Chapter 7
CASSIA
“He wasn’t kidding when he said that he could get us packed and moved within a week, was he?” Erisa said as she walked into the kitchen carrying two heavy black plastic bags.
“What’s in those?” I asked before I took a sip of tea.
“I’m looking at this as an opportunity to minimalize .
. . minimize? Whatever. You know what I mean.
It’s trending online.” My expression must have shown my disbelief because Erisa laughed and said, “I know, I know, I’ve got a problem and I’m a clothes horse with a shoe fetish, but these are clothes that haven’t fit me since before the accident and I’ve finally come to the realization that they never will again, which means I need the space in my closets to put ones that do. ”
“Of course that’s what it means,” I sarcastically agreed.
“My body completely changed, you know?”
“Mine too. Put those in the back of my car, and we’ll take them to that non-profit that helps women that need clothes for interviews and stuff.”
“I guess since our lives are changing and we’re venturing forth into a new era, I should change with the times.”
“Like we have a choice.”
“We can look at it like a new adventure, or we can be pissy about it. We’ve been through worse times. It’s not as catastrophic as most. Hell, this new era might be freaking awesome.” Erisa wrinkled her nose before she asked, “Am I making any sense at all?”
“Perfect sense, but I’ll never admit it because it might give you a big head and if it gets any bigger, you won’t be able to fit into my SUV on the ride to our new adventure.”
I sipped my tea as Erisa rolled her eyes and walked out into the garage. She was right. I could look at this as something positive, or I could wallow in my anger at the changes Memphis had insisted on.
We’d had to make that choice a lot already, so we should be used to making it by now. Our lives seemed to be separated into categories: before Mom and Dad rescued us; after Mom and Dad brought us into their family; before that horrible night; after that horrible night.
Our next categories would be before and after Tornado Memphis swept in and uprooted our lives.
I had already gathered a few bags of clothes to donate, although I hadn’t really looked at it in the same light as Erisa. While we were recovering from that night, our bodies had gone through some drastic changes.
Before, I had been very slim, worked out religiously, ran a few miles every other day, and watched my weight like it was a hobby.
During my convalescence in the hospital, I wasn’t active at all.
There was a time when I couldn’t even leave my bed.
Once I was able to get up and around, with the help of some wonderful physical therapists, I learned a new way to exercise with my physical limitations, and that didn’t include miles on the treadmill at full speed.
I had gotten back to working out regularly, although not nearly as much as I used to, and I still watched what I ate to maintain my health and rebuild some of the muscle mass I’d lost during my recovery.
Of course, chasing a toddler was a workout in itself.
I’d definitely gained upper body strength from picking her up and carrying her around so often.
As if she knew I was thinking about her, Ivy sprinted into the kitchen and skidded to a halt in front of me. It was clear by the frown on her face that she wasn’t happy about something. I waited with bated breath to see if she’d actually voice her issue or just start screeching.
“Go!”
“You want to go?” I asked in shock.
Ivy pointed toward the living room where the movers Memphis had hired were packing our things and yelled, “Go!”
“You want them to go?” Ivy’s stormy expression changed to joy instantly because I’d understood what she was trying to tell me.
I couldn’t resist picking her up to share in her happiness and set my tea on the counter before I swept her into my arms. “I told you that they’re gonna take all of our things and put them in the big truck so we can go to a new place and have brand-new adventures, remember?
” Ivy pouted, so I said, “We’re going to meet the mechanics from your favorite show. Doesn’t that sound like fun?”
“Fun” was not how I’d describe it, although I did wonder if they were really as funny and charismatic in real life as they were on the show.
Before, it had been just background noise to me, but since I’d found out that those people were part of Memphis’s family, I’d taken a much greater interest in it.
I still didn’t know a thing about engines, but I had learned that a camshaft was an important part of the engine that had to do with fuel and air and . . . whatever.
It didn’t matter. As far as I was concerned, the only thing I needed to know was that my SUV had one, it was currently working perfectly, and until it wasn’t, I didn’t need to worry about it. That was good enough for me.
“I put the bags in the back. I’ll tell Iliana to bring hers down when she’s done in her room so we can take everything together.”
“Thanks,” I told her as I opened the refrigerator to get Ivy a quick snack.
It was a beautiful day outside and a walk sounded like a good idea, but I’d learned the hard way that I should never take Ivy anywhere without the necessary supplies.
“I think we’re going to go on a walk. Do you want to come? ”
“It’s probably going to be the last walk around here, isn’t it?”
“We’re not selling the house, Erisa!”
“I know, but I don’t think you’re going to be coming home anytime soon. By the time you bring Ivy back, she might not be as interested in walking aimlessly around the neighborhood as she is now.”
“Aimlessly? You definitely need to come with us because she doesn't walk aimlessly. She sprints.”
“Is the place he got for you going to have room for her to roam and explore?” Erisa asked.
I was shocked to realize I hadn’t even considered that.
When Memphis mentioned that he had a place for us to stay, I assumed that it would be somewhere nice.
He’d never let his daughter live in a hovel, and in turn, that meant my sisters and I wouldn’t be, either.
The original agreement didn’t include Erisa and Iliana coming with me, but they banded together and insisted they’d be joining me in Rojo–at least until they knew we were safe and comfortable.
