Chapter 3, Letting Go

"The only thing greater than fear is Hope,"- Hunger Games Trilogy

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Maria Dreivus

A few days passed, and I was in a frenzy getting things ready for my little brother Niko came over. He moved to South Carolina with his wife a few years ago and we've only been able to see each other a few times a year. I was lucky he was coming so soon, Christmas already passed and Easter was another 2 months away. He even talked about staying until after Easter. 

Despite being on a college student's diet, I was praised by family and friends for cooking so well. I never took classes, so I wouldn't consider myself a master. Even if my family says otherwise. Ashton helped bring in the bigger table and set it up where the small one used to be. We were borrowing it from the neighbors. A few extra chairs thrown around it and a table cloth and that was all finished. Niko was coming at 5 tonight; I made sure I borrowed a highchair as well, the couple had 2 children already. 

Unfortunately, where there's one brother visiting, you have to invite the rest of the family. So mom and Jack are coming. Scott and his girlfriend were coming too. One...sort of happy family. A chicken sat in the oven, as well as various vegetables cooking in pots above the stove. Italian seasonings covered the chicken evenly, and I baked it to a light crisp. The table was set by none other than Ashton, and he took a few hours getting ready in the bathroom to meet my family.

He walked out, his hair slicked back and still dripping; He even wore a nice shirt with a tie. It made me laugh, considering my family was a lot more laid back than this. Walking over, I pulled his tucked in shirt out, messed his hair a bit, and wiped away bits of water droplets on his forehead.

"Much better," I teased. He smiled.

"Thanks. It only took me a few hours to do this."

"You're welcome. My family doesn't like proper gentlemen, even though I think it's quite adorable," his cheeks went rose red after that, and I couldn't help myself but giggle a bit. 

My brother Scott arrived first, with his girlfriend Eve. I never met her before, nor did he meet Ashton yet. Hugs and awkward handshakes were exchanged, and everyone sat at the couch while I cooked. There was another knock at the door. Niko, his wife, and 2 children.

"Ah! My brother, Niko!" Scott joked in a Russian accent. Niko's dad moved here from Russia when he was a kid, so our brother was half Russian, and half everything my mother has in her. I hugged his wife Amber, even though she often hated hugs. Little Alec toddled in; Almost 2 now. And lastly, there was Nadia. She was only a few months old and this was the first time I was seeing her in person. Last time they visited, Amber was about to pop.

We sat in my small living room, talking and getting to know one another. My siblings seemed to like Ashton; They all talked a bunch about sports and things I never payed attention to. Amber and Eve followed me to the kitchen to help. I let Amber put on a  pot of tea.

"He's really cute," Eve started," You picked the best crayon in the box."

I laughed," Yea yea. We aren't actually dating really. He's just a friend."

"Really? That's a disappointment," Amber said, turning the heat up on the stove.

"Eh. It is what it is. I decided I wouldn't push anything, considering he just broke up his engagement with another woman. It wasn't the smoothest ending."

"Why, what happened?" Eve asked.

"Let's just say, I almost got a broken nose when she found out who Ashton was with."

They laughed together, and we served the tea to everyone. That's when the knock at the door was heard. Everyone was quiet for a moment. Probably afraid of the tension that my mother creates around the two of us. I won't be surprised if she criticized all my decor. Again. Ashton got up with me and I opened the door.

"Mother," I started.

"Maria. And who's this young man?" she gestured Ashton," You have a boyfriend now?"

I sighed, and let her in with Jack. Jack was Niko's burly dad. Despite being my step father, I liked him a lot more than my mother. At least he complimented me once in a while. Everyone sat at the table; Ashton next to me, the Scott and Eve, then Mom and Jack, and Niko with his family. We passed the vegetables and chicken, laughing at jokes and memories being spat across to each other. The night was going better than expected.

I excused myself from the table and stepped into my bedroom. Ashton followed me, probably worried I might be upset. We stood in the doorway.

"You okay? You seem...tense." He said. I only smiled weakly.

"I don't know. Everyone is so happy. Even with my mother there. Is this supposed to be some kind of sign to me?"

He sighed, thinking," Hmm. Maybe...it's your gut telling you to..I don't know. You'll probably think it's stupid what I'll say."

"Since when have I thought anything you  said was stupid? Can't be any worse than what I'm feeling."

" Well...I was thinking maybe you should let go to the things that happened in the past. If your mom still treats you like crap, you don't have to take it. If you need to rest or something, I'll tell the rest of them you're feeling sick."

"Nah. I'm okay for now. But if you see me trying to kill my mother, don't stop me," I joked. We headed back to the table.

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Ashton Locke

The night was nearing 7, and everyone still stuck around to talk and what-not. I made sure to stay by Maria; I felt most comfortable by her. Her brothers were awesome. They had the same love of cars and sports as I did. Niko told me I was welcome to come down and visit with Maria whenever we could. Scott told me we could go bowling together. Ha, seems like the whole family loves to play it. Amber hooked up a Wii. Or was that Eve? Oh, yea. Eve did. We threw in some Mario Cart and laughed at how ridiculous Amber and Scott were loosing. 

