Page 47 of Digit's Deflection
“Memories of a simpler time, of John and Sheri, you.”
“I know what you mean. It’s been a long time since I last hung out with them, but I’ve been going through the same thing. Remembering when we were kids, hanging out together, getting into mischief. So many awesome memories.”
“Yeah.” My voice cracks. Fuck, this is hard – so much harder than any of the others we’ve lost.
We all pile into the van for the ride back to Sheri’s place for the obligatory tea and cake. Watching her move around the room, the outward appearance of grace and calm, but underneath it all is a woman holding onto her composure with both hands. Patiently waiting for everyone to be gone so she can fall apart in private.
And when it is indeed time for everyone to leave, a fist squeezes tight around my heart. I can’t bear the thought of her being here, alone and grieving. Liora and I stall by tidying up, collecting crockery and cutlery, cleaning and packing it all away. But eventually there’s nothing left to do, and we can’t delay anyfurther. The only other people still here are Mav’s parents, who’ll be heading out shortly too, our parents, Li, and me.
“Sheri, we need to head on out. I wish we could stay longer, but I need to get back to base. We have an early flight in the morning, but we can stay tonight, if you need us too.”
Wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head on my shoulder, I feel her sigh. “It’s all good. I know you have to get back. Mom and Dad Henderson need to get back to the farm too.
“So Mom and Dad will be moving their stuff over from the hotel in the morning and will stay with me for a little bit. I’ll be okay.”
Mom happens by at just that moment and wraps her arms around the two of us. “Yes, you will, sweetheart. I love you,” she says, placing a gentle kiss on Sheri’s forehead. “You too, Buddy.” She repeats the gesture, this time I’m the focus.
“Love you too, Mom,” I reply.
“I still can’t believe little Liora’s back. And that awful story about her dad, too heartbreaking. I’m just glad you guys found each other again. You were always so close as children.”
“I find it pretty surreal still too.” Pulling them both in a little tighter, I continue, “I hate to go, but we need to get some rest – we’ve got a flight back at stupid-o’-clock in the morning. I think you could do with some rest too, sis. The last couple of weeks have been heavy.”
“I agree,” Mom says. “I’ll make sure she gets some.”
A long, tearful goodbye later, we climb into our ride and head back to the hotel, depleted and heartsick.
“You hungry?” I ask Liora.
“Not really. I could eat something light, but nothing substantial. You?”
“Yeah, about the same. Maybe we can just grab some room service back at the hotel.”
With a sigh of relief that this crappy day is over, I let Liora into the room ahead of me. She kicks off her heels and heads straight for the bathroom.
“I’m going to grab a quick shower. I won’t be long. You want to go ahead and order while I’m in there, or you want to wait a bit?”
“I’ll hang on a minute. I want to shower after you.”
The boring, everyday conversation is soothing. Making it feel like we’ve been doing this for years. And I find it’s exactly what I need.
“Okay. I’ll be out in a flash.”
Moments later I hear the water turn on. Going over to the mini bar, I study the small selection of bottles they have in there. Nothing appeals, but I suddenly have a mighty urge for alcohol. I guess I’ll just order a beer with dinner then.
True to her word, Liora is done in less than ten minutes. Impressive. She’s got Sheri beat by a long shot. My sister could make an event out of a simple shower. Dashing through the shower, I join Liora in the living room not long after.
We place our order, and I make sure to include the beer, Li opting for a glass of wine instead. And as we wait for our meal to arrive, I study her as she sits cross-legged on the sofa facing me.
Something’s been weighing on my mind for the past few weeks, and somehow this moment seems like the perfect one to bring it up. I just need to be delicate about it.
“Princess, I’ve had something on my mind since I got back home. I’ve given this a ton of thought, so I need you to hear me out with an open mind, okay?”
She frowns. “That sounds awfully serious.”
“Please just say you’ll listen?”
“Well, clearly it means a lot to you, so yeah, I’ll listen.”
