Page 16 of The Blue Rose
Tori
The Uber just dropped me off, where are you?
Aster
I’ll be there in twenty minutes, see you soon.
Tori
See you soon.
The bar is desertedwhen I get there. I walk in and see Tori sitting at the bar in a little black dress with her legs crossed and martini in hand.
I walk over to her, plastering my panty-dropping smile on my face. Giving her a hug before I sit down. She holds me longer than I’m comfortable with, letting my mind wander back to Serena, I release her. I ordered a Moscow mule, the same oneSerena ordered, sipping on it slowly, imagining her lips around the straw.
We talk for twenty minutes about nothing remotely interesting. I see a flash of dark hair in my peripheral, heart pounding.Serena?When the woman turns towards the bar, my excitement shifts to rage.It’s not her. I take a deep breath.Relax. Focus. I ask her if she wants to go back to my place, adding interest I don’t feel into my gaze. She nods, quickly finishing her second martini, and we head out the door.
It's a ten minute drive from my house and she sits in silence the whole time. The silence pulls me back to thoughts of ocean blue eyes, red lips, in a sinfully red dress. I adjust myself, gaining a giggle from Tori.Great, she thinks my boner is for her.I ignore her reaction, focusing on the road ahead.
Pulling up, she stares at my house in admiration. “You sure do have a beautiful home, and a lot of property. I thought the road here was never going to end.” She laughs, the noise grating and only causing impatience to rise.
“It was my parents home. They left everything to me, and I just can’t seem to leave it. Too many memories.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Aster,” she says with a remorseful tone, gently resting her sweaty palm on my arm. She starts to say something else but I get lost in a memory of my mother, completely forgetting why I brought her here in the first place. I lay my hands over the steering wheel, and stare at the kitchen window.
“Aster.”my mother calls out from the front porch of our farm style ranch home. “It’s time for lunch, I made your favorite.”
I drop my toy trucks and race towards the house, stopping at the door when Mama scolds me for forgetting to take off my shoes.
“Now, Aster, how many times do I have to remind you to take off your shoes before coming into the house? I don’t want you tracking mud on my freshly mopped floors.”
I bow my head, mumbling, “Sorry Mama,” and take off my shoes, leaving them on the porch in a haphazard pile. I walk over to the round table next to the dining room window and sit down.
Mama walks over to me and places a plate filled with four hotdogs cooked in butter, on a bun drizzled with ketchup, fries, and an assortment of fruit on the side. My stomach grumbles in anticipation, my mouth watering as I wait for her to sit and begin eating before I dig in. She places a tall cup of iced tea down next to me, condensation already dripping down the side.
“To wash it all down with,” She smiles, kissing my forehead and walking to the other side of the table to join me for lunch. She takes a bite of her hot dog, a spot of ketchup clinging to her lip, and takes a sip of her tea. She sets her glass down with a soft clack on the worn table. “Daddy and I have a lamb to slaughter tonight, so we need you to be a good boy and stay in the house and watch your show.” She gives me a stern look, resting her chin in her hand. “It’ll be after dinner, but I will make you some chocolate chip cookies if you’re a good boy like last time.”
I slink into my chair and cross my arms.“Why can’t I help you slaughter those lambs? Mama, I swear I won’t get in the way!” I whine. Mama and Daddy always go to the shed without me, it’s not fair.
“Now, Aster, you know you’re not old enough yet.”
I huff, grunting without caring about my manners. “Can’t I just watch? I want to learn, Mama, Please! Just this once.”
She smiles sweetly at me. “How about on your next birthday, when you’re ten. We will let you join in and teach you everything there is to know about the slaughter. Plus you’re learning without watching, with the movies I show you, and lessons we have.”
“But my birthday isn’t for another 3 months, and it isn’t the same,” I grumble.
“Patience, my little fox. I promise you the wait will be well worth it. Your father and I will pick a perfect little lamb just for you. A special gift, for our special boy.”
With a nod of my head, and the promise of my birthday in my mind, I finish the rest of my hot dog. Stuff the fries in my mouth, gulp down my tea and start to leave the table when Mama stops me. “Aster you didn’t even touch your fruit. Have a couple pieces, and then you can go back to playing.”
Grabbing my fork, I shovel all my fruit into my mouth, looking like a chipmunk with bulging cheeks.
She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling,“Thank you.”
After dinner my parents leave me in the living room, with a bowl of popcorn andCourage The Cowardly Dogplaying on the TV. They each kiss my forehead with a warning to stay inside, promising fresh baked cookies after they’re done.
After about an hour of waiting, I decided I can’t wait any longer. I could watch cartoons all night, but I really want to see Mama and Daddy in action, learn by watching. I put on my shoes and walk to the shed where my parents are. Walking up, I hear screaming, I panic, worrying about Mama, sprinting to the shed and peeping through the little hole in time to see my parents slaughtering a girl strapped to the middle of a table.
