Page 38 of Check the Halls
“For starters, I want you to admit that your mother is out of line for asking that I change my hair colour for the wedding.”
He sighs, shoulders sagging. “Okay. You’re right. She never should have suggested that. I’m sorry.”
“Thank you. Would you please message or call her and let her know that she overstepped?”
He straightens, brow furrowing as he crosses his arms across his chest. “What would that accomplish?”
Are you fucking kidding me? “It would let her know that you don’t want her speaking to me that way.”
“But you’ve already told her you’re not doing it. I think we should just let it blow over. There’s no point in upsetting her more.” He closes the distance between us and places his hands on my shoulders. The urge to slap them away is strong, but I just stand here stiffly. “You’ll feel better after your class. And if you don’t, we’ll talk more about this over dinner, okay?”
I already know we won’t. Because when I come home from yoga, Derek will have moved on from the matter entirely and I won’t have the energy to fight this battle on my own.
Begrudgingly,I do feel better after yoga. I decided to try a different studio today. I just wasn’t vibing withChakraand it was too much money to spend on a service I wasn’t loving. The new place,Serenity,is a bit farther from home, but I feel like it’s a much better fit for me.
By the time we’re in Pigeon pose, my body feels looser, lighter, like I’ve shaken off a layer of tension from the morning. When we finally settle into Savasana at the end, lying on our backs with our eyes closed, I feel almost calm.
The instructor’s voice is soft as she guides us out of the pose, thanking us for showing up for ourselves today. It’s such a simple phrase, but it hits me right in the chest. Ididshow up for myself.
As I roll up my mat and slip on my shoes, I feel notably better. I’ve almost convinced myself that mymorning wasn’t as bad as it seemed, or maybe that it just doesn’t matter anymore.
Almost.
The instructor, who introduced herself as Mia at the start of class, stops me on my way out.
“A new face!” She beams at me, warmly. “I hope you enjoyed the class.”
“I did. Very much,” I tell her honestly. “This place actually reminds me a lot of my old studio back in Halifax.”
“Well then, I hope to see you again…”
I’m about to tell her my name when I hear, “Maddy?”
I turn to see Ben’s younger sister Beth. Her smile is as big as ever, though the braces she had the last time I saw her are gone. Her appearance is so unexpected that I momentarily forget to speak.
“Hey, Beth,” Mia greets her before turning back to me. “I hope to see you again, Maddy.”
“You definitely will,” I say, thanking her before she disappears back into the studio. I turn back to Beth. “Beth! How are you?”
“I’m great! It’s so nice to see you. How are you enjoying Ottawa?”
There have been highs and lows, I think. “It’s taking some getting used to. You’re…look at you. You’re all grown up!”
She laughs, the sound light and musical. “I know. I’ll be 28 in the spring. But I have the lower back of a fifty-year-old. Mia’s helping me strengthen my core. Is this your first class?”
“It is. I really enjoyed it. I’m definitely going to come back.”
“We should take a class together! Maybe grab dinner and catch up after?” She reigns in her excitement almost instantly. “You know, if you wanted to,” she adds sheepishly.
In the six weeks I’ve been in Ottawa, I haven’t made any real friends. I get along great with my coworkers, aside from Alyssa, but I haven’t found anyone to do things with outside of the office. Beth and I always got along so well despite her being a couple of years younger than me.
I briefly consider if it’s wise to form a friendship with Ben’s little sister before deciding that I just don’t care.
“I would love that so much.”
We exchange phone numbers and make a plan to get together next weekend.
“I’d better get to class before Mia locks me out,” she says. She does a little dance of indecision before throwing her arms around me. It’s the nicest hug I’ve received in months and I fight the urge to break down in tears, again. “I’m glad you’re here,” she says as she releases me.