Maria gave my hand a squeeze, and rested her head on my shoulder. I heard her whispering, but nothing loud enough that I could hear. Amber handed a baby to me, and I awkwardly held her in my arms.

"I never held a baby before," I explained, while Amber had to show me how to hold babies. Maria's mother laughed.

"I think I like this boy. For once my daughter did something good," she said.  I hope she was just joking. I don't like to think that Maria is so wrong in her mother's eyes. Even if she implies it occasionally. The night lasted until 11, and everyone was ready to hit the hay. I pulled the couch out, and Niko set up some kind of playpen, thingy for the baby to sleep in. I forgot they were staying at our house.

I had to laugh at that. Our house. It seems funny to say, but it's kind of true now. I live here, and so does Maria. I had to carry her to her room, she was too exhausted to get up. Niko went to the bathroom to change, followed by his wife and their sleepy children. 

I stepped into her room, and she sat up tiredly. Instead of heading to the bathroom, she just pulled her pants off and fell back into bed.

"Oh?" I said.

"I'm tired, leave me alone, damnit," she mumbled into the pillow. I got changed in the bathroom and came back to her. Now she lay on her back, and looked up at me.

"Well? You gonna come and sleep?" she asked.

"You mean, here? In your bed?"

"No, I mean on the roof. Yes, just lay down."

"Oh..okay. This isn't weird at all. And sarcasm hurts." 

She just laughed and pulled the covers over her head. I sat next to her, and climbed in. 

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Della Mason

The house felt empty. Two weeks passed by uneventfully as Ashton made an effort to gather his things out of my house. He tried his best to tell me Maria was nothing more than a friend, but I still resented her with every fiber of my being. She tried to talk to me, even offered to make me food. I know she means well, but I just can't stand that she gets to be with Ashton and I don't.

The snow fell again today without stopping. I guess this is what you get when you live in Michigan. Now would be a good time to relax myself. The past few days were hell. My boss decided to lay me off due to budget cuts  and I needed a new job. To top it off, cable was cut last night. You could define me as a hot mess.

I got a text from my friend, Fawn. She texted me a photo of a help wanted sign by the diner. Maybe my luck was changing. I waitressed a lot back in my college days so this job would be a piece of cake. I called the number on the photo to make an appointment.

"Tonight? Really? Well, if you say so...," I told the woman at the other end. They must be desperate. I found a decent outfit and took the motorcycle out from the garage.

The diner wasn't far from where I lived. The area it was in was a bit shabby, run down houses all over and what not. The lady I assumed I talked to stood at the counter, wearing a pink dress and white apron. 

"Oh, good. You're here," she started with her gravely voice," I'm the manager of this place," she handed me an application.

"I'm required to have you fill this in. But as long as you can wipe down counters and serve food, you're hired."

I'm not going to complain. I filled it out and left it on the counter. She told me I could start wiping down tables. The place was pretty nasty, she must have not had customers in a while. I went through 3 new sponges cleaning grime of of each table. But after I cleaned them they looked much nicer. 

i felt sick as soon as I got back home. It was either the dirty diner or the food they let me eat. Either or, I was going to puke.  I fell asleep at the couch, watching a blank television and eating ramen noodles. 

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Maria Dreivus

I almost forgot everything that happened last night and panicked when I seen a mysterious man laying next to me. Then it hit me that I let Ashton sleep in my bed tonight. I walked out into the kitchen and started to make some omelets. One by one people entered groggy eyed and hungry.

"Aunt Maria! I'm hungry!" Alec bubbled. He was getting to become a big boy now. I picked him up and sat him in a chair, and cut his omelet into small pieces. I watched him munch them slowly, while Ashton walked in.

"What's cooking? Oh, my favorite," and he snatched my dish from in front of me before I could eat it.

"Hey! That was mine.."

"Oh. I'm sorry. Want it back?" and he opened his mouth full off chewed omelet.

"No...no. It's okay. I'll just...make another."

           For the rest of that day, we hung around the house and relaxed. Lunch time rolled by shortly and we all sat at the table, starving. Amber made sandwiches, letting me take a break from cooking. 

"I was thinking," Niko started. We're all in trouble when Niko thinks things through.

"We  were thinking," Amber said,"You guys should come back to South Carolina with us. It's warm, relaxing, and frankly, you need all need a break from work. You can stay in our guest bedroom."

This sounded really intriguing, however I was unsure if I really should. It's been a while since I last went down with Niko there; Maybe I should go. I dunno.

"Sure! I can't wait!" Scott exclaimed. I guess my say was out of the question.

"You can bring Eve, and if Ashton wants, he can come to," Niko added. That was what pushed me over the edge and I agreed to come too.

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Ashton Locke

I was excited to go. I never been further than New York, so the thought of going further than that was mind blowing. I always wanted to visit the south, see the old plantations and feel the hot air in the middle of March. Easter was a few days away and as soon as it was over we were heading down. Me and Maria both called into work and took the week after Easter off, so that we'd have the maximum amount of fun we could. This Minnesota air was killing me. I hate cold weather. 

