Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
Vivian
Sure, we’re being sent to our room like children, but does Jonah need to stomp up the stairs like an angry toddler? And he calls me spoiled and entitled. George’s attention has to be on him all the time.
His mom and dad split up. It’s a sad story, but it happened to both of us.
But Jonah didn’t have a father watching his every move. Still watching his every move. Failure isn’t an option, Vivian.
And yet, it’s all I seem to do. Over and over.
A constant disappointment. Living with George and my mom has been easier in some ways.
I have more freedom. Which seems odd, considering I’m an adult.
But in other ways, it’s more difficult. I’m always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It’s an odd saying. But accurate. I imagine the shoe, in this case George’s cowboy boot, dropping on my head.
Or the pointed toe kicking me out of the house. And then where would I be?
Leaning back on my bed, I call Frankie before I can change my mind.
“Hey, boo,” her cheerful voice says. “Only thirty days before I see your sweet face. It’s been too fucking long.”
Her voice soothes me. “If I can make it there in time.”
“Fuck off with talk like that. You have to make it, Viv.” She pauses. Maybe sensing my mood. “Your dad said no?”
“What do you think?” I press my hand over my eyes and swallow. “And to top it off, Jonah just ruined our sister’s birthday party.”
She sucks in a breath. “That bastard. Wait…” She pauses as if she’s considering all the possibilities. “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”
I laugh. “How is ruining a four-year-old’s birthday party ever a good thing?”
The sound of rustling has me picturing her sitting up straighter, ready to launch into her explanation. “I mean, I’m sorry for Maisy, but if it takes Jonah down a peg or two… She’s four. She’ll recover. Unless there’s something you’re not telling me.”
I could never successfully lie to Frankie. “I assisted in the destruction. Not intentionally. We were fighting —”
“Shocker.”
“And I pushed Jonah. He’s the one who fell onto her Dragon Princess castle.”
My best friend in the entire world starts laughing. Cackling. “That’s…hilarious…” she says, gasping for air.
“It really isn’t, Frankie.” Except, it is a little. The shock on Jonah’s face. Surrounded by the ruins of a purple castle. I chuckle. Frankie is laughing so hard that I can’t help but join in.
Bam. Bam Bam. “This isn’t funny, asshole,” Jonah yells through the door.
Frankie must hear him because she laughs even harder.
Several hours later, after Frankie and I brainstorm to no avail, I get a text from Mom to come downstairs. I brace myself for the fallout and step out of my room, almost running into Jonah.
How does one person take up so much space? It’s unnerving.
“Ready for this?” I ask, feeling nervous for some reason.
A muscle in his jaw ticks. “This was all your fault.”
“Right. My fault.” Shots fired.
He steps closer. Seriously? He wants to do this now?
George bellows up the stairs, “Jonah, get down here now!”
I cross my arms and raise a brow. “Daddy’s calling.”
“You too, Vivian.”
Shit. Can he hear us? Jonah gives me one last glare, and then he turns and stomps down the stairs.
We follow George into the living room. It’s utter chaos.
The balloons have gotten free and several are roaming around the room.
There are pieces of wrapping paper, popped balloons, and beads from the Dragon Princess bracelets I put in the goodie bags.
The partially put-together Dragon Princess castle is in the middle of the floor, taunting us. Reminding us of our part in all this.
Mom sits on the loveseat, her hair a little wild and her hands clutched in her lap.
Something isn’t right.
Mom isn’t obsessively organized like my father, but she doesn’t like things messy either. Even during a party, she normally cleans as she goes.
George motions for us to sit on the couch, and then he takes the spot beside her.
We each sit as far away from the other as possible. “Is Maisy okay?” Jonah asks, the hardness gone from his face.
“She’s taking a nap.” George takes Mom’s hand and squeezes. She gives him a tired smile.
“Dad, I’m sorry —”
George cuts Jonah off with a shake of his head.
“We’re a family.” He glances from Jonah to me.
“All of us. The fighting has to stop, boys. We should’ve done something way before now.
Back when you were both in school.” He pauses, and Jonah, the idiot, decides this is a good time to talk.
He’s never had an ounce of self-preservation.
“Maybe if Vivian would’ve tried to fit in.”
“So, I should’ve changed myself? Just to make you and your jock friends feel more comfortable?”
“Stop.” George leans forward with his hands clasped together. Then he rubs his face, looking more exhausted than I’ve ever seen him. It clicks then that this is not just about our fighting. Something else is going on. Is it related to Mom being so tired? So emotional?
I dart a glance at Jonah, and I can see the worry etched into his face.
“Dad—”
He shakes his head again. “It’s our turn to talk.”
Jonah slumps, and I almost feel sorry for him. Almost.
George takes Mom’s hand again. She nods at him, and he clears his throat. “We’ve been saving to go on a trip. A family vacation. And I need to be honest about this part: we considered going without you boys. You’re adults now.”
It’s just like Christmas all over again.
They went to Iowa to see George’s mom for Christmas.
We weren’t invited. I told Cassandra I couldn’t work—I wasn’t staying in Hopeview alone.
Instead, I went to Mule Creek and got a part-time barista job just to have something to do.
Of course Jonah found out, thought I was following him, and tried to get me fired.
And then Christmas—but I can’t focus on that. “Is that our punishment?” I ask, and George’s face softens a bit.
“I wouldn’t do that, son. Leave you out just to punish you.”
Jonah had stiffened at his use of the word “son.” But George doesn’t mean it like that.
But I can’t worry about Jonah because my skin is all prickly and hot. Withdrawing love and attention is my father’s go-to punishment. I clear my throat. “So, we’re all going to Disney World?”
Jonah jerks his head around to stare at me. “You knew about this?”
