I poured myself a glass of wine after the house was nearly empty, collapsing on the couch from exhaustion. Dad sat down next to me, throwing an arm over my shoulder. “So, have you talked to your mom lately? What’s she doing for Thanksgiving?”
“No idea.” I shrugged my shoulder, snuggling into his side as if I were a five-year-old again. “I haven’t talked to her in a few weeks. It’s kind of weird actually. Normally we talk every few days, though she’s not the easiest to get along with, even over the phone, but she hasn’t returned any of my calls lately.”
My dad snorted loudly. “Your mother has never been easy.”
“Yeah, why is that exactly? And how in the hell did you two end up getting married in the first place?” I took a sip of my wine and he let out an exaggerated sigh. My dad never really talked about his marriage to my mom. I don’t remember much from when I was smaller, when it came to their relationship, but they always seemed to get along. I don’t remember them fighting really ever. But I do remember my mom always being cold. She wasn’t a touchy-feely person. I can’t remember her ever actually hugging me.
“I don’t know, Della. She didn’t exactly have the best childhood growing up, I guess that could factor in.”
“Really? I don’t think I’ve ever heard her talk about her parents.”
“I don’t know much, either, and I was married to the woman. I do know that her mom died when she was young and her dad was a little tough on her. She never went into details but I think that has a lot to do with how she is with you. I thought once we had children, Lillian would warm up, but she never really did. As far as us getting married, well, we were young and thought we were in love. I was able to break through a little bit of that ice, but, apparently, not enough. Money was always a big thing for her.”
I snorted, knowing that was beyond the truth. I think she secretly took baths surrounded by one hundred dollar bills.
“She grew up with barely any, so I guess that has a lot to do with it. You might not see it, Della, but she does love you in her own way. It’s just hard for her to show you.”
“If you say so, Dad.” I stood up, placing a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to head up to bed. Night.”
I couldn’t just forgive my mom for the way she’d acted over the years, just because she had a bad childhood. I guess it gave me a little more insight into some of her behaviors, but it didn’t make me forget how she treated me. I knew my mom loved me, in her own twisted way, but I just wished I could have some kind of normal relationship with her. I didn’t know if that would ever be possible, though.
“YOU LOOK GORGEOUS.” I picked Della up, swinging her around while burying my nose in her hair and breathing in that apple smell of hers. She squealed when I squeezed her tightly, and finally set her down.
She straightened out her hair and smoothed her fingers over the material of her dress, looking down at her knee-high boots. “Were you smelling me?” Her nose wrinkled and I grabbed onto her hand, dragging her toward the front door.
“Of course. You always smell like apples.”
“And let me guess? That makes you want to eat me,” she said dryly.
“All the time,” I called over my shoulder, stopping my feet once we were at my car to hold the door open for her. “My mom’s dying to see you, so I told her I would get you there as early as possible. Plus, I missed you.”
She kissed my cheek before sliding past me into the car. “I missed you, too.”
“So, did you have a good time at your grandparents’ house last night?” I asked as I pulled out of the driveway and headed toward my mom’s house. I knew this would be a hard day for her, so I figured I would show up with Della as early as I could. Apparently, my love life seemed to do a decent job at distracting her, so I guess that was a good thing.
“Yes, everyone missed you, but I think Grams did the most. She’s wanting a visit from you.”
“Well, maybe we can plan something when they get back into town.”
“Nash was there,” she added, peeking over at me as if she were waiting to gauge my reaction.
I gripped the steering wheel a little more tightly. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yeah, I just figured I should let you know. I’m not trying to hide anything.”
“I didn’t say you were, Della.” I reached over to grab her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. “It’s that douchebag I don’t trust. I’ve heard enough of that just friends bullshit out of his mouth. That’s not all he wants, Della.”
“You’re wrong,” she answered tightly. “Things are different between us now. Plus, he’s not worried about a relationship. He has too much to deal with. I need to be there for him. We’re supposed to do something this weekend.”