2. Eleanora
eleanora
. . .
“ I can’t believe we’ve graduated!” Sofia pops the cork on the champagne bottle and in true college suite life, the cork flies across the room, hitting a parent in the arm. The group of us, Ashley, Bella, Kizzy, Debbie, Sofia, and I, chuckle.
“It’s just my dad,” Ashley says with the wave of her hand. “He’s legit, the coolest dad ever so no worries.” She holds out her plastic flute, waiting for Sofia to pour the bubbly in her glass.
“To us.” Bella raises her glass. “May we all stay friends for life, be each other’s bridesmaids and have babies at the same time.”
“Hear, hear,” Kizzy adds. We clank our cheap plastic glasses. The sound is dull and lacks the excitement that’s supposed to come with giving a toast.
“Where are your parents?” Debbie asks. I look over into our small kitchen area where my roommates’ parents have gathered. The moms are preparing snacks for the road trips home and the dads are busy talking. And my parents… well, they’re probably at the Hilton, which here is only a 3-star at best, and that also means my mother is probably standing in the middle of the room, having a panic attack. I sort of like the idea. She deserves it for being so nitpicky all the time. “I think my dad mentioned something about filling up their rental.” I shrug, playing off the fact that my parents think they’re too good for everyone else.
I used to be that way until I came to the University of Idaho. I chose this school to get away from my parents and Roy. I wanted to put as much distance between us as possible and found the most obscure location to do it. There isn’t a major airport within fifty miles, meaning my parents couldn’t fly out here on a whim. It was the perfect set-up until this week when graduation activities started. While most seniors were excited, my anxiety levels reached an all-time high. Yep, I’m the only senior on campus, here and at every other school in America, that dreaded graduation.
“Your mom is so beautiful,” Sofia blurts out, touching my arm in the process. “So southern with her accent.”
I love Sofia. We’ve been roommates for the past two years, but sometimes she says the weirdest crap. It’s like she’s forgotten that I’m from South Carolina, which would mean my parents would have accents. Granted, mine isn’t as thick as my mother’s, and I refuse to speak like her, but still. I only turn on the southern charm when it suits me, like at the bar, when the bartender isn’t being very nice, or we have a good looking waiter at dinner. Accents are everyone’s weakness.
I just nod and continue drinking my champagne, emptying the glass. Sofia’s holding the bottle, cradling it against her chest, like it’s some million-dollar prize. I reach for it, hoping she’ll hand it over easily. She does, but it’s empty. Plan foiled.
I’m not a drinker, at least not normally, but with my parents in town, I feel like I should be somewhat fuzzy so when I have to deal with them, it’ll be tolerable. My eyes close at the thoughts running through my head. My parents aren’t evil, just different. They were raised differently, as were their parents and so on. Southern traditions are hard to break. Family suppers, gracious hospitality, don’t swear, always say please, and thank you, wear a hat to church on Sunday, and let’s not forget the somewhat arranged marriages. It’s really not a thing because it’s illegal, but you can bet your bottom, my grandfather and father expect me to marry Roy Aldridge.
Roy and I have been dating for a long time, since high school, and off and on through college. He didn’t like it much when I decided to come out west to college. In fact, he told me I wasn’t allowed to go, which only solidified my decision. He came out here with me when I moved in, inspected the place and made sure every guy on my floor knew I was his, and then he cheated on me. It was my fault of course, because I was so far away, and a man has needs, and all that sort of crap. We broke up, got back together because I was homesick, broke up again, got back together one Christmas when he showed up with flowers and soup after I lied to my parents and told them I couldn’t come home for the holidays because I had this horrible flu. I thought Roy and I had reached our turning point, but after being here for a month, I started to see what life was going to be like with him. Sure, he came in my time of ‘need,’ but the rest of the time he acted like my father, strict and demanding. That life is not my cup of tea. I told him as such and suggested we take a break until I figure out what I want to do with my life because being Mrs. Roybert Aldridge wasn’t high on my priority list at the moment.
And now, I’ve graduated and am dreading the trip back home. My parents have a big party planned, complete with white tents, catering staff and a band to play soft music in the background so you can hear each other’s conversations. God forbid rumors start at the Boone Estate. My mother would lose her marbles if anything nasty happened at one of her soirées. Not that I blame her. Gossip spreads like wildfire where we live. If you want someone to know something, you just have to tell Lulabelle, she has the biggest mouth on the east coast.
“Have you figured out what you’re going to do yet, Eleanora?” Debbie asks. She’s going to be a nurse, working in labor and delivery. One time I volunteered with her, holding newborn babies for hours. If that doesn’t get your motherly instincts moving, I don’t know what will.
“I don’t know. Go home, I guess. Start teaching kindergarten.”
“You should come with me,” Kellie blurts out. “I’m heading back to California. My parents own an apartment building so they’re giving me discounted rent. You can room with me until you figure life out.”
“My parents would kill me,” I say, just as all my roommates nod.
