27. Claudia
Sitting on my front porch, my sister Elle sitting beside me, both of us nursing a glass of iced tea, a plate of Gisele’s famous homemade Iced-Vo-Vo slice on the small table between our single wicker chairs.
Georgina was sitting on the swing porch with Miracle and Optimus.
All of us watching with interest across the street from my house.
“Which one of you is going to go?” Georgina asked, her fingers absently combing through Miracle’s long hair while my beautiful niece fed Optimus some of her slice.
She was going to give the pug diabetes, the thought left unspoken because seriously what would be the point. Miracle was a Blessing and that came with a stubborn streak a mile long.
“Why does it have to be one of us?” Elle questioned back. It had been four days since the break-in at Elle’s and she was yet to go back to her place. She insisted it was because of the insurance claim but I knew better. Gisele, mum and me we knew it was because she knew the culprit was her douche-bag spouse and Elle hated that he had been in there and did what he did. Destroying her personal items, breaking her precious objects, and worst of all killing her beloved dog.
I knew Elle felt violated in the worst way, and that was why, the last few days she had split her time between my place and mum and dad’s. Gisele had been … a little busy the past few nights with her hot cop.
She was also avoiding us, while Jamison was walking around town like a preening peacock, Gisele was playing the silent game. It wasn’t anything new, she had something she wanted to talk about, but she had a process. An annoying one but it was how Gisele was and I loved my sister so if I had to sit here and wait then that’s what I was going to do.
Georgina snorted, already knowing why it had to be me or Elle to go over. Our mother could not be accused of being stupid, many other things but never stupid especially when it came to the conversation that was required.
Taking a deep gulp of my peach flavoured tea, my favourite. I pushed myself out of the wicker rocker with a sigh.
“I’ll do it,” I volunteered but it was just for show. Everyone in the family knew it was me that would have to take the plunge.
“Good luck chickee,” Elle sing-songed, earning herself a glare worthy of an academy award. “You’re next on the list, Elle Naomi, tonight we go back to your place and start cleaning it up.” I ordered, my tone not inviting any kind of argument and Elle knew it.
Only half listening to her grumbling and completely ignoring my mother’s delighted chuckle, I walked over to my niece and gave her cheek a loud smooch then headed down the stairs, turning only once to see what Miracle had to say.
“Don’t worry chickee, I saw him.” Answering her this time not just spoken but signed as well. Sometimes I like to sign back to Miracle just to keep my skills sharp. Other times when I didn’t want a local to know what we were talking about, it was fun to piss off the noisy bodies from time to time.
Taking the steps slowly, I took my time making my way to my front gate, as Miracle had said, Mr Hanson was about to walk past and today I was not in the mood for the deaf old coot. Unfortunately, he must have heard my mother’s laughter because his steps slowed enough to meet my when I reached the gate.
“Hello Albert, off to do some fishing?” I asked sweetly, deliberately using his first name instead of the formal way he preferred ‘youngsters’ to address him. Of course, I also knew he was indeed off to the local creek down behind the cemetery down the road from my house. Afterall, the old man was carrying three old school fishing poles in one hand and an Esky that probably held more whiskey than bait. Then there was the four different fishing hats sitting on top of each other on his head. For most people that would be considered very abnormal, but Albert Hanson was the very definition of abnormal.
“Insolent little pup,” the old man grumbled walking past me, staggering somewhat.
“Started a little early today hey Mr Hanson,” I mumbled my smile wicked.
“What was that missy?”
“I said you’re off early today,” I yelled pointing to his fishing poles, pretending he misheard me. My mother’s chuckling turned into full out laughter, her hearing sharper than the old man’s.
Narrowing his beady eyes at me, then to the occupants on my porch, Mr Hanson grumbled something I couldn’t make out and frankly didn’t care about. It was bad enough I had to endure seeing him wearing multiple hats on his head every time he walked past my house.
Blessings was full of weird people, yet it was the Blessing women who were seen as strange. I don’t have time to dwell on that riddle I had something much more important to fix.
My little sister, who was sitting on her front porch looking like her world was about to cave in underneath her.
Damn it, Gisele.
“Hey chickee babe,” I said jovially, making my way up the same style white wooden steps at my place and Elles, on hers where yellow.
“Hey,” Gisele said back, less jovial than my greeting. Gisele’s dramatic side was out.
Joy for me.
Dropping down in the same wicker chair I owned, I gave Gisele less than ten seconds to tell me what was wrong. She didn’t.
“Okay, we’ll play it your way, Gisele Heidi,” I began ready for a fight or tears whatever Gisele wanted to throw at me.
“Wanna let me in on why you are sitting here looking like the sky has fallen when the man in love with you is strutting around town like he won the lottery?”
Gisele immediately stilled, her eyes round, wide and full of unshed tears.
“In love?” she whispered, sounding shocked and hopeful at the same time.
“Yes chickee, in love. Detective Jamison Jury is in love with you. Surely you can’t be that blind. For the last three nights he has stayed with you and Miracle. He eats dinner with our family, he meets you for lunch every day, he kisses the shit out of you in front of our father. Jock Blessing. The scariest man alive.” I crossed off each point with my fingers, “Love Gisele, he is in love with you. So why are you looking so damn glum, and don’t you dare mention the fucking curse or I will personally beat you black and blue,” I promised her, angry with the town’s residents again as well as my sister. She had to start believing she was worthy of the attention and love from a man like Jamison Jury and stop believing the bullshit about our family.
