Chapter 4~ Home Sweet Home

It's Moving Day for Don and Renee

Moving Day

As Andréa packed up the last of the games into a box, she called for the packing tape from the next room.  She expected one of her cousins to save her from the tapeless-ness, but she saw someone else instead.  Olivia walked in, tape in one hand, lit cigarette in the other. As she walked closer, Andréa’s eyes and nose burned with the stench of the Marlboro reds.

“Thanks, Mom,” Andréa said, reaching for the tape.

“How come you never come home?  How come I never see you?” Olivia asked, as she watched her daughter crouch down and tape up the box. 

“Because it’s too much of a hassle to get out here; let’s face it, you live in the middle of fricking Egypt.  And when I leave, all my clothes smell like smoke and I have a headache.  It’s not because I don’t love you,” she added, looking back towards Olivia.

“I just don’t know what to do.  First I lose my baby girl, and now I’m losing my baby boy.  I don’t know what I’m going to do now that Don’s out of the house.”

She stood up and hugged the woman, then added in a joking voice “Um, Mom? Oppa’s twenty-four"wait, do you still do his laundry?” She let her go and had a small laugh.

Her mother just shook her head and took a drag from her cigarette.  Letting out the noxious smoke in the other direction, she turned back to her daughter and asked if there was anything else she needed.  When she got silence for a reply, she simply walked out of the room and went to the kitchen, where she busied herself by making everyone at least three salami sandwiches each, and two turkey sandwiches for Andréa.  It was a wonder they weren’t all fat by now.  

A small moving truck pulled into the long gravel driveway, and out of it hopped Don and Alex.  As he jumped out, Alex swore loudly"he had slipped off the step of the U-Haul and landed in a giant puddle of mud.  They rented the truck especially for this day, and it already housed the furniture Don and Renee picked up locally. She was absent due to work, but her personal touch could still be seen in the items in the truck"the type of furniture present was totally her style; Don could care less as to what was there.  There wasn’t much left to add to the truck, though.  Just the things from his room, most of which Andréa and the cousins had packed up already, and some things from the den"a few posters and a television set.  After that, all that would remain of his life here would be the bed and the pictures on the walls. 

“Is that it?” they asked after twenty minutes of grumbling and many obscenities.  They were sweaty and tired, but happy.

“Think so,” Don replied.  Andréa watched him look around the house, double checking this and that to make sure none of it was his. After he finished grabbing last minute details from the bathroom, the truck was packed and ready to go.  Olivia was no where in sight, but her bedroom door was closed and locked.  She was probably holing herself up to make a statement.

Andréa and Don looked at each other.  One of them would have to go and get her, and both dreaded doing it.  Usually the locked door meant something unpleasant on the other side.  After a quick three rounds of rock-paper-scissors, Andréa walked up to the door.

“Damn his insufferable luck,” she muttered under her breath. She tapped lightly on the door, and moments later, it swung open violently.  Olivia’s eyes were wild, but as soon as she saw Andréa standing helplessly before her, her expression softened.

“What is it, sweetie?” her mother asked, yet another smoldering cigarette in hand.  Her hair was up in curlers, and she wore her usual bathrobe and slippers with bunnies on them. 

“Hey, Mom.  We’re going to head out now… just thought we’d thank you for the sandwiches and say bye.”

“Oh, well let me come out and say goodbye to your brother and all his little friends.  Would you hold that for me please, honey?” she asked, brandishing her cigarette at Andréa.

“I’m good.” Andréa said, holding her hands up.  She refused to touch the things. 

Olivia let out an exasperated sigh and put it out on an ashtray, the one right next to her bed. She rushed out of view into the closet, and when she walked back out it was with a laundry basket, full of items"a container of laundry detergent, a package of sponges, Windex, and a lot of Clorox.  Saying something about boys keeping clean, Olivia walked out the door to the group waiting in the yard.  Andréa smiled and silently walked outside after her.  Their mother was not good at saying goodbye.