Chapter Twenty
It was eight in the morning, and she was already up.
Severine stared at the pattern on her ceiling and listened to the sound of the TV playing downstairs. Her mom had always gotten up freakishly early in the morning. Even though it was Thanksgiving, her routine would stay the same—it would just also include a crap load of food to make.
Lying on top of her nightstand was her phone. She swiped a finger across the screen. There were no missed calls. Severine wasn’t surprised. She and Macsen hadn’t parted on good terms. A large part of her was tempted to call him, to ask how his day was going. The truth was she didn’t want to fight with Macsen, and she didn’t want him to worry about Thayer. But she couldn’t make him see the truth. Severine could tell him until she was blue in the face. But he’d have to be the one to realize it.
She stretched slowly, her muscles sighing in relief, and went downstairs to the kitchen. “Morning,” Severine scratched out.
“I didn’t think you’d be up at a decent time. How’d you sleep?”
“Good. I forgot how comfy my bed was.”
“Your dorm bed that uncomfortable?”
“It’s like sleeping on box springs,” Severine grumbled and poured some coffee. “So what’s the plan for today?”
Her mom stopped frantically mixing the ingredients in front of her to blow the dark brown strands away from her forehead. She was already getting stressed out. “Grandma’s coming over soon. She’s bringing a few pies and seven-layer salad.”
Severine’s mind may have been shaken, but the mention of food perked her up. “Ah! Sounds yummy. She makes the best pies.” She grabbed the cinnamon creamer from the fridge and poured too much into her cup for it to be called coffee. “Who all is coming this year?”
“Your aunt and uncle, a few of your cousins, two of Grandma’s sisters...”
“Not too many.”
“I’m still gonna be on a warpath to clean this house,” Clacy grumbled.
“Then I’m going to go change.” Severine carried her coffee mug with her up the stairs and listened to her mom shout.
“Get down here after you’re done!”
Her room looked like it had vomited up her clothes. All the trash bags were emptied. Things she wanted to leave here or take with her back to the dorm were mixed together. Severine walked over to the piles and her suitcase. You never dressed to impress on Thanksgiving. It was an unwritten rule for all women. Or, at least for Severine it was.
Thanksgiving was National ‘Eat Until Your Top Button Pops Open Day.’ She grabbed a loose v-neck sweater and a pair of blue jeans, before ratting her hair up into a low ponytail.
Her phone was still sitting where she had left it last. If Macsen was waiting for her to call, he might as well give up now. Severine was the one domino no one could push down. Macsen wouldn’t be the first one to try. But she did want him to be the last to fail.
The front door slammed, and she heard the bustle of her grandma. Severine smirked and walked back down. A smile was on her face by the time she whirled into the kitchen, just in time to hear her grandma bossing her mom around.
“Grandma!” Severine announced loudly.
Her grandma stopped talking to look in Severine’s direction. When she saw her granddaughter standing there, she lit up.
Severine may have a few physical attributes from her grandma: her dark hair, green eyes, and light complexion. The similarities ended there. Her grandma was a petite woman. Severine outgrew her by the time she hit fifth grade. She was someone you’d never want to underestimate, though. Severine had watched her lecture grown men at church and leave them with tears in their eyes.
She moved around the kitchen island, and Severine took in her blue-jean skirt that ended at her ankles and a sweater that was buttoned up modestly. Severine could see her reflection in her grandma’s glasses, but it wasn’t hard to look past that and see her grandma’s narrowed eyes. Her mind was still set in a time where women should always remain covered up. They’d never see eye-to-eye on styles of clothing. It didn’t change the one thing that stood up against all their opinions and differences. She loved Severine fiercely. It’d be the biggest thing they’d always have in common.
“Severine! I didn’t know you’d be here today.”
Clacy turned and frowned. “I told you yesterday, Mom.”
“Lily and I decided to come home a little earlier than planned,” Severine explained before she squeezed her grandma in a tight hug. She was starting to realize that there would hardly be any more moments in her life where she would feel one hundred percent protected.
“Now who’s Lily?” her grandma asked confused.
It was getting worse with her. Severine kept a smile on her face, “My friend, Grandma.”
“Oh right, right. That pastor’s child.” She smiled as if she knew the answer the whole time. “Just look at you—you’re stunning, Severine!”
“Thanks.” She held Severine’s face in her hands, and her eyes misted up slightly. Severine grasped her grandma’s shoulders and hugged her tiny frame to her tall one.
“Let’s bake!” Severine stated enthusiastically.
“Alright, Severine, I need you to get all the ingredients out. Clacy, can you gather them utensils from my car?”
Severine made eye contact with her mom as her grandma called off directions. She may be confused more often, but you bring her to the kitchen and she was back to her old confident self.
Severine enjoyed the moment and gathered everything that her grandma called out. “So how’s school going, dear?”
“Pretty good. I have a couple of easy classes and, of course, a few hard ones that keep me busy studying.”
“Good, good. You need that. Keeps you away from those boys,” her grandma called out as she washed her hands and dried them.
“You’re against me dating?”
“Well, does he go to church?” Severine looked thoughtfully at the table. They had never had that conversation. Macsen was too busy letting jealousy eat at him. “Probably, Grandma.”
“Probably is no good, Severine. He needs to go.” Her voice was no-nonsense. In her grandma’s eyes, Macsen was as good as gone.
“I’m lacking in attendance since I started college too, Grandma.” In fact, she had lacked attendance in the last few years.
Her grandma looked up at her sharply. “Well, you need to change that, don’t you, dear?”
Severine needed to change a lot about her life.