Page 22 of Falling Again
“Hey. It’s about time you came home, asshole.” Alice’s unmistakable voice came from behind her. Anthony stiffened and their moment was lost. Yet another reason Alice’s visit was poorly timed.
“Alice? What are you doing here?” Anthony suddenly sounded tired, the playfulness from a second ago evaporated.
Before his sister could respond, Madeline came up behind them shaking the swear jar. The sound of the coins rattling filled the cramped entryway. “That’s another quarter,” she said as she danced around her aunt. By the time Alice left, she’ll have paid for Madeline’s first car.
Anthony sighed and stepped back from Natalie. The spell was broken.
*
Anthony had whiplash. It was the only way to describe how he currently felt. What had started as a tender moment with Natalie had morphed into childish name-calling from his little sister. Was he in Hell? It was quite possible.
Alice. There she stood, hip cocked and a pout fixed on her face. He had no idea she was coming, but he knew her reason for visiting wouldn’t be good. Or cheap. It never was with his sister.
“What’s up?” he asked.
He shrugged out of his suit jacket and draped it along the back of a stool. Anthony looked at the counter and saw that the girls were already one bottle in, and Natalie had started dinner. There went his plan to be more helpful. Damn the universe for getting in the way of his attempts to not be a terrible husband.
As always, his sister was oblivious to her surroundings. Alice pulled herself up onto the counter and sat at the edge. Her sneakered feet kicked the side of the cabinet, and Anthony could feel Natalie crawling out of her skin. His sister had very little regard for anyone around her. It didn’t matter if she was in someone else’s home, she played by her own rules—consequences and other people’s needs be damned. A few scuff marks on their white island wouldn’t mean a hill of beans to Alice. But Anthony knew it meant a lot to Natalie.
Swatting her away with a tea towel, Anthony waited until she got back on solid ground.
“I’ll ask again,” he sighed. “What brings you to our house?” He was careful not to call it home, because he knew Alice never thought of Buckeye Falls as home. Even more importantly, he never wanted their house to feel like home. Otherwise she’d never leave. Alice wasn’t like the sisters portrayed in books or movies—the fun aunt who baked cookies and dressed the kids up in colorful costumes. Nope. Alice was the type of aunt who filled the kids with sugar and then went on a date while they barfed up pixie sticks on the new carpeting.
“Geez, Tony, you’re acting like an old man. You’ve been in power two years and you’re a different person.” She rolled her eyes at her brother, like only a little sister could.
Loosening his tie, Anthony repeated his question for a third time. Was this what he had to look forward to in Madeline’s teen years? He shuddered at the prospect. “Why are you here?”
Alice shrugged and watched as Natalie handed him a glass of wine. Usually not much of a drinker before food, Anthony knew he needed the boost. He met Natalie’s gaze for a moment and saw something there that made him smile. She was looking at him like they were in this together, like they were a team again.
“I’m done with school,” Alice said. “Thought I’d hang out here for a while until I figure out my next move.”
Anthony asked, “Done with school or graduated?” He wasn’t an idiot. He knew how Alice operated.
“Alright,Dad,” Alice spat. “I technically haven’t graduated yet, but it’s only because I need to finish my thesis. I thought I could camp out here for a while and work on it.”
As Anthony was getting ready to respond––and promptly dash her dreams of living with them for free––Natalie piped up. “I told Alice she was welcome to stay on the sofa for a few days while she got settled back in town.”
Alice stepped closer, clearly unwilling to let Natalie dictate her plans. “And I told Natalie I’d love to stay in the guest room. I’d be more comfortable.”
Anthony didn’t have to look at his wife to know she’d already told Alice about the change in their house. He wouldn’t walk into that hornet’s nest for all the money in the world.
“We don’t have a guest room anymore,” he said simply. “The kids have their own rooms. Nat’s right, you’re welcome to camp out on the sofa tonight. But the I’m sure Mom and Dad would be happy to have you back with them.”
From over his sister’s shoulder, Anthony saw Natalie mouth the wordsthank you. It felt so right to play on the same team again, he nearly fell to his knees in relief. “Now Alice, why don’t you help Nat with dinner while I get the kids cleaned up?” Looking to Natalie for confirmation, Anthony grinned at her expression. She seemed happy.
“That sounds perfect. Alice, can you chop up the rest of these veggies? I’m making a stir fry.” Natalie went to work sliding over a cutting board and knife for Alice, who stood there in shock.
“Yeah, I think I’ll have the rest of that pizza for dinner.”
“Pizza, pizza, pizza!” Madeline chirped from the living room. “I want pizza too!”
Otis, never wanting to be left out, added his own opinion on the dinner menu. “Feetza, feetza!”
Anthony had to make a decision, and he knew it. He could let Alice have her way, or he could put his foot down and end the madness. “Nope, sorry gang. We’re having stir fry tonight. Alice, get chopping.” He pointed to the cutting board before walking into the living room and scooping up his children. “And you two rascals are going upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner.”
Anthony liked order and control in his life, and he would get as much as he could while his sister visited. Using his minute alone, he took out his cell phone to text his parents.
Alice is here at the house. Did you know she was coming?