When I sent Memphis a message informing him that my sisters were coming, too, he didn’t seem the least bit surprised. If anything, he actually welcomed the idea. His text said, “The more the merrier. Whatever makes you feel comfortable.”
I thought that was a very nice response and appreciated that he understood I was definitely leaving my comfort zone by uprooting our lives and moving six hours away, into unknown territory to be surrounded by strangers.
My sisters agreed and were anxious for me.
There was no way they were going to let us go without them.
That was partly for mine and Ivy’s safety, but I knew neither of them was ready to be separated yet.
It was one thing for Erisa to work and socialize.
Even though we didn’t see each other every single day, there was comfort in knowing we were still together.
The same could be said for Iliana. Technically, she had a room at the dorms, but more often than not, she spent her nights here with us.
Luckily, she’d spoken to her professors and explained the situation.
They’d agreed to let her livestream their lectures, meaning that she would only have to appear in person for her final before the break.
I wasn’t sure what her plans were after that, but I’d caught a glimpse of her laptop screen as I walked past–she was already researching colleges closer to Rojo.
As much as I wanted them to have lives of their own, having my sisters in the house with me has helped tremendously.
I knew it was good for them too. Iliana slept best of the three of us, but Erisa and I were up and down throughout the night.
Luckily, we slept lightly enough to hear if the other needed help.
It also helped that Erisa was there when Ivy woke up at night.
While she was a baby, we had taken turns getting up to feed and change her.
Since Iliana, Erisa, and I had traveled with our parents throughout most of our childhoods, we could make a home anywhere, but we were not willing to part with this one.
It had been our home base throughout our lives.
No matter where our parents were needed around the world, we always had this house to come back to–and as far as I was concerned, we always would.
It was a cushion for all of us and the only home Ivy had known since she was just a few months old when her parents died.
“Erisa told me you’re taking stuff for donations. She also said you were low-key panicking about where we’d be living.”
I glanced over at Iliana as she dragged three heavy lawn and leaf bags into the room, each one as stuffed as the ones Erisa had brought down.
I shook my head and remembered when my brother and I didn’t own a single stitch of clothing other than the ones we were wearing.
I knew Iliana and Erisa remembered those days, too, but they had gone overboard making up for lost time, collecting wardrobes that could suit four women instead of one.
“Honestly, I wasn’t until Erisa asked if there was room for Ivy to run and play,” I said, answering her earlier question.
Ivy had taken her bag of blueberries with her and was standing in the doorway, warily watching the women packing her toys.
I’d given them directions on what to pack and what to leave.
They seemed relieved to find out the furniture, decor, most of the dishes, and the majority of the things in the china hutch would be staying.
This morning, after showing the packing team around, I took Ivy next door and hired our neighbor to keep watch and check on the house every so often.
She would also accompany a housekeeper that would come once a month to dust and vacuum so the house stayed move-in ready in case we suddenly wanted to come back.
The items I never even considered moving were Ivy’s outdoor toys–the swing set, trampoline, and playhouse that had been ours when we were children. But if those stayed here in Dallas, what would she have to play on in Rojo?
“Do you want to see where all of them live?” Iliana asked.
“Did they give you tours of their homes?” I asked sarcastically. Iliana frowned at me, and I took a deep breath before asking, “How do you know where they live?”
“Google,” Iliana said, as if that were the most obvious answer in the world.
“You mean your internet stalking?”
“That too,” Iliana said as she set her bags by the garage door.
She opened her laptop on the counter, logged in, and brought up a picture of a massive warehouse building.
“This is where they work on their cars and stuff. Memphis lives behind this building, but since his house isn’t on the road, the Google car couldn’t get a picture of it.
” Iliana clicked a few more times until an overhead image appeared.
She pointed at a large building behind the warehouse. “This is where Memphis lives.”
“He lives in a barn?” I asked in outrage.
“It’s not a barn, it’s a house. I actually saw the inside during an interview he and the band gave to a YouTuber,” Iliana explained. “His garage was even set up to be a music studio.”
“And the rest of that barn is his house?”
“It’s a barndominium. They’re all the rage, Cassia.”
“I know what those are, it’s just . . . he lives in that big place all by himself?”
“I guess so,” Iliana said with a shrug. “At least for now. But it looks like there will be plenty of room for us.”
“You’re right. Okay. Happy thoughts, right?”
“Check this out,” Iliana said enthusiastically. She moved the cursor to point out other buildings as she listed out their residents. “This is his Uncle Clem’s. Over here is Memphis’s parents’ place. And this is his Uncle Bird and his wife’s home, right next door to his grandparents’ house.”
“So we’ll be within walking distance of a park with equipment for Ivy to play on? That’s wonderful!” I leaned closer before asking, “Is that a walking trail?”
“That’s his grandparents' backyard. And that’s not a walking trail–it’s the sidewalk that goes around it.”
“In their backyard?” I asked, confused. Iliana shrugged, so I pointed at the screen and asked, “Then what’s all of that?”
“That’s a private racetrack.”
“In their backyard?” I asked again, even more shocked this time.
“Looks like it. There are some other houses scattered around too. I think some of his cousins live in them.”
“Wow.” I was flabbergasted. I’d started to worry that we’d be cramped in a small space with too many adults living on top of each other, but clearly, that wouldn’t be the case. “That’s just . . . excessive? Is that the word I’m looking for?”
“No,” Iliana replied. “Perfect. That’s what this is.”