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2
Monroe
I exhaled as my cab driver took off in the direction of my hotel. I didn’t mean to make my sister feel awkward and uncomfortable at her own get together with her friends, had she told me before I would’ve gone straight to my hotel instead of coming to a dinner that I was not only underdressed for but also was pummeled by the driving force that was Dominic Harley. I hadn’t expected him to be there neither had I ever expected to see him again in my life. When I hugged him, it was more out of reaction than anything else. I didn’t even think when I did it, all I did was think about the way I used to hug him that was until Estelle whispered words to me that sobered me up and had me hightailing it up out of there.
Her words resonated throughout my entire cab ride and even when I got to the hotel, actually more like a bed and breakfast. I couldn’t shake her words. Those awful, painful words, words that my mother used to say to me time and time again, even as she took her final breath with only me by her side. “Go away, you’re embarrassing me. “I shudder as I tried to catch some shut eye. After my bath, there wasn’t much to prep? on or anyone to call home and tell that I madeit out here safely. If anything, I spent my last dollars coming to be here for the only family I had left. My father died two years after my mother passed away, when I was eighteen. I was going to leave Athens and make something out of myself, but tragedy struck the family. At the time our mother died, Estelle was already in New York for College. She had come to our mother’s funeral but refused to attend daddy’s.
She called daddy and I a burden, not only on momma but also on her. She had the same nasty attitude as momma and it never made sense to me. I strived to be like daddy because he was kind to me, bought me whatever I needed and always made me laugh especially after Dom left my side. Daddy saw that I had become reclusive right after and he tried his best to get me out of it, but it didn’t really work because here I was, for my big sister’s wedding with no friends and no one to truly call family. I didn’t tell Estelle about the bank taking the house because I couldn’t afford that place and that I was living at a woman’s shelter. They let me work there in exchange for unlimited shelter and food.
I had all my mail forwarded to a P.O. Box and paid my cellphone bill months in advance, making it possible for me to receive her call with the news. I didn’t want to be called a burden anymore, so I worked odd jobs here and there in town, so I could pay for my roundtrip Greyhound bus ticket, book this place and afford cab fare. I didn’t know where I was going to stay when returned but I would beg the shelter on my hands and knees to regain my spot. I sighed not wanting to relive the past, that was what it was, my past.
I lifted my hands and stared into the palms. The cuts that I received from the last job of helping sort things out at the scrap yard left memories that I would never forget. As if I needed something else to make me appear like a bum. I reached out grabbing strands of my hair to sniff, my hair smelled clean, so I wonder why Estelle looked at me with such disgust in her eyes. Her disdain for me made no sense and neither did her asking me to be her maid of honor. If she hated me so much, why was she asking this of me? I hadn’t seen her in nine whole years. I shut my eyes not wanting to succumb to the sad emotions that threatened to overpower me once more. You’ll be fine Roe-Roe, you’ve been through worse. I took a deep breath and released a shaky one. I tried again hoping this time it would be stronger, but I was wrong, a tear slipped out and then another… I knew this night would be the same as every other night, I was crying myself to sleep again.
My alarm blared, and I scrambled out of the bed to shut it off. I reached out for the phone and looked at it with one eye open. I saw three messages from Estelle with her home address and her message once more, “don’t embarrass me.” I sighed, already wishing to be back in the shelter. At least there, no one was embarrassed by me. A lot of the women were sweet to me and told me I had a heart of gold. It made me feel better on the worst of days. I shook off the misery that was trying to take over my day as I got out of bed and decided to get ready.
I checked myself over. This was the best I could do with what I had. I wore a pair of faded skinny jeans, tennis shoes that looked new but were second-hand and a black cropped knitted sweater that was also second-hand. I tried to tame my hair, but it was of no use, so I left it to air dry. I sighed as I took some money out of my wallet, bringing what I would need along with headphones and cell. I left the bed and breakfast groaning as I realized that the bus ride to her side of town would take an hour.
When I arrived, I shook my head because although the bus didn’t take a full hour, I walked twenty minutes to an area that the bus didn’t go to. I was finally there albeit ten minutes late, but I was there. I looked at my sister’s place, it was huge. It looked like it was brand spankin’ new from the gray color of it to the u-shaped driveway. I whistled wondering how much a house like this would cost to even sleep in for a night. I arrived at the front door and knocked. I waited patiently until someone came to the door. I expected Estelle but was by Jared, my future brother in law. He beamed at me pulling me in for a hug once again.
“Sis-in-law! You made it. We couldn’t reach you, so we thought you bailed.” He said.
“Huh?” I replied as I got out of his embrace. I reached in my pocket to check my cell and I realized I had no signal out here. “No signal.” I chuckled as he ushered me in.
“Oh damn, I’m sorry. Did it take you long to get here?” He asked me.
“No, no. It was no trouble at all.”
“Okay well join us, everyone is here waiting for you.” He said with excitement. Who the hell was everyone?
I reached the living room and almost passed out, an older couple who must’ve been Jared’s parents sat there at the table on the patio. Estelle paid me no mind as she continued to chuckle with the woman who was a spitting image of Jared and then I noticed him again. Dom was here as well. My eyes widened as he was the first to notice my presence.
~E~
Dominic
The moment Roe came to the patio I couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I watched as she surveyed all of us, she should’ve looked for me first before everyone else at the table. She looked ready to bolt, but then she plastered a smile on her face as her and Jared reached us on the patio.
“Mom, Dad… I want you to meet Monroe, Essy’s little sister.”
“Oh my! Hello dear.” Both his parents stood and welcomed her.
I watched as she said her hellos then Jared directed her to sit right next to me. I noticed Estelle didn’t bother to say hello to her, I seriously had to know what the problem was. I remember once when Estelle was drunk, she had gotten a letter from Roe. I never read it, but the contents drove Estelle to drink. We must’ve been in our twenties, two years after her mother passed. She had burned the letter and when I asked why she did it, her response was simple. Some people should have never been born. At the time, I thought she was talking about herself.
Jared’s parents began to talk to Monroe asking her about life back in Athens and how it felt to be a maid of honor at her sister’s wedding. I tuned them all out as I watched her talk and smile at the parents, all the while her hands were in little fists under the table on her lap.
“So dear, Estelle tells us you share the same mother but not the same father and we’re sorry that your father passed. Even if it wasn’t today, we’re sorry for both of your parents.” Jared’s mother, Elaine said with sympathy written all over face. When did Essy and Roe have different fathers? Their father died?
Roe cleared her throat.
“Thank you. He passed away two years after momma died. It was hard, but I endured it.”
“Wow. You must’ve been so young, and it must’ve been so tragic. You poor thing.” She doesn’t have her mom or dad left?
“It was but I managed. It’s been seven years and I still can’t seem to be okay when its around his birthday.” She confessed.
Elaine nodded her head understanding what Roe was saying but why was I just learning all of this now? How come no one told me that Mr. Rodricks had passed away? Who took care of Roe?
“It’s nice to surround yourself with family ondays such as those. We always try to be around for Essy when it comes to your mother’s death anniversary or birthday.”
