Arcadia's Gift(6)

While they’d always been very hospitable toward me, the Perkins’ tended to hold Bronwyn’s reins pretty tightly. She wasn’t allowed much of a social life outside of school and church functions. They wouldn’t even let her stay overnight at my house because I have a brother under the same roof. Apparently, Pastor Tom thinks Aaron is some sort of teenage Casanova with designs on seducing my friends while they sleep.
“Maybe we can do something Sunday after church?” she suggested.
“I probably shouldn’t plan anything. I don’t know how I’ll feel with my dad leaving and all.”
“Sorry for my comment at lunch.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just really on edge about the whole separation thing right now. God, my eyes are tearing up just thinking about it!” I rubbed my face with the hood of my sweatshirt. I sniffed loudly into the phone. “Sorry…”
“I know. How are Lony and Aaron taking it?”
“Well, you know how Aaron is. I tried to talk to him a couple of days ago, and he just shrugged and returned to his underground lair.”
“I don’t know why boys always think they have to be so stoic.”
“I know, right? And Lony…she’s convinced that our parents are going to get back together and refuses to take any of it seriously.”
“Do you think they will…get back together?”
“I don’t know. Doubt it. With both of them running their own businesses, they never see each other. I have a feeling this ‘trial separation’ is really the first step in the divorce.”
“Unfortunately, it usually is. Darn! I just heard the garage door, so Father’s home. I better run. If you need to talk this weekend, give me a call.”
“I will.”
After we hung up, I took a few minutes to check my email and my Facebook account. I find it hilarious that Lony has 847 friends on her Facebook, and I have thirty-two. Well, at least I actually know and talk to all of mine. I answered a few messages and poked around online a bit, but when I heard my mother come home, I logged off.
“You don’t need to order pizza,” my mother was saying to Aaron when I entered the kitchen. “There’s leftover casserole in the fridge. Heat that up.”
Aaron shuffled out of the room in his stocking feet, muttering under his breath. Mom had kicked off her pumps and stood on one leg, massaging the ball of her foot.
“Hi, Mom,” I said, walking to the fridge to get a Diet Pepsi. “Busy day?”
“Oh, aren’t they all? I just stopped to get the car-charger for my Blackberry. I have two houses to show in Asbury, and then I’m going straight to the football game to see Lony cheer. Do you have plans tonight?”
Mom slipped her shoes back on and opened the junk drawer. She extracted a tangle of chargers for various electronics and began to un-weave the one she needed from the mass.
“No plans. Just homework.”
She leveled her gazed on me. “Cady, you do realize you are the only teen in the Tri-State area who voluntarily does homework on a Friday night, right?”
“I have to get it done tonight, so I can help Dad move tomorrow.”
“Oh, no you’re not! Your father and I talked about it, and we don’t want you kids in the middle of this. We want you all to go find stuff to do with your friends tomorrow and stay away from here. He has enough people to help him.”
“But, Mom,” I reasoned, standing with my hand on my hip, “We’re already in the middle of this. I can’t let Dad do this alone.”
Mom let out an audible sigh and rubbed her temple. “Arcadia Marie, don’t argue with me. Think of your dad. This is going to be hard enough on him, he doesn’t need an audience.”
I gritted my teeth to keep from talking back. There was no use in arguing with her when she made her mind up about something. I poured my soda into a glass of ice.
“Maybe you and Lony should go shopping tomorrow,” she suggested. “It’ll be good for you to spend some time together.”
The last thing I wanted to do was spend the day at the mall with Lony, but just then Lony flitted into the kitchen, so again, I held my tongue.
“Hey, Mamasita!” Lony said, giving our mother a peck on the cheek. “Still coming to the game tonight?”
“Of course, hun, but I’ll have to meet you there. Got an appointment right now. See you later!”#p#分页标题#e#
Mom waved good-bye and ran out the door with her charger in hand.
“Are you coming to the game tonight?” Lony asked, grabbing two sodas out of the fridge.
“I didn’t plan on it. I have some homework to do,” I answered, sipping on my drink.