“They need a place to stay,” Ezra said, without looking up. “But they can’t stay here. We don’t have the room or the…” He shook his head.
“Where are they going to stay?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know. I have to…” Ezra swallowed hard. “I have to go. Keep things safe here.”
“Okay?” I said, but Ezra didn’t say anymore. He walked out into the garage, leaving to do something that would hopefully help us sort this whole thing out. I looked back up at Jack. “Have you talked to Mae?”
“Not really,” he shook his head. “She’s mostly been talking to Ezra since she got here. And…” He shrugged. “I don’t have much to say to her.”
“You can’t still be mad at her.” I stepped away from Jack, and he shrugged and walked towards the French doors, where Matilda had started barking.
“I’m not.” Jack opened the door. Matilda ran inside, shaking the snow off her fur. Jack stayed by the open door, letting the frigid air into the house. He leaned back against the doorframe and turned the handle back and forth.
“But you’re not talking to her?” I asked.
“No, I’m not like avoiding her. I just…” He stared outside and shrugged. “I’m not mad about what happened. Like that she almost killed me. I’m over that. It’s just the lying and sneaking around… But I’m not even mad about that.” He sighed, as if that’s not what he wanted to say at all. “She’s just not who I thought she was.”
“Jack, come on. She’s the same person she always was. She never wants to see anybody hurt.” I walked closer to him, petting Matilda when she ran up to me.
“Yeah, I know, and neither do I. But that doesn’t mean I can lie and do whatever I want.” He looked at me, his eyes grave. “I always thought she’d put everyone before herself, but she’s been so selfish about major things. Not just lying to me, but what she’s done to Daisy, and Ezra.” He shook his head. “What’s she done to Daisy is unforgivable.”
“You really think that?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah. But luckily for Mae, I’m not the one that has to forgive her this time,” Jack said. Matilda went over and jumped up on him, and he scratched her head. “As soon as Daisy’s old enough to realize what Mae did to her…” He whistled and shook his head.
“Where is Mae?” I asked.
“I think she’s still in Ezra’s room. Why? Are you gonna go talk to her?”
“Yeah, I wanna see where her head is at with all of this and what she thinks they’re going to do, since nobody else has any idea.”
“Alright.” He nodded once, but I couldn’t get a read on how he felt. Lately, his emotions seemed murky, like he was trying to bury them too deep for me to feel. “I’ll be outside with Matilda.” He stepped outside, and the dog followed at his heels, even though she’d just come in.
I walked down to Ezra’s room, feeling like I was creeping up on a stranger. I’d just seen Mae a few weeks ago, but my visit with her hadn’t been that amicable. It had been months since she actually lived here, and it sounded strange hearing her voice as she sang softly to herself.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, but I pushed it open a little farther, peering inside. Mae had made the bed and moved onto fluffing the pillows and tidying up. Ezra wasn’t a messy person, but he’d let things fall to the wayside since she’d been gone. Whenever she cleaned, she always had a song on her lips, and she settled for something low and bluesy by Etta James.
“I see you lurking outside the doorway, you know,” Mae said without looking at me. She folded a pair of Ezra’s pants that had been crumpled on a chair and set them on the bed.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and pushed the door the rest of the way open.
“You all don’t need to hide from me. I’m not going to bite.” She picked up a few other stray articles of clothing off the floor and began folding them neatly. “I had no idea Ezra would be such a slob after I moved out. And I noticed that none of you have been doing the dishes.”
“Bobby’s the only one that eats. The dishes are his responsibility,” I said, referring to the pile of dishes growing in the kitchen sink.
“He’s a guest, and all you’re capable of picking up a mess, no matter who made it.” She’d folded his clothes and moved on to picking up the books and newspapers Ezra had strewn about the room. “You’re all adults here, and you should act like it.”
“Milo’s not an adult yet,” I corrected her and leaned back against the wall.
“How is your brother?” Mae stacked the books neatly, making sure all the edges matched up, and she paused for a moment. “He didn’t talk to me much in Australia or when I got here. I felt like he didn’t want me to be here, like he might be mad at me.”
“He’s good,” I said. “But… let’s be honest, Mae, we’re all kinda mad at you.”
“Hmm.” She stopped straightening the books and touched at a strand of her hair before flitting about the room to pick something else up. “I didn’t expect any of you to understand, but I hoped that you’d support me.”
“We all understand where you’re coming from. I get it completely.” I stepped away from the wall, moving towards her, but she had her back to me as she folded a blanket on the chair.
“No, you don’t. None of you. You just think you do.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t. Nobody understands your pain, Mae. Because it is so unique! Nobody’s ever loved something so much they would do anything to save it, except for you, Mae. You cornered that market!”
“Don’t condescend me!” Mae whirled on me, looking at me for the first time. “I didn’t do anything to deserve your contempt! I’ve made a choice that doesn’t even affect you!”
“How does it not affect me? You and ‘your choice’ are hiding out in my house, putting my family and friends in danger!”
“We’ll be out of here first thing-”
“That’s part of the problem too, Mae!” I cut her off. “We didn’t want you out of our lives, but you left us with no other choice. You know she can’t live here, not with us. So that means we can’t live with you either.”