And didn’t tell me. That’s the rest of it that I can clearly see in his eyes. As if we share things with each other. As if we even tolerate each other.
“I mentioned it to Viv yesterday,” Mom says, sitting straighter. “But plans have changed. We want to do something the entire family will enjoy. Maybe spending time together will help you two get along.”
“Or kill each other,” Jonah mumbles.
Mom ignores his remark, which is probably for the best. But my mind is racing. “If not Disney World, where?”
“I’ve always wanted to see the Grand Canyon.” Mom smiles at George. “And then we thought we could go to San Diego. And check out Pridefest.”
I jerk forward. My heart jumps ahead, racing with the possibilities. “Pridefest? Are you sure about this, Mom?” I want to go, but a road trip with the entire family? And Jonah?
“Wait,” Jonah says. “Most Pride events are in June.”
“San Diego Pridefest is June thirteenth.” The words are automatic. That date has been in my head for months.
Jonah shakes his head like he’s dreaming of ways to off me. “You did this—”
“No fighting.” George gives him a harsh look.
“Fine. Whatever,” Jonah says as he stands. “Have fun.”
His dad moves in front of him. “We can’t make you go, Jonah—”
“June is wedding season, Dad. I can’t get time off. But, hey, if you want to wait until September, I might be able to make it work.”
George shares a look with Carolynda, and she shakes her head. She’s doing this for me. But for some reason, I can’t gather an ounce of satisfaction. I can’t stand Jonah, but I know how much it hurts to not be included.
“Can you try? Mr. Bishop’s a good man.” George rubs the back of his neck. “And Randy said he’d take care of the farm while I’m gone. Hell, if I can take time off, so can you.”
“Sure, Dad,” he says, slumping back on the couch.
Maybe this will work out. There’s no way he’s getting time off during wedding season. And a family vacation without Jonah would be so much easier. But a part of me is pissed. Why does he always give in? He accepts his fate like a damn martyr.
But I don’t want to think about that. “I’ll help you plan the trip, Mom.”
Jonah’s hand flies in the air as if he’s still in school, though he doesn’t wait to be called on. “I’m not okay with that.”
“Why do you care?” I ask. “You probably won’t even be going.”
“You’re such an ass—”
A frustrated sound from George halts us both. “Stop. While I’d like for you boys to work together on this… We’re not there yet. Carolynda will plan the trip.” He rubs her back. “If that’s okay with you, dear.”
She smiles, and this time, it seems real. As if she can’t believe we agreed to it, but she’s happy about it. “Thank you, boys. I welcome your help. Remember, we have a four-year-old to consider.”
“And no fighting,” George adds.
“Yes. Please, no fighting,” Mom says, “I don’t have the energy for it.”
I want to ask why. Why is she so tired? This isn’t the time or the place, but I will get answers.
We discuss the details: how long it will take to get there and back, all the things we can do along the way. Mom wants to see the Grand Canyon. And she wants to take Maisy to some robotic dinosaur park. All fine with me. As long as we get to San Diego in time for Pridefest.
Jonah stands. “Is that all?”
George joins him. “Actually, we need to discuss the consequences for today’s stunt.”
“Consequences?” The look on Jonah’s face is mutinous. He’s given me that look quite a few times. It’s unusual to see that scowl pointed at his dad.
“Natural consequences.” George folds his arms, reminding me of Jonah. “Carolynda is exhausted. And I’ve still got stalls to muck out. So, what’s it gonna be, Jonah? Do you want to shovel shit or clean the mess from the party? Your choice.”
Jonah glances toward the barn, not that you can see it from here. But I can almost work out what he’s thinking. Shovel manure or spend time with me. And for some reason, that doesn’t upset me. I have the power to make Jonah feel something.
It’s something I learned from my father ages ago. Any attention is better than none at all.
“Fine,” Jonah says, glancing at me. “I’ll help clean up.” But the look in his eyes clearly says he’ll hate every minute of it.
We start in the living room and work in complete silence. Cleaning end tables and filling trash bags doesn’t really take that long, and we’re able to work together. Mostly.
When we get to the kitchen, everything changes.
Avoiding each other is no longer possible.
The space we’re working in is too small.
As Jonah empties the dishwasher, I gather the dishes.
There isn’t a lot because they used Dragon Princess party cups and plates.
It’s mostly baking supplies and the bowls that held candy and chips.
I rinse the dishes and hand them to Jonah to put in the dishwasher.
“What’s going on, Vivian?” he asks, stacking the mixing bowl on the bottom rack.
We’re finally going to discuss the elephant in the room. This thing going on with Mom. I blow out a breath. “I’m not sure—”
“Bullshit. You planned this.”
I stare at him. Of course. This isn’t about Mom. It’s about Jonah not trusting me. I’m not even sure what to say. “You really think I want to spend ten days stuck in a vehicle with you?”
“Something is going on. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something.”
“Unbelievable.” I rinse the cake pans and hand them to him. If he gets a little wet, that’s his own fault.
But the stubborn look on his face tells me he’s not letting this go. “It’s conveniently at a time when I can’t go.”
Why did I ever feel sorry for him? Jackass. “You guessed it, Jonah. This was my plan all along. I convinced them to hold Pridefest during Pride month just so you wouldn’t be able to go.”
“You’re such a jerk. I’m glad I’m not going. I wouldn’t last ten days. I can barely stand ten minutes around you.”
The look he gives me, as if I’m something he scraped off his cowboy boots, has me talking before I can stop. “You could have fooled me, Jonah. Yesterday, you seemed more than happy to get as close to me as possible.”
“Fuck off.” He shakes his head as he adds the detergent pod. Once the dishwasher is going and everything is back in order, he mutters, “Thank God for June weddings.” And then he storms out.