detergent that worked like a charm so he brought the medical journal home for her. Now that your question has been answered, can we just, for today, pretend like we’re normal? ”
“Yes. Y’all sit on the couch and I’ll bring you one present each to unwrap,” Nova states. “Once that one has been opened, I’ll bring you a second one and we’ll repeat that until they’ve all been unwrapped. Deal?”
“Deal,” Chaney and I say at the same exact time.
We may have acted like we weren’t looking forward to seeing what’s underneath that wrapping paper, because we didn’t want to come across as eager and unappreciative.
But both of us are secretly jumping on the inside with eagerness to find out what our new treasures will be.