“Mrs. Shepard?” Michelle asked, unconvinced that the lady before her is Errole’s mother. She was supposed to be in England having dinners with the queen or something. It seemed impossible that she’s here now.
“Oh come on, darling. You know me well enough to call me Eva!” she said hugging Michelle. She could feel the liquid spill down her back but the older lady seem to be oblivious to it. She reeked of smoke and alcohol.
“Eva. It’s just- such a shock. Aren’t you supposed to be in England?” Michelle was utterly confused. The last she spoke with this lady was--
“I’m so sorry about your mother dear.” Eva spoke softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She now remembered that Eva and her mother were really close friends. It must have stung when she found out about what happened. But that got her thinking, a year ago Eva couldn’t come back for her mother’s funeral because she needed to stay with Mr. Shepard in England. It seemed unbelievable that all of a sudden she would just show up in Virginia without so much as a warning.
“Oh come on, darling. You know me well enough to call me Eva!” she said hugging Michelle. She could feel the liquid spill down her back but the older lady seem to be oblivious to it. She reeked of smoke and alcohol.
“Eva. It’s just- such a shock. Aren’t you supposed to be in England?” Michelle was utterly confused. The last she spoke with this lady was--
“I’m so sorry about your mother dear.” Eva spoke softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She now remembered that Eva and her mother were really close friends. It must have stung when she found out about what happened. But that got her thinking, a year ago Eva couldn’t come back for her mother’s funeral because she needed to stay with Mr. Shepard in England. It seemed unbelievable that all of a sudden she would just show up in Virginia without so much as a warning.
“I don’t--” she started, trying to tell the older lady that she simply cannot understand why she’s back so suddenly.
“Hush dear. Come. We must catch up.” Eva silenced her. She pulled on her arm and dragged Michelle towards the Shepard’s home.
“Mrs. She- Eva, I think I should take a shower first, at least. I went running and I’m sure I’m not much to look at at the moment.” Michelle protested, trying to pry her arm out of Eva’s grasp.
“I’ve seen you naked, my dear. I don’t see how this look of yours can bother me.”
“I was five, Eva. This is a different situation.” she continued to argue but stopped resisting the lady’s grasp, nonetheless.
Michelle allowed Eva to drag her into the big house that, for a time, became her second home. They went directly to the kitchen where Eva grabbed a glass and poured a finger of bandy into it.
“Here you go.” She said, handing the glass to Michelle. “Drink up!’
“I’m sorry, Eva. I’m not much of a drinker.” she whispered, looking at the glass.
“More for me, then!” Eva grinned at her before downing the drink.
“I still don’t understand. You’re supposed to be in England.” she looked at the older lady whose expression, upon the mention of England, turned cold.
“I suppose you don’t really enjoy watching the news do you, Michelle? It’s understandable. You’ve hated it since you were a child.” Eva looked at Michelle trying to search her face for something and then suddenly, as if deciding that she really knew nothing, Eva let out a shaky laugh but before she could say anything, they heard the opening and closing of the front door.
Eva smiled and addressed the person behind Michelle, “Darling, you’re back so soon.”
Michelle turned around abruptly and, for the first time in years, saw the boy she grew up with.
“Hello, stranger.” He said softly, his eyes blank and his smile forced.
She took it all in; his messy blonde hair, his tall and well built frame, his beautiful brown eyes, his tight lipped smile and his sexy deep voice. She felt her heart beat faster as she took a step forward, her hand raised in an attempt to touch him just to make sure that this isn’t just a dream.
It happened so quickly, it took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t just her imagination. As Michelle took a step forward raising her hand to touch him, Errole stepped back, effectively avoiding her touch. Michelle let her hand fall quickly to her side and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. What was going on? She knows they’ve been out of touch but this was not how she imagined Errole to be like, the first time that they’ll see each other after five whole years. She let her hand drop to her side and turned around to look at Eva who was looking at the scene with curiosity.
“Thank you for having me over, Eva. But I think I better go.” She spun around and looked directly in Errole’s eyes as she said, “It was nice seeing you again. Goodbye.”
Michelle walked out of the house as quickly as she could. Her quick steps turned into a full on sprint as soon as she reached the Shepard’s porch. She was confused and angry and hurt. Five years apart and this is how he decides to greet her. Perfect.
For the next week and a half, Michelle did her best to dodge her neighbors. She made it a habit to sneak a peek at the peep-hole before even stepping out of the house. She would check for the black Volvo S60 in the Shepard family’s driveway. She was about 90% sure that the car belonged to Errole and, in an attempt to avoid him, she refused to leave the house whenever the car was there.
It was a few days before the start of a new semester when it happened. Someone banged loudly on the living room door just as Michelle got out of her shower. It was 10am and she was planning to go grocery shopping since the black volvo was conspicuously absent from the Shepard’s driveway.
“Michelle, darling! I know you’re in there! Let me in!” she heard Eva shout from her porch. Michelle sighed and made her way towards the door. She takes a deep breath before turning the knob and, just as the door swings open, Eva stumbles forward and falls just in front of her.
Michelle gasped and dropped down to her knees to check on the older lady who simply laughed and waved her off. She watched dumbfounded as Eva shakily got up and made her way to the kitchen.
“I don’t-- what are you doing here, Mrs. Shep-- I mean, Eva?” she asked as she watched Eva rummaging through her drawers.
“I ran out of brandy for this rum cake I’m making. I was hoping you had some lying around. Heaven knows Maddie loves a good booze.” she prattled on and on about how sure she was that there was rum there somewhere.
“Eva, listen to me. My mother died over a year ago. I drank all the brandy in this house the night of her funeral. You won’t find any left in this house.”
