6. Addie
Chapter six
Addie
“Mommy!” Luna yells before running over to me near the baggage claim.
“Looney Tunes!” I crouch down and envelop her into my arms. I’m not sure if there are many better feelings than holding your own child. But I’m so glad she’s still young enough that this kind of public affection with me isn’t embarrassing. “I missed you so very much.”
She pulls away from me for a bit, and her deep green eyes peer up at me. “I missed you too. Look what I made!” She then holds up a cool friendship bracelet of some kind. “It’s for you!” I slip it on my wrist before she reveals one just like it under the sleeve of her generic Taylor Swiftt, yes with two t’s, sweatshirt.
“I love it. Thank you!”
She gleams. “You’re welcome.”
Next, I give Sam, my best friend, and Bernie, her partner, big hugs and thank them profusely for watching and keeping my mini-me alive while I was away.
“She was a delight,” Bernie replies while giving Luna a light noogie.
“Hey!” she exclaims before trying to calm her dark hair back down. “You’re lucky that you’re bald, otherwise I’d try to do that to you, too!”
I just giggle as I watch them tease each other.
“And you wouldn’t dare do it to me, right?” Sam asks while pushing her dark, princess-like hair behind her back.
“Of course not.” Then, Luna’s eyes shift back to me. “I got lots of braiding practice in on Sam.”
I nod. “I bet you did.” Her straight and silky black hair is perfect for just that.
We have to wait a few minutes before my luggage comes rolling down the conveyor belt.
“Is that it, Mom?” Luna asks with a point, recognizing the rainbow ribbon I tied on the handle for quick identification.
“You got it.”
When I go to get it, Bernie offers to pick it up for me instead.
“Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
Sam leans over and practically whispers, “You see that? That’s what it feels like to have a man around.”
I roll my eyes. “Whatever.”
Then, to prove that I am an independent woman, I refuse the help the next time. So I get my bigger and much heavier suitcase. And in all honesty, I heard something pop in my bag as I lifted it, but I don’t want Sam, or anybody else, to know that.
Nonetheless, I continue the fa?ade as I struggle to roll both of them out the sliding doors.
“I’d be happy to take one of those,” Bernie mutters.
“No. I’m fine. Thank you, though.”
“You’re unbelievable,” Sam says through grated teeth.
To add insult to injury, I soon trip over my own feet and lose hold of one of the handles.
“I got it!” Bernie announces before catching the rolling device in the parking lot.
“Thank you,” I swallow my pride.
***
We bid our temporary farewells, although they make me dread the more permanent ones in the days to come.
Luna and I head up to our dingy apartment, and after hitting the lights, the mildew smell soon hits my nose.
Ugh. At least I won’t miss this place.
But unlike me, this is all that Luna has known, so she doesn’t scoff or turn her nose at our humble living situation.
“Hey, Tunes,” I call after her after she starts to run toward her room.
“Yes?”
Sitting down on the hand-me-down couch, I pat the spot next to me. “Come here.”
She abides, and I tuck her unruly hair behind her ears.
“So, as you know, we said goodbye to Abuelo Sal this weekend.”
“Yeah. I’m really sorry I didn’t want to go, Mom.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Honestly, kiddo? Same.
She bounces up and down a little while sucking air through her teeth. “I should’ve been there, though. I’m family.”
“Sweetheart, it’s fine. I promise.” We already had our own little memorial before I left for California. We buried his favorite beard comb in the backyard of our building. He made me keep it on hand in case he visited Arizona.
With a sigh, she says, “Okay.”
“Anyway.” I swing my legs up and sit on them. “Some things did end up happening.”
The skin between her eyebrows gets all wrinkly. “What kind of things?”
I hesitate but then let it come out like word vomit, “Well, Abuelo left me everything. So, we’re moving to California.”
Now, she looks especially confused. “But you hate California.”
My stomach drops, and I’m regretting being so candid with her about my past. “I don’t hate it.”
She crosses her arms. “No, that’s what you said.”
I blink slowly before explaining, “It’s just that a lot of bad things happened to me back there. But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad place. And you’re going to love it. Instead of this place, we’re going to live in Abuelo’s mansion.”
“This isn’t fair! I don’t want to live in California!” she yells.
Her reaction is fair and to be expected.
“I know it’s hard, baby. But you’ll make new friends.”
Her mouth falls open. “I wasn’t even thinking about my friends!”
Oh, fuck.
