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Julia didn’t admit that she was even too busy for her at times. She didn’t shove in her face that her only actual daughter was sitting right across from her, as if that mattered.
“But I’m here, mom.” She tried to give her best good-daughter smile. “I’m so excited to spend your birthday with you.”
Veronica’s lack of response spoke volumes. No light ever glimmered in her eyes as she hugged Julia. She never expressed how excited she was to see her, never thanked her for taking the time out of her hectic life to make the trip there.
Don’t get her wrong; she loved her mom, but the distant once a month phone call to catch up on absolutely nothing was more than enough for her those days. She didn’t need her there and she most definitely didn’t need that look of disappointment face-to-face while stating that a better kept house probably would have made Marin stay. Yes, mom. It was that one week that I skipped laundry that finally pushed Mar away.
***
Julia finished drying off her damp hands from scrubbing the sink one last time when the front door opened with a bustle of bags. Keegan was late, as usual. It wasn’t surprising with the fleet of children she had to corral to their grandparents on the trip over.
Their tradition started as an every other week occurrence with Marin and a few other friends. After a while, life got busy or rather, they chose what was more important to spend their time doing. Then, it was just Julia and Keegan, and that was just fine with them.
Julia smiled at Keegan standing in the foyer with two bottles of merlot in her arms, something resembling yogurt staining her jacket.
“Emery just had to have one of those stupid yogurt tubes in the car and of course I didn’t see it in her hands before grabbing her out of her car seat,” she grumbled, shaking her head. “These kids will kill me one day.” She removed her jacket and headed towards the sink.
Keegan’s black hair was straightened, and they both wore their usual attire: old jeans and tattered t-shirts. Julia’s shirt was partially tucked in in the front, a long red crocheted cardigan hanging off her shoulders.
“Happy you made it in one piece,” Julia teased, taking the wine to the chiller. “I was thinking about calling the Sheriff there for a second. Figured you got lost, or kidnapped. With your luck, my money was on the kidnapper returning you.”
“Very funny. He just dropped me off, obviously. Oh–” snorted Keegan from the kitchen, “I’ve been dreaming about these poppers since Wednesday!”
“They’re all yours!”
“Thanks, Susie Homemaker.”
“If you had the time, you’d do the same.” Julia began taking the trays of food to the coffee table in the living room. Keegan rolled her eyes.
“If I had the time, maybe I could attempt it,” she retorted, popping a piece of cheese into her mouth. “But honestly, I could never keep my house as clean or come up with such amazing recipes, even if I didn’t have an army of kiddos wreaking havoc.”
Julia couldn’t help but smile as she arranged the rest of the trays on the coffee table. Keegan followed her, carrying two glasses of wine. Julia watched as she took the chaise to the side and immediately sunk into it, stretching her feet out onto the coffee table.
“Okay,” she took another sip of her wine and then leaned forward. “I can’t take it anymore. How did the talk with Erin go last night?”
“It went well! We went over the schedule, and everything is sorted out for Monday,” Julia replied, her focus on finding the remote for the television.
“Julia,” Keegan said sternly, narrowing her dark eyes and raising her glass to her lips. “You know that’s not the part I’m interested in.”
“It isn’t?” She played coy. She spent enough time with teenagers that she was good at it. “That’s the part that involves you.”
“I spoke with Erin about that schedule yesterday, as you most likely already know.”
“Oh, right! Any concerns?” She finally made eye contact as she tilted the dry goodness of her wine to her mouth. It was always something about that first sip that calmed any nerves.
“Only with your intelligence.” Keegan grinned as she tossed a pillow towards the middle of the couch, just missing Julia’s elbow.
“If you stain this white couch with red wine, you’ll pay in purgatory!”
“I’m paying now.” Keegan laughed as she got more comfortable. “Seriously, though. When’s the next date?”
“It wasn’t a date.”
“I know, I know,” she groaned.
“Do you, though?”
“I wish you’d just let go once in the while. You know, have a little fun?”