“You should do it, El. My brother lives there,” Sofia adds. Her brother, right. For the past two years, she’s told me about her brother. In fact, she tells anyone who will listen. He’s famous or is going to be, yet refuses to tell us his name, but talks about him an awful lot. He goes by Q, according to her. It’s some artist name or whatever. The thing is, when you’ve lived with someone for two years, you meet their family. Granted, this is the first time she’s met my parents, but my brother and sister have come to visit, and she’s had the dubious honor of meeting Roy. The only person in Sofia’s family that we’ve met is her mom, Alicia. Never the brother, which is a shame because anytime him and Sofia are together in pictures, he looks super-hot, and way out of my league. Not that I’m looking. I have Roy waiting for me.
“I’ve never been to California.” That’s about the stupidest thing I could say. I close my eyes and clear my thoughts.
“Well, think about it. You can ride with me. Road trip,” Kellie yells while putting her arm up in the air. Before I can respond, there’s a knock at the door. I’m secretly hoping it’s Sofia’s brother because meeting him would absolutely change my mind about heading west. But, it’s my parents.
My father walks in, with a grin so wide it looks fake. He comes over to me and quasi-pulls me into his arms. We don’t hug, at least not like normal people. He grips my forearms and pulls me to within eight inches of his body. That’s it, that’s enough for Willard Boone.
“We’re so proud of you, sugar pie.”
“Thanks, Daddy.”
“Lookie here, I bought you a present.” He directs me over to the window and points down below. In the courtyard, surrounded by not only security guards but other people as well, is a convertible bug.
“Is that for me?” I feel stupid asking, but with my parents, you never know.
My mom places her hand on my shoulder. “Of course, it is, darling. Why you’d never catch me in something like… well, a car like that.”
“It’s your graduation present,” Dad tells me.
“How am I supposed to get it home?”
“We can road trip, El,” Sofia says. She’s standing next to me. “We talked about me coming out to your house and well, I don’t have to be anywhere for another two months, so why not.”
I look at her, wondering what she’s up to. I know for a fact she starts her job at the news station next week and that she’s flying home to Arizona tonight.
“A road trip sounds dangerous, Willard. Surely, there’s an alternative,” Mom adds.
“I’d love to bring Sofia home,” I tell my parents. I look at both of them before turning my full gaze onto my father, giving him the puppy dog eyes. I’m the youngest, and while he’s strict, I can usually bend him at will.
“Annamae, we bought her a car. How else do you expect us to get it home? A road trip sounds fun. I’ll wire you some money,” he says. “Right now, though I think you need to go move your car before it gets towed.” Dad hands me the key fob. I make a fist, clutching it tightly. He doesn’t know, but this is the best thing he’s ever given me. And, I don’t mean the car. I mean freedom.
“Yeah, I think I better. Sofia, come with me.” I don’t give her a chance to refuse my request by pulling her behind me. Once we’re outside and in the car, I close my eyes and let the mid-afternoon sun bask over me. “I owe you.”
“No, you don’t. You’re my best friend, El. I just wish I could come with you.”
“To see your brother?”
She shrugs. “To see California. I’ve never actually been there. I want to dip my toes into the Pacific. Go to Disneyland. I don’t know, anything but heading home to my mom.”
“But y’all get along so well.”
“We do, but it feels like the last four years have flown by and I haven’t accomplished anything.”
“Are you serious?” I ask her. “You had multiple job offers. You could’ve gone anywhere. If you don’t want to go home, why go back?”
She looks over and smiles. “Family. Responsibility. The same reason you’ll go back to the estate and marry Roy, which I better be your maid of honor for.”
I turn away, hating to admit that she’s right. I’ll marry him because it’ll make my daddy happy. “You know my sister Williemae married her husband the same way. My granddaddy introduced Kelton to her. She hated him at first, but he wore her down. We all like him. He fits with our family. They’re going to have a baby this fall, a little boy.”
“That’s wonderful, you’re going to be an auntie.”
I nod. “Yep, and someone’s fiancée.” My left hand sits on my steering wheel. I lift my finger and imagine what kind of ring Roy will put there. It’ll be big, gaudy and flashy. He’ll want to show his colleagues and golf buddies that he means business when it comes to marrying a Boone, because marrying into the Boone family is worth it. My great granddaddy’s great granddaddy built an empire and the generations behind him haven’t let it falter.
My wedding will be at home, on the estate. There’s no doubt about that. My mother will insist and even if I fight her on it, the invitations will go out her way. My sister didn’t mind, but I do. I want to be married on the beach, at sunset and barefoot. I don’t want anything fancy or over the top, and I want to know all my guests. Most of all, I want to marry someone I’m deeply, madly and truly in love with and that isn’t Roy.
“What do you think you’ll do?”
“I think I’m going to take Kellie up on her offer and check out California. I figure I have a week to eight days or so before my parents start to panic. That gives me enough time to think of a good excuse as to why I’m not home.” I turn in my seat and look at my best friend. “Come with us? You’ll be able to see your brother. Never know, maybe he’ll hook you up with some fancy job in Los Angeles.”
Sofia shakes her head and looks out toward the courtyard. “Maybe next time.”