The Embrace by Vivian Wood

13

Istand outside the Queens townhouse, looking at the address for the fifth time. 2622 Fisher Lane. The house number is printed in gold letters just above the front door of the two story beige row house. I look around the street, expecting to see my mother's silver Mercedes or my sisters black Porsche. But I see nothing of the kind, nothing except for rows of beat up Toyotas and thirdhand American-made vans.

Pushing out a breath, I climb the rickety staircase that leads up to the plain beige front door. My mom gave me this address no less than three times, so I really hope that this is the right address. I ring the bell, my heart thudding slowly in my chest. I pull out my cell phone and check to see if I've missed a text from Calum. But there is nothing.

Strange that he has gone silent today of all days.

The front door creaks as it opens. I look up and my mom is standing in the doorway, her arms opening wide in the suggestion of an embrace. She is already crying even as I take a step forward and hug her.

“Mom? Are you okay?” I ask.

She doesn’t answer right away. Instead she presses her face into my neck, squeezing me around the middle. She's trying not to make any sounds while she cries, which actually seems pretty ridiculous. I pull back from her, cupping her cheek to make her look at me.

A dark bruise under her right eye glares back at me.

“Did somebody hit you?” My stomach sinks. “Oh God. It was dad, wasn't it?”

“Oh, honey.” She gives a watery, exaggerated sigh. “Your father and I had a series of arguments…”

I touch my mom's cheek gently, but she winces anyway.

“I’ll kill him.” I look her dead in the eye. “I really will. Where is he?”

She shakes her head a little and pulls me in the door, closing it behind me. She leads me down a white hallway, into a tiny kitchen that looks like it came out of the seventies. Everything is brown and tan, as indistinct as it gets.

“I’m sorry to say that I left your father,” my mom says. She hurries me over to a dingy little dining room chair, ushering me into it. She sits down opposite me and lays her hands flat across the scarred oak table in front of her. “I just wanted to tell you in person. I didn't want you to hear it from anywhere else.”

I reach out and grab my mom's hand, gripping it. “Thank you, mom. But you know you're the only person that ever tells me anything. It's not like I would hear the news from dad.”

She presses her lips into a thin line and frowns.

I cock my head and examine her face. “Did you file a police report?”

Her cheeks redden. “What? No, no. This is a private matter.”

She seems embarrassed by her own face. I expel a breath and remind myself not to yell at her even though she is definitely getting on my nerves just now. The last thing in the world that she needs right now is someone else screaming at her. So I just smile at her patiently.

“Okay, Mom. I just need to make myself very clear on this topic. It's not okay that dad hit you. You know that right?”

My mom looks down at her hands, unable to meet my gaze. “It's one of the reasons I left him,” she admits gently.

I cock an eyebrow. “Interesting,” I say, mostly because I am in unchartered waters right now. This new territory with my mom feels a little dangerous, so I proceed with caution. I look around the room, squinting a little. “Where are we? What is this place?”

“Well,” my mother says. She never lifts her gaze from the table. “I had to leave the house. Your father and I could not come to terms that I could accept. So I came here, because it was the only place… Well, I had to be able to afford it with my savings. And this place was available right away…” She looks up at me, suddenly spearing me with her gaze. “Please don't tell your father the address. I think he is trying to find it and I don't really want to have to move again.”

For second, I open my mouth. Then I close it again, unsure what exactly I'm about to say. “Wait, so you're hiding from dad?”

My mother purses her lips and looks away. “Not exactly. I would just rather you didn't make it easier for him to find us here. I know it's not as fancy as what you are currently living in, but it's all I can afford right now.”

I squeeze both her hands. “You know you don't have to worry about money. Right? You know that I would do anything to make sure you were safe.”

My mother swallows and looked out a long breath. “I know, Kaia. I know. I'm just tired right now. And your sister is frankly driving me up the wall.”

My eyebrows jump up. “Hazel? Where is she? Why isn't she still with dad?”

My mom looks grim. “Your father and I had several arguments, but the most outsized one of them all was one about your sister. I was pretty adamant when I said that your sister wasn't to be married off to some older gentleman that your father owed money to. And Hazel didn’t want it either, so we left.”

I narrow my eyes at her face. “Wait, Hazel is here?”

My mother sucks in a breath and nods. “Yeah, apparently trying to marry her off to some old mafia connection was a bridge too far for her. When I told her I was leaving your father, she just started packing a bag.”

“Wow.” I rock back in my chair. “So dad is just on his own now, huh?”

