Page 4 of Drawn To You

After that, we started hanging out more and more. Soon, we became inseparable. I didn’t know it at the time but I had just met my person.

* * *

Abigail - Summer vacation later that same year…

“You okay?” I glanced over at my cousin Roxy in the driver’s seat, then turned to stare out the windshield, watching the houses as we passed them in my Aunts neighborhood. “I’m fine.” “You’re really gonna pout the whole way there, Abby? I already told you; it’s not going to be that bad staying with Aunt Becky.” She said that, but she wasn’t the one being sent to stay with our super strict Aunt. But I had no choice in the matter and this was the only option that had been placed on the table. If it were up to me, I’d have chosen to stay at my Grandparent’s house on my Mom’s side and not be bothered with any of this. But my Dad had insisted, or rather demanded.

“I said I’m fine. Thanks for picking me up, by the way.” She sighed, and I didn’t bother glancing over this time. Odds were, she had on that ‘I feel sorry for you’ face that would only make me feel worse.

“Come on, Abby. You will have your own room and won’t have to sleep on a couch anymore. At least focus on the positives, plus you might make new friends at church.” “ Friends. I don’t do new friends. People suck.” She laughed, and I passed her an angry glare.

“You’ll make friends, the girls at church are always nice,” she insisted. But did the fact that they went to church really make a difference? Teenage girls were teenage girls and I never fit in with girls at school, there was an in-crowd I was never a part of. Either way, I disliked crowds with a passion and preferred to be alone, unless I was with Rain and her sisters, that is.

“The least you could do is pretend you’ll try to be happy.” “Why? So everybody can pretend that the family isn’t forcing me to go live with Aunt Becky, who will force me to go to church and live by whatever crazy rules she has that are guaranteed to make me miserable?” Another laugh came from her side of the car and my nerves wore just a little thinner.

“It won’t be that bad. Plus I can come down for sleepovers with you now that you are going to be at Aunt Becky’s and not your Grandparents. You know my parents never let me see you there and I’ve missed you.” “Now who’s pouting?” I teased her, knowing she was only trying to cheer me up. “Whatever, besides, you know you missed me too!” and I had. I loved my cousin Roxy. She and I were the same age and had grown up together along with my other cousins on my Dad’s side of the family. We were all pretty close as little kids and hung out whenever we could.

Roxy and I pulled up to our Aunts house. I didn’t immediately jump out of the car and I’m pretty sure my cousin noticed. I guessed as much when she waited with me at the end of the long, driveway, being uncharacteristically patient. Realizing this was really happening, I climbed out of the car, and Roxy got out behind me.

When I walked in thru the front door I spotted my cousin Sterling right away, standing beside the kitchen counter, pouring a glass of milk.

“Hey.” Sterling turned at the sound of my voice, settling his green stare directly on me. He didn’t immediately respond when I greeted him, but his lips curved into a smirk as he looked me over. “Well, look who finally made it. I was wondering when you girls would get here.” Standing closer, he towered over me, forcing me to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “I didn’t know you would be here. Is Zack here too?” “Yeah, but he’s out with his new girlfriend, Andrea.”

“Your brother has another girlfriend? What happened to Linda?” Roxy asked.“You’d have to ask him. I can’t keep up.” Sterling answered. “I liked Linda.” She muttered in response.

“Well, I never even met Linda, but I am glad to hear you guys are here too. I would have been lonely without you guys.” “I’m glad we’re here, too, I’ve missed you, Abby,” Sterling said and wrapped me in a bear hug. “Besides, I wanted to spend some time with you both before I have to go off to Boot camp.” “When do you have to go?” I ask. “I have to report for basic training at the end of August.” We are all quiet for a moment because this was a big deal for him. Sterling has wanted to join the Marines like his Dad since we were little kids. We were proud of him but we were still going to miss him.

* * *

Later that night, while we were watching movies Sterling seized my bag of red vines from me, having already eaten his own, and tears them open with his teeth. “In your dreams,” I say, snatching them back. “I want those.” “Then why haven’t you eaten them yet?” He grins. “Because I’m not an overgrown animal that inhales all my food in like five seconds.” “You would if you were as big as me,” he says, trying to steal them back again. He’s fast, but so am I. I manage to keep my red vines away from his grabbing fingers, but just barely.

“Keep your paws off,” I say. “And don’t be thinking you’re going to be taking up most of the couch, either. I don’t care how big you are, you’re not using up any of my personal space.” “You’ve got to be kidding me. Look at these legs, Abby!” Sterling cries, sprawling out his massive thighs, each the size of a small tree trunk. “Go sit on the other couch with Roxy, then,” I say.

“Oh, no. Don’t send him over here. I’m on the little couch, Abby. That’s not fair, you know there is not enough room over here for his overgrown ass!” Roxy chimes in sourly.

“Gee, I can really feel the love from you two.” Then, grinning at me again, “Bet your Mom would make you share your red vines with me if she were here . . .” “Probably,” I say, “but she’s not here.” I lift a red vine to my lips and Sterling manages to snatch it out of my hand, and take a bite. “Mmmmm,” he says loudly, just to annoy me.

“I’m going to wait for you to fall asleep, and then Roxy and I are going to give you another makeover,” I tell him. “No fucking way am I falling asleep with you two around!” Sterling says. “Plus, I’m way too excited about this movie.” Twenty minutes later he was snoring with his heavy head flopped over on my shoulder. “I’ll go get the nail polish,” Roxy says with a devious glint in her eye.

* * *

Later that night when Aunt Becky got home from work she made sure to lay out the house rules for me.“There are no cellphones allowed after 7:00 pm, and no laptops or iPads either. You can use the landline to call your parents, but try and call before lights out at 8:30 pm. No housework on Sunday. Absolutely no TV on Sunday unless it’s for religious purposes and keep in mind we are a strictly PG-13 and under, only home. Wednesday night is family scripture night and you are expected to be present..” My Aunt’s house rules were strange, and seemed downright old-fashioned—it made me feel more like I was moving to another world, rather than simply to another house.

I’ve never lived with anyone from my Dad’s side of the family because they are all super religious and strict and my Dad was kind of the Black-sheep of the family. Especially after he got my mom pregnant when they were teenagers. Not to mention the fact that my Mom wasn’t a member of their church. A big no-no in his family.

It’s strange going from interacting with my Mom’s family to dealing with my Dad’s family. They are as different as night and day. My mom’s family home is a crazy rowdy party house and my Dad’s family home is a super strict, old-fashioned, completely organized, religious household. They are both crazy but in completely different ways.

But everything about my family life is strange. When you grow up as a member of my Dad’s family, you have to attend church regularly and live by a very rigid set of rules. My parents have never made us attend religiously because my Mom is not a member and my Dad doesn’t practice. But we are always expected to attend church when visiting or staying with his family. For that reason, I already know what’s in store for me while staying with my Aunt. Living here would be interesting.

Five

Lies That Bind

Joshua - age 23 -Three years later…

Shannon’s screams were getting louder. The physician in attendance leaned over his patient and frantically tried to get her attention. The woman was writhing in agony. She was clearly out of her head now and thrashing about, begging for more painkillers. “You can do this Shannon,” the physician said in a firm tone. “It’s going to be fine. But you need to keep pushing!”

“I can’t!” she screamed and broke out in sobs. Joshua Castillo rushed over to the side of his wife’s bed. His face showed his concern. “For God’s sake, can’t you see she’s in terrible pain?” he shouted. “Do something!”

---