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Heading downstairs, she opened the windows and door leading to her backyard. Copper had already made her way around the house and Ginny followed in her cat’s wake, picking up everything that had been shoved to the floor. Once she filled up Copper’s bowls, Ginny grabbed herself a bottle of water and stepped outside to sit on the back porch.
And only when she had gotten her fill of the fresh air did Ginny pull out her phone—twelve messages from Mom and countless messages on the Thomas Chaos group she was in with her siblings.
Mom
I have some news, chakkare.
I met someone and he’s wonderful.
That had come in while they were eating seafood.
Mom
Virginia, why aren’t you answering your phone?
This is very important and I need you to call me as soon as you have a minute.
That and a whole slew of ‘reminders’ about calling her back had dropped while she was at the arcade. Ginny was actually amazed that she hadn’t checked her phone even once while she was out with Gavin.
Mom
Now I’m worried. This is so unlike you. I expect this kind of behavior from your sisters, but not you.
Did I do something to upset you?
Virginia Catherine Thomas, you better not be lying in a ditch somewhere.
Call me. Right now.
Ginny pinched her nose and sighed. Of course her mother was thinking of the worst thing in the world. It would have been great if she was actively ignoring Elsa Thomas, but Ginny wasn’t an asshole. She knew that her mother needed help and if she didn’t provide it for her, then who would?
Switching to the group with her siblings, there was more of the same thing.
Stella
Amma has decided that Ginny’s lying in a ditch somewhere. Anybody heard from her?
Joey
She always thinks that one of us is lying in a ditch, Gin’s probably getting railed by someone and doesn’t have the time to check her phone.
David
For the love of god. I am an adult and I know we all have sex, but can we not talk about my ‘baby sister’ that way?
Snorting at the GIF David had sent of Patrick Stewart facepalming, Ginny read through the rest of the messages. Her sister Joey—“only assholes and Cyrus call meJosephine”—kept finding ways to aggravate David through the whole conversation. But by two a.m. her time, all of them had stopped texting because they knew that she was busy. And if they were really worried about her, they would have called. They also knew that Elsa was panicking for no reason, but obliged her a check-in and now that their job was done, they’d gone on with their nights.
As she started typing out a reply, Copper bounced onto the porch and then crawled up the chair to collapse into Ginny’s lap. Smiling, she took a picture of her cute kitten and attached that to her text.
Ginny
I was not in a ditch nor was I getting railed by anyone. I was on a date and for the first time in my life, my phone was the least important thing.
But also here’s the other reason I’ve been so busy. Say hi to Copper.
I’ll call Amma and reassure her that I’m okay. But more importantly, do any of you know about this man she’s dating?
Copper begged for attention, swatting at Ginny’s phone in the process. She scratched her cat’s belly, smiling as she purred and stretched in place. Her mother’s long string of texts was a little concerning, but Elsa was always like this. She often forgot that her four kids were thirty and older, had their own homes, well-paying jobs, two even had families and could certainly take care of themselves. Every time Ginny reminded her mother of that, Elsa would wave her off and say,“While I’m alive, no matter how old my children are, I will always worry about them. That’s what a mother does. It’s ingrained in us from the minute you are born.”
