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Grace
I’m not goingto be able to do this. Walking up my grans drive I know it before I’m even inside, I’m going to cave. There is no hope for me, the smells, I told Terrance this was a bad idea.
“Hey sweetheart,” I jerk at the sound of my momma’s voice and then notice her standing at the back of her jeep. “Help me with these.” It’s then I notice all the bags in the back of her car.
Each year we all join together at Grandma’s house where we make enough cookies to feed the entire town. They are then packaged up and given out by the church to all the residents. Gran is and has been for as long as I can remember very active in the community.
She is also the one that has secretly been helping me make sure that Terrance’s father is getting enough food.
I know if he knew I was even involved he’d be upset, but I also know, even though he shouldn’t my husband still worries.
His father was not good to him. But from what Gran said after my father laid into Terrance’s dad, the man is trying to clean himself up. He’s gone to the meetings the church offers weekly for addicts. He’s also been volunteering his time through the church helping the elderly around town do updates on their homes they can’t physically do themselves.
I also drove by Terrance’s old home a few weeks ago and was surprised to find it had been cleaned up and even had Christmas lights twinkling through the front window.
I don’t know if Terrance and his father will ever speak again but because I love my husband and he also still loves his father, I’m happy to know the man is working on getting clean.
“You look peaked,” my mother’s words surprise me. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m good,” I say much too fast. “Alright here, feeling fine, you?”
She stops, holding the bags before her and stares at me with her brows bunched up and a frown on her face.
“You’re hiding something,” she finally says and my stomach flips.
“Nope,” shaking my head too fast. “I’m not, no, not hiding a thing.”
“You’ve always been an open book,” she laughs. “Okay you want to pretend there’s nothing going on, fine. I’ll play, but you should know that once everyone gets wind of it, there will be no hope. You’ll burst like a balloon.”
Don’t I know it, I just went through it a few days ago. Now it's time for round two. Terrance has confidence in me, but the man is insane, and he should really know better.
My mother walks off laughing and I know the moment I walk inside all hope will be lost.
I take in a deep breath and give myself a silent pep talk.
“You’re not gonna make it sixty-seconds in there.” Chloe walks up behind me and I was so lost in my own thoughts I hadn’t even heard her pull up. She stands at my side, smiling as she bumps me.
“Do you want me to give you something to preoccupy your thoughts for tonight?”
“Umm yes,” I say as if that is even a question.
“Maddison is pregnant too,” she shrugs and all I can think is why she knows this and I don’t. As if she can read my thoughts she answers me. “She was afraid to take away your joy by announcing it, so she and Mike have decided to wait until after the holidays and the wedding to share the news with everyone. I just figured it out when I stopped over and she was digging out all of Sarah’s baby stuff. She tried saying it was because she was cleaning but you know how we all are in this family. I swear we can smell a secret from a mile away.”
“She is not hiding this,” I declare, once again able to find my sturdiness. “There is no such thing as too much good news.”
“That’s what I told her too, but you know Mad.”
“I do,” hooking my arm through hers, I start dragging her toward the house with me. It’s time to face the family, “I can do this,“ I chant and Chloe laughs.
“Girl, you don’t have a chance.”
* * *
“Here isMikey’s peanut butter cookies,” Alexis, Maddison’s mom, hands her a container. I notice her nose wrinkle up as she starts to breathe through her mouth. Her throat bobs and she swallows hard and I want to laugh. I know how she feels, I’ve been doing my very best to hold back all night. So many smells, butterscotch and chocolate, even mint and I’ve barely held it together.
I must say though, I’ve managed to avoid breaking like Chloe thought I would. Granted I’ve focused on Maddison so it's been easier to ignore my own secrets.
Mad walks over to her bag and tucks the container inside, before slipping into the next room.
