AllFreeNovel
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We have been on the run for roughly four weeks. Four weeks is a long time.
It’s exactly twenty-eight days. It’s six hundred and seventy-two hours. It’s forty thousand, three hundred, and twenty minutes. And it’s also way too many seconds to count.
I can’t believe how different things are. How my life has changed from the moment I decided to start anew. Each day is definitely a challenge, and although I’ve come close, I haven’t broken down—yet.
And I know the reason for that stares straight at me with those damn inquisitive eyes.
But he doesn’t push. He only leans forward and kisses me lightly on the forehead. “Want to get something to eat?”
I nod, but my stomach turns when I realize I’ll have to face the music with Cynthia and Polly sooner or later. I really wish it were later since my behavior yesterday was deplorable.
Slipping on Quinn’s sweater, I take a deep breath.
“You’ll be okay,” he says as if reading my thoughts.
“I just want today to be uneventful and boring,” I say, drawing out the G when we reach the staircase.
As we peer over the railing, my wishes for an uninteresting and ordinary day get shot down in flames of glittery greens, glitzy golds, and radiating reds.
“Um, what the hell?” I mumble, taking in the scene of pure Christmas bedlam below.
Quinn remains quiet, no doubt his eyes glued to the sight of about fifty workmen decking out the downstairs with every imaginable Christmas ornament known to humankind. And in the center of all that craziness is Pollyanna, clutching a bright pink clipboard to her chest while giving orders to a poor minion on where to hang the mistletoe.
“Good morning, you two,” my mother says from behind us, startling me.
“Hi,” I reply, slowly turning to face her, and I’m thankful she looks better than when I saw her last.
Feelings of guilt overwhelm me, and I avert my eyes back to the activity downstairs, ashamed that I left her the way I did.
“What’s going on down there?” I ask, looking at the transformed Christmas wonderland, hoping to make small talk that doesn’t involve profanity.
“We throw a Christmas Eve party every year. It’s been a tradition for as long as…” She leaves the sentence unfinished, no doubt not wanting to tell me all about the lavish Christmas parties she’s thrown while I’ve been slumming it on the streets.
I tell myself to breathe and not freak out. “Cool.”
“Honestly, Edward, are you deaf? I’ve told you twice. The ice sculpture goes in the front room. I’ll just do it myself,” Polly says, snatching the cart away from a poor, humiliated Edward.
“We were going to cancel this year because of current circumstances,” Cynthia says with a hitch in her voice. “But as you can see, this is Pollyanna’s thing. This is also Chandler’s first Christmas away, so I didn’t want to take it away from her.”
The mere mention of Chandler’s name has my semi-calm composure slipping.
Cynthia must read my discomfort because she quickly backtracks.
“Oh, Chandler is Polly’s…” But once again, she leaves the sentence incomplete, and I’m thankful because I don’t want to start another fight with her.
“I know who Chandler is,” I say, turning to meet her uncomfortable gaze.
“You do?”
“Yes.” I leave it at that. “Looks like Polly is in her element, bossing everyone around. I’m glad you decided to go ahead and have the party.”
Cynthia smiles and looks relieved I’ve made a joke. “Yeah, she sure is. She loves this time of year. She loves these social gatherings. Any excuse to dress up.”
I nod but can’t help but think how different we really are.
I would much rather hide in a dark room, watching a horror movie, than liaise with strangers who are only there for the free food.
The thought of a dark room reminds me of my idea for Quinn’s Christmas gift. I don’t know if I’ll actually be able to follow through, but I’ll try my best.