She then pounds her fists against her thighs. “I don’t want to leave my friends!” Tears are starting to fall down her smooth cheeks.
I move the sleeve of my shirt down over my hand, and I blot her tears dry.
“But think about it, we’re going to get in a plane and fly all the way to our new home.”
Then, I see the littlest glimmer of a smile. “Plane?”
“Mhmm. We leave in just a few days.”
Her little fingers start rubbing her chin. “I’ve never been on a plane.”
I chuckle. “I know you haven’t.”
Her shoulders then relax down, and she happily stomps over to her bedroom.
Following her, I ask, “What are you doing?”
She opens a drawer and takes all the contents out with one big swoop. “I’m packing!”
I shake my head and think how amusing it is that a kid can change their mind about something so quickly and drastically.
Note taken. Always start with the plane.
I leave her to do her own thing, and I shuffle through the various mail I collected before and after my trip. I previously just set them on my dining table. Then, unexpectedly, I hear the buzz to let me know someone is at the front door.
“Hello?”
“It’s Sam.”
I smile. “Awww, miss me already?”
“Well, of course. But I’ve also got vodka.”
Within a second, I’m buzzing her up.
“I thought you might need this,” she says with a smile after appearing at my door.
“God, yes.”
I pull her inside, and I get two glasses from my cupboard.
However, we soon both hear Luna singing some T-Swift.
“Well,” Sam mutters after swiveling around in the chair next to our island. “That doesn’t sound like a girl in mourning.”
I chug the liquor back and pour myself some more. “No. But wait a minute. I’ll get her to freak out again.”
Tip-toeing to her room, I then say, “Hey, Loones? Did you know that Mommy saw Taylor in concert when she was a little older than you? She sang country back then—”
“Oh, God! Mom! No!” She then slams the door.
“Told ya.”
Sam just shakes her head. “Why does she hate that so much?”
“Because.” I take another shot. “It isn’t cool if her mom likes it, right?”
“I suppose. That is really funny though. I liked her too back in the day.”
I gesture toward my daughter’s door. “ You can tell her that. She thinks you’re awesome.”
To test it out, Sam goes over and relays the same message I did, but is met with a very different reaction.
Luna actually opens the door and pokes her head out.
“You used to like Taylor?”
“Mhmm.”
A large grin spreads across my child’s face. “That’s so cool!”
“Told you,” I say when my best friend comes back by me.
***
Now that Sam’s the superstar of the house, I let her put Luna to sleep.
“She’s down for the count,” she announces.
I’m still swigging the vodka she brought over. “Thanks, dude.”
With my buzz, I got hungry. So I put together an assortment of slices of cheese that I very carefully made sure weren’t expired or had any mold on them.
Sam sits down again, and she picks up a piece. “No worries. So, tell me about this new job.”
“I’m not sure what there is to tell. All I know is that Abuelo was venturing out into the hotel business.”
My friend’s eyes narrow. “Really?”
I shrug. “Apparently.” I want to tell her about Hayden’s mysterious involvement, but I know that will just open up a whole new can of worms. Plus, it’s not like I have the answers for that piece of the puzzle either. Whenever I ask anyone, they just seem to ignore me.
“That could be right up your alley, right? With your new, fancy architecture degree and everything?”
“Well, maybe.” I have thought about that aspect. But again, I’m relatively in the dark about the project itself, and how far along in the design and construction processes.
She leans against her closed fist. “I don’t know, Adds. This sounds like it might just be your dreams coming true.”
I click my tongue. “Maybe.” That, or it’s my worst nightmare.
We continue catching up until she happens to glance down at her watch. “Oh, God! It’s getting late.”
I check my own and see that it’s almost eleven.
“I’ve got to get to the studio early tomorrow morning, so I better get going.”
I nod, and she collects all of her things into her big tote bag of a purse.
As I follow her to the door, my throat is already feeling dry, and my eyes are filling with tears.
“Well, I guess this is it.” She turns, pauses, and leans against the door frame.
I sniffle. “Yep. But it’s just a see you later. Never goodbye.”
She licks her lips and shakes her head. “Never.” With a pause, she continues, “Sorry. You know I’m not good at this kind of mushy stuff.” After being raised by her “hug adverse,” as she puts it, Thai parents, physical affection has never been her strong suit.
But I still pull her into a close embrace. At first, her arms remain stiff at her side, but she eventually wraps them around me.
“See you later,” I say after releasing her and wiping at a tear falling from her cheek.
“See you.”