“Where are they going to stay?” Jack asked.
“I don’t know. I have to…” Ezra swallowed hard. “I have to go. Keep things safe here.”
“Okay?” I said, but Ezra didn’t say anymore. He walked out into the garage, leaving to do something that would hopefully help us sort this whole thing out. I looked back up at Jack. “Have you talked to Mae?”
“Not really,” he shook his head. “She’s mostly been talking to Ezra since she got here. And…” He shrugged. “I don’t have much to say to her.”
“You can’t still be mad at her.” I stepped away from Jack, and he shrugged and walked towards the French doors, where Matilda had started barking.
“I’m not.” Jack opened the door. Matilda ran inside, shaking the snow off her fur. Jack stayed by the open door, letting the frigid air into the house. He leaned back against the doorframe and turned the handle back and forth.
“But you’re not talking to her?” I asked.
“No, I’m not like avoiding her. I just…” He stared outside and shrugged. “I’m not mad about what happened. Like that she almost killed me. I’m over that. It’s just the lying and sneaking around… But I’m not even mad about that.” He sighed, as if that’s not what he wanted to say at all. “She’s just not who I thought she was.”
“Jack, come on. She’s the same person she always was. She never wants to see anybody hurt.” I walked closer to him, petting Matilda when she ran up to me.
“Yeah, I know, and neither do I. But that doesn’t mean I can lie and do whatever I want.” He looked at me, his eyes grave. “I always thought she’d put everyone before herself, but she’s been so selfish about major things. Not just lying to me, but what she’s done to Daisy, and Ezra.” He shook his head. “What’s she done to Daisy is unforgivable.”
“You really think that?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah. But luckily for Mae, I’m not the one that has to forgive her this time,” Jack said. Matilda went over and jumped up on him, and he scratched her head. “As soon as Daisy’s old enough to realize what Mae did to her…” He whistled and shook his head.
“Where is Mae?” I asked.
“I think she’s still in Ezra’s room. Why? Are you gonna go talk to her?”
“Yeah, I wanna see where her head is at with all of this and what she thinks they’re going to do, since nobody else has any idea.”
“Alright.” He nodded once, but I couldn’t get a read on how he felt. Lately, his emotions seemed murky, like he was trying to bury them too deep for me to feel. “I’ll be outside with Matilda.” He stepped outside, and the dog followed at his heels, even though she’d just come in.
I walked down to Ezra’s room, feeling like I was creeping up on a stranger. I’d just seen Mae a few weeks ago, but my visit with her hadn’t been that amicable. It had been months since she actually lived here, and it sounded strange hearing her voice as she sang softly to herself.
The bedroom door was slightly ajar, but I pushed it open a little farther, peering inside. Mae had made the bed and moved onto fluffing the pillows and tidying up. Ezra wasn’t a messy person, but he’d let things fall to the wayside since she’d been gone. Whenever she cleaned, she always had a song on her lips, and she settled for something low and bluesy by Etta James.
“I see you lurking outside the doorway, you know,” Mae said without looking at me. She folded a pair of Ezra’s pants that had been crumpled on a chair and set them on the bed.
“Sorry,” I mumbled and pushed the door the rest of the way open.
“You all don’t need to hide from me. I’m not going to bite.” She picked up a few other stray articles of clothing off the floor and began folding them neatly. “I had no idea Ezra would be such a slob after I moved out. And I noticed that none of you have been doing the dishes.”
“Bobby’s the only one that eats. The dishes are his responsibility,” I said, referring to the pile of dishes growing in the kitchen sink.
“He’s a guest, and all you’re capable of picking up a mess, no matter who made it.” She’d folded his clothes and moved on to picking up the books and newspapers Ezra had strewn about the room. “You’re all adults here, and you should act like it.”
“Milo’s not an adult yet,” I corrected her and leaned back against the wall.
“How is your brother?” Mae stacked the books neatly, making sure all the edges matched up, and she paused for a moment. “He didn’t talk to me much in Australia or when I got here. I felt like he didn’t want me to be here, like he might be mad at me.”
“He’s good,” I said. “But… let’s be honest, Mae, we’re all kinda mad at you.”
“Hmm.” She stopped straightening the books and touched at a strand of her hair before flitting about the room to pick something else up. “I didn’t expect any of you to understand, but I hoped that you’d support me.”
“We all understand where you’re coming from. I get it completely.” I stepped away from the wall, moving towards her, but she had her back to me as she folded a blanket on the chair.
“No, you don’t. None of you. You just think you do.”
“Fine. Whatever. I don’t. Nobody understands your pain, Mae. Because it is so unique! Nobody’s ever loved something so much they would do anything to save it, except for you, Mae. You cornered that market!”
“Don’t condescend me!” Mae whirled on me, looking at me for the first time. “I didn’t do anything to deserve your contempt! I’ve made a choice that doesn’t even affect you!”
“How does it not affect me? You and ‘your choice’ are hiding out in my house, putting my family and friends in danger!”
“We’ll be out of here first thing-”
“That’s part of the problem too, Mae!” I cut her off. “We didn’t want you out of our lives, but you left us with no other choice. You know she can’t live here, not with us. So that means we can’t live with you either.”