Eva stopped rummaging through the cabinets and finally turned to look straight into Michelle’s eyes. Tears were falling like waterfalls from her eyes and Michelle was at a loss for words.
“She’s my only friend. Did you know that, child?”
“She’s gone, Eva. She has been gone for a year and you couldn’t even be bothered to attend the services. Don’t even bother telling me about how busy you were because I know, I KNOW that if things were reversed, she would’ve been there for you.” Michelle didn’t know where the anger was coming from. All she knew was that this woman had no right to tell her that she was her mom’s best friend. Not now. Not after what happened.
“I wasn’t sure if you knew. I thought for sure Errole has told you. Arrangements were being made at that time and leaving meant-- I couldn’t lose my son, Michelle. Not to him. Knowing what he’s capable of.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“My dear, William and I, have gotten divorced.”
“Hush dear. Come. We must catch up.” Eva silenced her. She pulled on her arm and dragged Michelle towards the Shepard’s home.
“Mrs. She- Eva, I think I should take a shower first, at least. I went running and I’m sure I’m not much to look at at the moment.” Michelle protested, trying to pry her arm out of Eva’s grasp.
“I’ve seen you naked, my dear. I don’t see how this look of yours can bother me.”
“I was five, Eva. This is a different situation.” she continued to argue but stopped resisting the lady’s grasp, nonetheless.
Michelle allowed Eva to drag her into the big house that, for a time, became her second home. They went directly to the kitchen where Eva grabbed a glass and poured a finger of bandy into it.
“Here you go.” She said, handing the glass to Michelle. “Drink up!’
“I’m sorry, Eva. I’m not much of a drinker.” she whispered, looking at the glass.
“More for me, then!” Eva grinned at her before downing the drink.
“I still don’t understand. You’re supposed to be in England.” she looked at the older lady whose expression, upon the mention of England, turned cold.
“I suppose you don’t really enjoy watching the news do you, Michelle? It’s understandable. You’ve hated it since you were a child.” Eva looked at Michelle trying to search her face for something and then suddenly, as if deciding that she really knew nothing, Eva let out a shaky laugh but before she could say anything, they heard the opening and closing of the front door.
Eva smiled and addressed the person behind Michelle, “Darling, you’re back so soon.”
Michelle turned around abruptly and, for the first time in years, saw the boy she grew up with.
“Hello, stranger.” He said softly, his eyes blank and his smile forced.
She took it all in; his messy blonde hair, his tall and well built frame, his beautiful brown eyes, his tight lipped smile and his sexy deep voice. She felt her heart beat faster as she took a step forward, her hand raised in an attempt to touch him just to make sure that this isn’t just a dream.
It happened so quickly, it took her a moment to realize that it wasn’t just her imagination. As Michelle took a step forward raising her hand to touch him, Errole stepped back, effectively avoiding her touch. Michelle let her hand fall quickly to her side and she blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. What was going on? She knows they’ve been out of touch but this was not how she imagined Errole to be like, the first time that they’ll see each other after five whole years. She let her hand drop to her side and turned around to look at Eva who was looking at the scene with curiosity.
“Thank you for having me over, Eva. But I think I better go.” She spun around and looked directly in Errole’s eyes as she said, “It was nice seeing you again. Goodbye.”
Michelle walked out of the house as quickly as she could. Her quick steps turned into a full on sprint as soon as she reached the Shepard’s porch. She was confused and angry and hurt. Five years apart and this is how he decides to greet her. Perfect.
For the next week and a half, Michelle did her best to dodge her neighbors. She made it a habit to sneak a peek at the peep-hole before even stepping out of the house. She would check for the black Volvo S60 in the Shepard family’s driveway. She was about 90% sure that the car belonged to Errole and, in an attempt to avoid him, she refused to leave the house whenever the car was there.
It was a few days before the start of a new semester when it happened. Someone banged loudly on the living room door just as Michelle got out of her shower. It was 10am and she was planning to go grocery shopping since the black volvo was conspicuously absent from the Shepard’s driveway.
“Michelle, darling! I know you’re in there! Let me in!” she heard Eva shout from her porch. Michelle sighed and made her way towards the door. She takes a deep breath before turning the knob and, just as the door swings open, Eva stumbles forward and falls just in front of her.
Michelle gasped and dropped down to her knees to check on the older lady who simply laughed and waved her off. She watched dumbfounded as Eva shakily got up and made her way to the kitchen.
“I don’t-- what are you doing here, Mrs. Shep-- I mean, Eva?” she asked as she watched Eva rummaging through her drawers.
“I ran out of brandy for this rum cake I’m making. I was hoping you had some lying around. Heaven knows Maddie loves a good booze.” she prattled on and on about how sure she was that there was rum there somewhere.
“Eva, listen to me. My mother died over a year ago. I drank all the brandy in this house the night of her funeral. You won’t find any left in this house.”
Eva stopped rummaging through the cabinets and finally turned to look straight into Michelle’s eyes. Tears were falling like waterfalls from her eyes and Michelle was at a loss for words.
“She’s my only friend. Did you know that, child?”
“She’s gone, Eva. She has been gone for a year and you couldn’t even be bothered to attend the services. Don’t even bother telling me about how busy you were because I know, I KNOW that if things were reversed, she would’ve been there for you.” Michelle didn’t know where the anger was coming from. All she knew was that this woman had no right to tell her that she was her mom’s best friend. Not now. Not after what happened.
“I wasn’t sure if you knew. I thought for sure Errole has told you. Arrangements were being made at that time and leaving meant-- I couldn’t lose my son, Michelle. Not to him. Knowing what he’s capable of.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“My dear, William and I, have gotten divorced.”