Page 2 of Holiday Plus-One
As soon as I exit the car, Dad comes around and hugs me tight.
“I’ve missed you, baby.” he kisses my temple.
My dad’s hugs were always my favorites, and they still are now as I hug him tight. It isn’t the same as talking to him over the phone as it is being in person and getting this hug that is overdue. My parents were in Vienna for the Holidays last year, so they didn’t come visit but it made it that much more unbearable and this year, I'm so happy.
“I’ve missed you too, daddy.”
“So, you only miss him?” my older brother, Victor Myers Jr. says, and I slip out of dad’s arms and right into my big brother’s.
“Can’t believe I’m here, huh?” I say, muffled while he hugs me too tight as if I’ll slip and be gone in a matter of seconds.
Vic chuckles and kisses the top of my head like I did to Paxy, “Nah, I knew you’d show. No matter what, we’re connected; you and I, Tin.” he jokes like he used to when we were kids.
He had me convinced that he could read my mind at every turn and the fact that he was four years older than me, I believed him at every turn. Now, it’s just a fond memory when he says it.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Vic?” a voice I will never forget, not even in my grave snatches my happiness away from me.
“Oh shoot, sorry baby, Tin, this is my fiancée, Tracie. Tracie, meet my sister, Valentina.”
Victor lets me go and when he steps out of the way, my body runs cold, and I’m transported back into the shy bullied high school girl that couldn’t catch a break at that all-girl boarding school.
“You must be Valentina!” Tracie says to me.
Tracie Lattimore, the girl who made sure that every single day she made me know that I had an issue with her. Till this day, I don’t know what I ever did to her. I always kept my head down and tried my best but no, my best wasn’t enough for Tracie. This was the Tracie Lattimore who made me feel like I wasn’t good enough, that I wasn’t pretty enough or that my uniform was too small for me, that Tracie Lattimore.
My body involuntarily begins to shake. It’s not as noticeable but I can tell that if I don’t step away from here, it is going to bring me back to a space that I no longer live in. A space that I made sure I would never go back to.
Before I can even turn away, she closes up the space between us and pulls me into a hug.
“It’s so nice to finally meet you.” she says in a warm voice. One that I have never heard towards me.
There’s no time to react as she lets go and walks into my brother’s arms with love in their eyes for each other.I’m going to be sick.
“Mom?” Paxy comes over to me and slips his hand into mine.
I school my face before he asks anything else or notices.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I try not to turn it into a questioning tone but is she going to pretend she didn’t terrorize me for four years of my life?
Her body language tells me that she’s a little less relaxed as she watches me, but her face has that smile she used to give to the teachers and principals. She got away with a lot, and it always pissed me off that no matter what no one did anything about it.
“Let’s go inside.” Dad says as he has my bags in his possession.
It snaps me back to reality.
“Dad, give me those. You don’t need to carry my bags; you have to take it easy.” I scold him and he scoffs.
“Tin is right, pops. Give me those bags.” Victor snatches the bags from him and Dad shoves Victor which causes all of us to laugh.
I feel much more at ease now and Paxy runs up to hold his grandfather’s hand. He’s missed them and I understand it because I miss them.
“Can I speak to you?” the whispered voice grates against my ears, disturbing my peace.
“Fine.”
We slow and let everyone else go ahead of us. I turn to face Tracie now that the initial shock has worn off, in a stance of defense, I cross my arms over my chest.
“Go ahead.” I say.