Pressing her lips together, my mom nods. “I’m expecting him to show up here at any moment and throw the world’s biggest tantrum.”

I give a humorless chuckle. “He’d better not show up here if he knows what's good for him. You have put up with so much of his crap. Now that you've thrown up a boundary, I can't wait to make sure that it's followed.”

A door slams somewhere else in the house. I glance over my shoulder and see Hazel slink into the room. She is dressed in a black business suit and her stuck up expression tells me everything I need to know.

She comes in, pushing her purse down on the table and sitting down with a sigh. She crosses her arms and gives me a fiery look. “Absolutely nobody is hiring right now.”

My brows rise. “Were you intending to get a job?”

Hazel tosses her hair and rolls her eyes. “Somebody in this house has to. And mom is not exactly interview ready… Even with all the makeup in the world, she still has that black eye.”

I squint at my sister. “What happened of fashion school? Actually, what happened to regular old high school? I have so many questions.”

Hazel shoots me a glare. “I’m taking some time off. I mean, my parents’ marriage is basically falling apart. My dad has gone crazy. I don't see how I have any choice in the matter.”

I cross my arms and look between my sister and my mother. “You two can't stay here. I mean, no offense, but your house hunting skills are not the best.”

My mom shoots me a dour look. “I had to go somewhere… Time was of the essence.”

I consider Hazel and my mother for almost half a minute, biting my lower lip. And then I expel a long rush of air. “I can put you both up in a nice hotel while we try to figure out where you should go in the longer term.”

My mom looks a little agitated. “You don’t have to do that, Kaia. We can figure something out.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m sure that you can. But you don't have to. You can let me deal with some of the financial aspects of it for now.”

Hazel sighs dramatically. “I bet you are just loving this, aren't you Kaia?”

She stands up, reaching for her purse.

I spread my fingers across the table, giving her a hard look.

“Sit down, Hazel.”

She glares at me but plunks back down into her seat. Taking a full minute, I decide to set some boundaries of my own.

I clear my throat, considering them both. “My help comes with strings attached. The first one being that you will re-enroll in school. The second one being that you will take a job as a hostess or a waitress or a retail position, anything that will maybe teach you a little bit of humility. And the third string is that if mom even thinks about going back to dad, forgiving him for all this shit he's put us through, my support will end immediately.”

I look at my mom, staring at her as if I could make her understand the seriousness of what I am saying. My mom frowns a little bit and her mouth twitches. Before she can respond though, my sister is already complaining.

“You and your boyfriend can buy us a million new houses. Why would I need a job if I have you to take care of me?” Her lips twist sourly.

“Because, Hazel. You have treated me like your servant or your personal punching bag too many times. Giving you financial support without teaching you to treat people better would not be helping you at all. I know you don’t understand, but one day, hopefully you will.”

My mom reaches out and grabs my hand, squeezing it. “What if I get back together with your father though?”

I look my mom dead in the eyes. “I’m only offering this support because I think you need it. You deserve it. But dad does not deserve anything. I don't want to give him another dime. Am I making myself clear?”

Hazel cuts in. “Wait, back to my thing. How am I supposed to go to school and have a job at the same time?”

I shoot her a glare. “Stop being so snotty. That's what people who grow up without privilege do. They have part-time jobs.”

“But…” she starts to argue.

I push myself to my feet, shaking my head. “Those are my terms. Either get with it or don't. But if you decide not to do it, let me know before I make any plans.”

My mom stands up, looking at me as if seeing me for the first time. “We’ll do it. Hazel will go back to school and get a job. I’ll get a job too…”

I reach out and touch my mom's arm. “If that would make you feel better, I think you should. You should make new friends and new contacts.”

Hazel has a bratty expression on her face but she just crosses her arms and stays quiet for once. I look at her, inviting her to retort. But she just sits there glaring at me.

It's not optimal, but it's better than what I usually hear from her.

“Go grab your stuff,” I say. “Both of you. I need to make a phone call but after that we should head into the city proper. Then we can make a plan. Okay?”

Hazel nods and looks down at her hands in her lap. My mom steps closer to me and gives me a little side hug, which I turn into a full embrace. Then I step away, already dialing Calum. My heart beats fast for a moment, but I already know that he will be more than understanding about this.

“Hello?” he answers.

Hearing his voice is such a relief. “Calum? I have a story to tell you…” I glance back at my mom and Hazel as I step out of the room. “I think you're going to like it…”