Chapter 5
FIVE
“I was a small town girl with big city dreams.”
—excerpt from the unpublished memoir,
Darling, I Must Say by Gloria Hayes
That afternoon when Abe dropped me off at home, Mae was sitting in the rocking chair on our porch, a book in one hand and a glass of iced tea on the floorboard by her feet.
She peered over the top of her glasses as I slunk up the steps.
In the driveway sat her old piece of junk car she used to drive before she got married.
Without a word, I plopped down on the top step next to her and guzzled half her tea.
“Hey, you brat. Ask.”
“Why is your old car in the driveway? I didn’t even know you had that thing anymore.
” For that matter, how was that thing even drivable?
It was a tiny hatchback circa 1992 that she’d had since she was sixteen and, even then, it hadn’t been in the best shape.
These days, her husband, Chris, former NFL superstar and total marshmallow when it came to his family, had insisted she drive the newest, safest SUV on the market.
She took a small sip of her tea and set it down. “Mom said you had car trouble again.”
My shoulders tensed. I knew what was about to happen.
I was about to get rescued. It was what Mae did.
I loved her for it; I kind of hated her for it.
Just once I wish she’d wait for me to ask for help instead of assuming I couldn’t figure things out on my own.
Just once I wished I didn’t feel like I was more burden than sister.
“Nothing that a car fire and an insurance claim can’t fix.”
“Did Abe figure out what was wrong with it?”
“Something about a water line. Or maybe a water pump? Oh, or the little fairy whose job it is to water my engine died. I can’t remember.” I gazed up at her with sad, puppy dog eyes. “I didn’t have a dad to teach me about cars, you know.”
Mae huffed and kicked me with her foot. I smacked her leg. Sisterly love and all that.
“Please. That excuse stopped working years ago.”
“I don’t know. I feel like I used it last Christmas with good results.
” Mom had gotten me the black leather boots I’d had my eye on for ages but could not justify paying for.
While I didn’t blame Mom for my father’s absence, I knew she felt guilty for how hard things had been when I was a kid.
Now that she was settled and back working, she tried to make up for it by buying me things.
“I brought over the car because I figured you could use it while yours is in the shop.”
Look how helpful that was. It wasn’t just a good idea; it was a great one.
I did need a way to get to work and back, and this way, I wouldn’t have to rely on Mom.
Mae to the rescue. Again. Because Iris couldn’t take care of herself, could she?
I was grateful, of course I was, but that didn’t stop resentment from leaving a sour taste in my mouth.
I was a terrible sister.
I snatched up the glass of tea and gulped the rest of it down. “I hate that car. The AC barely works and the passenger door doesn’t have a door handle on the inside. Didn’t Ted Bundy catch his victims that way?”
“I doubt anyone is going to confuse you with a serial killer. Unless they see you first thing in the morning.”
“Ha. Ha.”
“I just didn’t want you to have to worry about a car for now. It’s reliable enough, although I wouldn’t drive faster than fifty miles per hour or go on long road trips.”
“Great,” I said in a way that made me sound like a petulant three-year-old.
Mae’s foot began to tap against the porch. “You could just say thank you.”
I pressed my lips together and gave her a dead-eyed stare, but inside I deflated, annoyed at myself.
She was just trying to help. She loved me.
I loved her. But I could not seem to have a conversation with her without devolving into a brat of the highest order.
It was expected of me, and expectations were hard to escape.
I’d been a bratty little kid sister my whole life.
Why would I be anything else now? Except, I didn’t want my relationship with my sister to be like this. I just wasn’t sure how to change it.
Drawing in a deep breath, I looked out over the brown, brittle grass covering our lawn and further off, across the street to a field of knee-high wild grass.
“Thank you,” I said as I stood. “I appreciate it.”
Mae cupped an ear. “What was that?”
“You heard me,” I muttered.
She grinned and climbed to her feet, dangling the keys from a finger. “You have to give me a ride home now.”
“Ugh.” I snatched the keys and stomped down the porch steps. “You are so high maintenance.”
She ignored that and followed me. “Take the long way to my house. I wanted to talk to you.”
I groaned. That never boded well for me. “Now what?”
“I have a college friend who’s a realtor in Austin. Chris and I have been thinking about investing in property there and with you going to Austin for school, it would be a great opportunity.”
“I’m not following.” But the sinking feeling in my stomach said something different.
“She found a few options. One’s not as close to campus, but it’s bigger and—”
I stopped and turned on my heels to face her, fists on my hips. “Wait a minute. Are you buying me a house?”
“Well, not exactly, Chris and I are investing in a house. It’s not for you per se.
You know how Chris feels about real estate, but you could live there, stay on top of the upkeep.
You’d be doing us a favor.” The determined look in her eyes slipped as they softened with emotion.
“I just want to know you’ll be okay. Especially with us moving at the end of the summer.
I won’t be fifteen minutes away or even a few hours by car. I’ll be states away.”
“Low blow bringing up the move,” I muttered.
The move was a touchy subject for all of us.
Three years ago, Chris had retired from the NFL to be a stay-at-home dad while Mae kept her position as the head librarian at the Two Harts Library.
Like everything else he did, he was a rockstar at it.
He was often spotted wearing Lulu in one of those kid backpacks or showing up at Mommy and Me groups or trading recipes with other moms at the park.
In his spare time, he’d gotten into real estate investment.
Since he has roughly a zillion dollars both from playing with the Oklahoma Stars and brand deals, he had a lot of money to work with.
But his dream had always been medical school.
He’d been accepted to Northwestern in Chicago and would start in the fall.
He was leaving at the beginning of July to close on their new house and get the lay of the land before Mae and Lulu would follow at the end of the summer.
This move was a huge change. Mae had lived in Two Harts since she was nine and in Texas her entire life.
The yawning pit of anxiety I’d been ignoring roared to life.
Both because she wouldn’t be around to nag me and smother me and love me and because I had to tell her I wasn’t going to Austin.
But how did I break the heart of one of the few people in this world who loved me?
She may not always see the real me and, sure, we butted heads and flung insults, and once we’d got into an actual wrestling match over a television remote.
She bossed me around and I let her because it was easy, but I knew without a doubt that my sister loved me. Just like I loved her.
“I can take care of myself,” I said gently. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
“I’m always going to worry about you. It’s just…” Her voice trailed off and for a split second, my strong, fiercely independent big sister looked lost.
“I’ll be okay,” I said, laying a hand on her arm. “Promise me you will not buy me a house in Austin.”
Mae straightened, the moment of vulnerability gone as fast as it had come, and put her arm through mine, half-dragging me to the car. “We aren’t buying you a house. I told you, it’s an investment property. We’ll talk about it.”