Gisele shook her head adamantly, “It isn’t the curse the problem, Jamison doesn’t believe in it, and I believe him,” she assured and quite frankly shocked me by saying that to me. If there was one thing Gisele was obsessed with other than her daughter was insisting on bearing the burden of the Blessing curse. So, to hear her dismiss it so easily for the first time in my memory was more than a little shocking.
Taking a minute to gather myself, I looked at my sister feeling a little angry at her. What was with all the dramatics of sitting on her porch for the last couple of days staring over at me and Elle?
“So, what’s the bloody problem!” I yelled throwing up my hands, my loud voice and actions catching the attention of the spectators across the street. Signing at them to stay, that I had this, I calmed myself and waited for my sister to explain the tears.
Playing with her long nails, a sign Gisele was upset, she refused to look at me for a long moment, when she did lift her head to faced me, utter despair.
“We forgot to use a condom. Every time,” Gisele whispered, “I’m not on birth control Claude.”
Suddenly I understood, many wouldn’t but then you had to have Blessing DNA to get why she was so upset.
“Oh chickee.” Getting up, I moved and sat myself directly down on Gisele’s lap. My arms going around her shoulders, hers wrapping around my waist, her body heaving with uncontrollable sobs. Sobs riddled with sheer fear.
“Oh, my poor Gissy, have you talked to Jamison about this?”
Shaking her head instead in answer, I clucked softly, “Gisele, you have to talk to him. Relationships don’t go very far if you keep secrets from each other.” I reminded her, our sister Elle’s marriage the perfect example. She and Jake rarely talked about their relationship, they fought about it, but never sat down and tried to work out their issues. Gisele was very much the same as Elle in that respect, she didn’t think her worries warranted talking about.
For me and Josh, it was exactly the opposite. We talked whenever we got upset or disgruntled, we made time for each other, date nights and we never went to bed angry. When we lost our baby, we spoke about it even though the subject was difficult. Gisele’s worry about not using protection was warranted considering but I had a feeling for Jamison was in the dark about what was causing his new girlfriend’s mood.
“Sweetheart, just because there are dark clouds in the sky doesn’t mean it’s going to rain,” I said quoting something I heard once. Where I couldn’t remember. Maybe it was one of Georgina’s words of wisdom? It didn’t matter, only thing that mattered was that Gisele got what I was telling her.
“Stop borrowing trouble chickee,” I admonished her gently. “The circumstances of Miracle’s birth wasn’t anything more than an act of Mother Nature. It doesn’t mean it will happen again to you, honey.” I soothed my crying sister, “If you don’t think you can handle being pregnant yet, then I strongly suggest birth control and you must talk to Jami about your concerns.” I told her adamantly. “The man isn’t a mind reader, if you told him, you believe him that the curse isn’t a bother to him?—”
“I have and I do believe him,” Gisele interrupted, but this time I let it slide.
“Good, then talk to him about what you went through mentally. Miracle being born so very early, the hundred plus days in hospital. Her speech problem don’t leave anything out Gisele. Honesty is the success to a happy marriage.”
Gisele’s head whipped up to stare at me, making me laugh. “Don’t worry chickee, I haven’t heard anything about your sexy detective planning to propose to you.”
Gisele looked deflated at that, but quickly hid it behind a small smile.
Yeah, you can’t fool me sister dear. You want the ring the big wedding the whole caboose.
“It scares me Claude, going through it again. We came so close to losing Miracle so many times.”
“Yeah, we did. But guess what Gisele? We didn’t lose her. She’s sitting across the street feeding Optimus your yummy slice waiting for her mum to pull her head out of her arse.”
Gisele laughed outright at that, and finally I received a genuine Gisele smile.
“There’s my sweet sensitive sister,” I praised, smooching her cheek the same way I did her daughter not ten minutes ago.
“Claudia?”
“Yes chickee?”
“Is it scary for you and Josh?” she asked, knowing I knew exactly what she was asking me.
Stroking her hair, then wiping the tears off her cheeks, I nodded. “Yeah, sometimes. But the dream of holding mine and Josh’s baby in my arms wins out every time I get scared of trying again.” I answered her simply and truthfully. “That ache and need is what helped me heal. All you need is faith chickee, faith that no matter what, Jamison has your back, the same as Josh has mine. I can face anything knowing the man I love will be there for me no matter what.”
“You are the strongest person I know Claudia Chanel, you know that” Gisele whispered and suddenly my eyes were now tearing up.
Leaning my forehead against my sister’s, I choked a little before able to answer her.
“You’re just as strong as me Gisele,” I said firmly, “All Blessing women are stronger than we believe ourselves to be.” Sliding my eyes to where Elle was still sitting on my porch, our eyes colliding and we began a silent conversation, a gift the three of us possessed.
It was time to start accepting the blessings in our life instead of being frightened of them.
“Come on chickee,” I announced getting off Gisele’s lap and pulling on her hands. “Elle needs some help cleaning up her house. I love her to pieces but I need her out of the spare room so I can do wicked things to my husband and be loud about it.”
Laughing along with me, Gisele held up her hands and signed to her daughter, watching as Elle got the message, getting up herself and helping Miracle to her feet and the dog that was now obviously no longer Jamison’s.
There was no better time than the present to start Elle’s healing process with an evening of cleaning.