I took longer in the shower than usual, and when I got out everyone was passed out. Except Alec. Alec sat up in bed, covering his face from the hallway light. He quietly crawled off the bed and ran to me.

"What are you doing up so late, buddy?" I whispered. He lifted my arms so I could hold him.

"I can't sleep," he answered.

"Well, this is a predicament. Lets see..." I carried him out to the kitchen and pulled a sippycup from the cabinet.

"Do you want water or milk?"

"Milk! Milk!" he exclaimed.

"Shh, everyone is asleep," I told him. He smiled and covered his mouth.

  He sat down at the table while I pulled a small dish out and poured milk into it. It sat in the microwave for about 1 minute, and I pulled it out, pouring it in the cup. For added flavor, I put in some chocolate syrup. I handed it to him and he lifted his arms again, for me to pick him up.

"I want to sleep in your bed please," he demanded, rather than asked. The puppy eyes he gave me before I could answer him made me give in and let him. 

He climbed in next to Maria who'd dozed off hours ago. His red car themed footy pajamas slid under the blanket and he poked his head out, holding the sippycup in one hand and the edge of the blanket in the other. I lay down after and right before I fell asleep completely, Alec spoke to me.

"Goodnight, uncle Ash."

These words almost brought tears to my eyes.

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Della Mason

Was I supposed to be happy? Was I supposed to shrug the feeling off that I was all alone now? All my friends would look at me, say a quick sorry that the relationship didn't work out, and move on. But why was it that I couldn't move on?

Every work day lasted from 6 A.M. to 5 P.M. It was exhausting to say the least. I had Friday and Sunday off, but the rest of the week I opened the diner and left a few hours before closing. We needed more employees. And customers. My salary was currently a bit over minimum wage; About $11.23 and hour. Better than nothing, my father used to say. 

The reason I dreaded work the most though, was that I was the one cleaning everything. Every crack and corner needed my manual labor to clean. It was a pain, definitely. And then this guy walked in. A customer. He was cute. Oh please, he was HOT. I waitressed him with pleasure, unlike half the old people and bratty children that entered here. 

"May I take your order?" I started. I'm an idiot, I should have started with something better than that.

"Yes, um...hmm. What's today's special?" He asked. I could have started by telling him the special, damn it. 

"The special to day is sicken choup. I-I mean, chicken soup." Nice one.

He laughed," I'll take that."

I served him his soup and a side salad, and made sure to visit his table often, to "check" on him.

"Thank you, miss..?"

"Oh! My name! It's Della..." I sounded too excited. I feel like an idiot.

He smile warmed my insides though. He signed the bill and left it on the table. When I looked down I nearly died of shock. He wrote his number on it! I'm not an idiot after all! Well..maybe only slightly. I entered it into my number quickly, and took the hefty tip he left. That was one of the single greatest moments. Ever.

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Maria Dreivus

We boarded the airplane, some carrying children and others carrying small bags for personal items. I was sat with Ashton, in a 3 person seater. The other person was some teenage kid, with tons of acne that could be mistaken for freckles. I sat at the window and Ashton held my hand. A few rows ahead were Eve and Scott, and judging the angle I sat, they looked alone together in that seat. I could hear Nadia cry from across the plane and I watched Amber take a few trips to the bathroom to calm her.

The kid at the end of our seat was mildly annoying. When I fell asleep and Ashton got up to sit by Scott for a bit, the kid threw paper balls at me and poked me a few times. Every time Ashton came back the kid would stop. It annoyed me to no end. It was about 11:00 P.M. when we arrived in Charleston, and we still needed to drive another few towns over before we got to the small town my brother lives in.

"Ah, can you smell the fresh air?" Niko said, rolling the windows of the minivan down. I was surprised we fit 2 infants and 6 adults in here. Of coarse, I was the smallest and had to sit on the floor in between the carseats.

"I smell cow s**t," Scott said. We laughed, and Nadia woke up from sleeping, wailing loudly.

The house was gorgeous, and I was happy I decided to say yes to this trip. 5 bedrooms, 2 and a half baths, a huge kitchen/dining area and a family room connected to a study. The pool out back was tempting to jump into; It was hotter than the sun out here. Ashton held out suitcases and I pushed open the French doors leading to the room we'd share. A small love-seat sat in front of a queen sized bed and a mini flat screen was in the corner above a desk. across the room was a full sized mirror next to an empty dresser.

"You never told me they were rich," Ashton said. I had trouble holding his jaw closed.

"Well now I'm telling you. Amber's granddad passed a year ago and left his billions to her. She's lucky she was an only child. Now they use the money to pay for this place and their children's college later on."

"Wow...I wish I had rich grandfathers. This place is rockin'!"

For the first time I felt at ease.

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End of Chapter 3

Author's Note

I feel like this was a successful chapter. Feel free to critique me, I enjoy what you have to say about these stories. I have big plans for this book.