Chapter 1
Present day: NOAH
The three of us were attended at the gate by a greyer, gorgeous mother in her late fifties. Her long hair was drawn back into a rough ponytail that swept her rear as she shuffled and flitted over her young nieces and nephews that endure to run a muck as she embraced the three grown men at her door. “my guys” she received her child and his two best friends; the youngsters had been buddies for so long that they had become children of her own. “hello, Noah.” She greets me through her own growing grin. “Hi Mama Abigail.” I acknowledged my substitute parent.
We occupy the following hours with many exchanged stories and performances. It was the fifth time I had joined Ace’s tribe for the festivities and he spoke about his extensive family but with his 2 grandma’, 3 aunts and uncles, and 12 cousins, there was 20 individuals in the household for the festivities before including his mom, dad, 2 sisters and the three lads. There would 27 people dining at the dinner table for thanksgiving this year.
I was standing on the frontal deck with James, the third companion, Ace and Ace’s 3 uncles several hours afterward when a black sports car draws up and out walks Ace’s twin sister, Ava, his relative, harper and their best friend Luna skips out. Looks like 28 members would nibble at the buffet for thanksgiving.
Luna always irked me; she was a basic feminist with a mocking expression and a fashion sense that consists of leather coats and ripped jeans. It has been years since I last saw her, all those years ago when the two finished high school together and by the looks of it she had become milder than she ever was before. Gone was the disdainful manner that was replaced with a natural easy-going laugh and she had exchanged in her leather jacket for a preppy blouse and pair of traditional black suit trousers. She was not the same angry teen she was three years ago. I wonder what situation in her life had provoked such a radical revolution in her lifestyle. whatever it was, it had done me a great favour.
She was a slight young woman and carried her dirty blonde hair in a sloppy bun as she giggled with her two friends. She h grown into something beautiful and I knew that with my 6’5” height I would be at least a head greater than herself.
I do not “want” a lady, especially one they raised me with, but this one I needed. I lay with Ace as we observed the three girls joke around as they unloaded their ride. Once she saw us lying on the veranda, she and the young woman screamed our names and ran to Ace and me to be buried in our arms. “I missed you fellows so much” Ace kisses her cheeks as I move back inside to save another beer.
Oh, how I would need it.
Two days earlier: LUNA
I never thought that I would be in this position. As I gripped the small girl in my arms, I could not help but recall her dad and how honest his spirit was and how his own brother wrapped his mind into something so sinister.
How could someone who vowed to shield you be the one who causes your downfall?
Sometimes I wish I was the same person I was before because then I know I could look this infant in the eyes and pledge to raise her and her brother in the manner her parents would be appreciative of until they can be in their life also.
The lad has a journal that counts down days until he can next visit his dad and every night when he goes to slumber, he murmurs to himself “87 sleeps until I can see papa again.”
How am I expected to tell this child that his papa is not the same man who rested at the head of his counter every day, reading the day’s broadcast, and reporting on the rising costs in the market? The girl is too inexperienced to even fathom what had transpired and consumes most of her days babbling and tumbling in a fashion that merely a young child would know how to. So calm and pure, she will never experience how close she was to loosing that.
Then there are days when she would sprawl on her play mat and just peer at people as they pass her play pen and hassles over the insignificant baby as she inspects them in a sense that is like Clay’s vacant stares. These days she alarms me the most, her resemblances to her uncle. She will not recall what she saw, but her memories will plague her dreams and turn the exquisite baby into something extremely recognizable to me. A monster produced by a scarier monster.
I was frightened from my first morning dreams by the ring of the toaster popping, indicating that mason’s toast was fixed, and I should wake him up promptly.
I lay the fussy miss Avery back in her pen. Before leaving the room to wake her brother.
I knocked on the luminous blue door next to Avery’s princess themed room. “Macey?” I caressed the door free, mindful not to wake the sleeping tot. the youthful lad had draped himself into a swaddle of quilts and was wheezing. Tears streaked his clean skin, the mere indication of last month’s circumstances.
The fellow groaned as I squat on the end of the bed and wake him. “wake up, Macey. We have a powerful day ahead of us.” The lad opened his eyes and upon recognizing me and beamed to me.
“what if they don’t want me?” he inquired as I seated him down later on in the hour, I ceased buttering his toast and swung to him.
He was chatting about harper and ava’s folk. We would spend the holidays with them after I travel up tomorrow to warn them about the children, in the meantime they would stay with alexander, ava’s secret boyfriend. “if they don’t like you then they are fools. I love you and that’s all that matters.”
His smile overtook his face as I remind him of my undying love for his family and jumps out of his chair to hug my legs. “I love you too, Auntie Luna” the young boy’s words muffled against my pyjama pants.
Later that night I heard arguing coming from the primary room before Mama Abigail enters my room and beacons me downstairs. “The house is full enough, Luna. They will have to be alone these holidays.”
“The oldest is 4 years old, that’s preposterous.” Argues an angry Aunt olivia. Mama Abigail draws in a sharp breath before the two of us step into the large living room. “I agree with ava. There just children, they can’t be alone for the holidays.” An angry cousin William, who is 12. interrupts the argument before Abigail says anything.
“please, mama Abigail. They won’t take up much space and you won’t even know they’re there.” Ace’s mother looks at me, one of her many daughter figures in recognition before nodding her head. “The two children will stay for the holiday season, mason will stay in a room with Elijah, Lukas and William. Avery will stay in the room with Luna, harper, and Ava. Are there any objections?” she turns to us and we all shake our head.
There was now 30 of us staying in a 6-bedroom house. That is 4 people per room and 6 people on couches and in tents. I for one was ready to be judged by for my decision to take in a two year old and a four year old when I am 21.
Fun, right?
