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Iparked outside of Cold Spring High where I’d be sure to see Eleanor as she exited.
Here to pick you up, fyi. Parked out front.
The return ping arrived seconds later.
LensBaby:Huh? What for? Did I forget something?
No. Just thought we’d spend the afternoon together if that’s okay.
LensBaby:Um. Yeah, I guess. Out in a few.
I settled back in my seat to wait, wishing I didn’t have to do this. Having to tell my kid sister her mother was dead should not be my job, damnit. I wasn’t a mom. I wasn’t anything, except a few years older and experiencing the same thing that she’d be dealing with in a few.
And yet. I laid my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. This was exactly what I was signing up for if I took custody of Eleanor next year. I couldn’t shy away from the crappy stuff and only deal with the good.
For all intents and purposes, I was her mom from now on. It would be me shopping with her for a prom dress, scheduling her first visit to the lady doctor, and grounding her when I caught her stumbling home drunk. I didn’t have the luxury anymore of only being a big sister.
The sound of the final bell pealed through the quiet parking lot and I opened my eyes, watching as kids poured out of the multiple sets of double doors that lined the school’s entrance. It reminded me of that opening scene inGrease—the instant rush of noise, the wide smiles, the obvious cliques.
Eleanor emerged and stood at the top of the flight of stone steps, peering around the through-way for my car. As I watched, a guy with a messy, dirty blond fade came up behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders and leaned close, whispering something in her ear that made her tense and shake her head. She started to pull away but he held her, until she finally shot her elbow back into his stomach and he jumped away, laughing.
Eleanor’s eyes fixed on me at the same time and she darted forward, relief plain on her features.
“What the hell was that,” I asked as she tossed her backpack into the back seat and climbed in.
“Nothing.” She glanced out the window.
“Didn’t look like nothing.”
“Don’t worry about it. He’s a brat but nothing I can’t handle.”
“Ha. I saw how you handled it. Well done.”
A small smile tipped the corners of her lips. “Learned from the best.”
I snorted out a little laugh in spite of my sick heart. I had gone over some very basic self-defense before she moved here with our uncle, consisting of eye gouging, throat punching, dick kicking, and “pointy part” jabs.
“What’s going on, Jude?” she asked softly. Eleanor had always been extremely sensitive to other people’s emotions. It didn’t surprise me that she was picking up on mine. I ignored the question for the moment. This wasn’t something I could do while I was driving.
“I heard this place down the road here has really great burgers and shakes?”
“Ah… I prefer the sundaes. But yeah, it’s good.”
The small diner’s parking lot was mostly empty when I pulled in. That was good. My uncle’s place was out of the question, but a quiet spot would be better for breaking the news.
Eleanor chose a booth toward the back and slid onto a cherry red vinyl bench before pushing a menu toward me. “Want to split an order of fries and a couple of vanilla shakes? They have the really skinny, salty fries.” she asked.
“That sounds good.” We shared a smile. “Perfect for dipping.”
“Exactly.”
The waitress, an older woman with orangey-red hair that was fading to gray, eyeballed Eleanor. “Hullo there, young lady. You still planning on starting Saturday?”
“Starting?” I leaned back in my seat. “Is there something you’ve forgotten to tell me?”
“Oh. Yeah. I got a job here the other day. This is Mabel. Mabel, my sister, Jude Tiernay.”
I offered Mabel my hand and she raised her eyebrows. Guess they didn’t do a lot of handshaking around here. “Nice to meet you.” Mabel took our orders and disappeared. “When were you planning on telling me you’d gotten a job?” I hissed when she was gone. “How are you even going to get from here to Uncle Rick’s house?”
