by Miley Maine
“Welcome home,” she gleamed, leaning forward to give me a kiss.
“Thanks, Babe. Where’s Russ?”
“Upstairs, reading.”
“I’ll go take a shower.”
“Want some coffee?” she sweetly offered.
“Yeah, why not.”
I gave myself a quick scrubbing and pulled on a fresh pair of bottoms and a tee before making my way downstairs toward the living room.
I took my time down the steps, slowing down when I heard Rita holler something at Gigi.
“Remember Dawn Smith?” she giggled. “Bless her heart, she still writes to me.”
“Oh yeah, of course. How is she?”
“They still live down the road from our old house. Her son Cole still hangs out with Matty at the bar.”
“Uh-huh.” Gigi’s mindless tone suddenly showed an extreme lack of interest.
I stopped in my tracks.
“Says he still hasn’t bothered with a new girlfriend or anything.” Her forced nonchalance rang through the air.
“Well, I wish him all the best.” Her voice was now flat.
“It means he’s still available, Gigi.”
Exasperation pulled her pitch up a notch as she sharply exhaled. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”
At that moment, I decided to make my presence known. Treading slowly, I swung my arms as I approached. “Yeah, Rita.” I forced a challenging grin. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I titled my head, daring her to elaborate.
As Gigi turned to me, surprised and somewhat embarrassed, Rita’s expression remained calm while she shrugged, drawing down the corners of her lips as if she were stating an obvious fact. “He’s Billy’s father, isn’t he?”
I raised my eyebrows, and she defiantly mirrored my expression, widening her eyes like a teacher who couldn’t believe that her pupil was asking such a dumb question.
“Son, I’m an old lady and rather old-school in my ways. If there was anything I could do to reunite my daughter with her first true love and bring their little family back together, I would do it.”
At that point, I could see Gigi at the corner of my eye, writhing with rage. Placing Billy back down into his bassinet, she glared at Rita, who wasn’t paying attention. She then marched toward the dining table where her mother had settled.
“How can you talk like this?” she hissed.
Raising an eyebrow, Rita calmly turned to her. “Gigi Mans, have you forgotten that I am your moth—”
“Gigi Downton, if you please,” she strained, the veins in her neck engorged. “And I can’t tolerate you speaking to Danny this way.”
“There’s no disrespect in what I’m stating; it’s only a fact.” She stood up, banging one palm on the wooden surface. “I feel that Matt has always been the one for you until he came along and stole you from him.” Lifting her chin up, she gestured toward me without regarding me with a glance.
“False.” Gigi pressed her lips into a thin line, visibly struggling to keep her cool.
“And when? Just about when you became pregnant with poor Matty’s child.” Her head shook in frantic dismay as she narrowed her eyes at the both of us.
“That’s enough—” I took a step closer, raising my hand.
Gigi quickly launched between us, touching my arm. “Yes, it is.” Her voice suddenly regained its calm as she pulled me by the arm, compelling me to step backward away from her mother.
I spent the rest of that day cursing my mind for urging me to stay at home. Although I didn’t come across Rita again until dinnertime, I could feel her toxic energy in every ounce of air I breathed.
To make up for her mother’s tastelessness, Gigi slaved away at the kitchen for hours, cooking my favorite meal, and making dessert.
While I felt bad for my wife for being stuck between us in that mentally and emotionally draining position, my blood boiled every time I thought about Rita and her little venomous mind, carefully plotting to break us up so she could take Gigi back to the man she believed was a heavenly prize.
About an hour before dinner, I couldn’t take it anymore. I got dressed and took my horse out for a ride since the last thing I wanted was to bump into that malicious witch unchaperoned.
God, I hated her.
As I steadily rode Art along the narrow path in the limited woods toward the lake, I willed my body to relax and my mind to find some peace.
Breathing in the damp air, I marveled in the delicate whiffs of pansies and rich colors of petunias.
But my awareness refused to cooperate.
While my eyes soaked up the colored vistas, mostly greens and blues, my thoughts crept back to reflections on Rita’s words and actions.
I remembered how the other day she had blurted out something strange to Gigi when she thought I wasn’t around. It had to do with…I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“But how could you want him to raise your only son?” She exclaimed, straining in a whisper.
“I’m hoping he would help me raise more than just one child, Mom.” Gigi provoked her with a nuance of spite in her tone.
“Oh my God, are you thinking of having his babies?”
“Why’s that so hard to believe? He is my husband, and we’re in love.”
Huffing and puffing, Rita sounded like she was about to explode. “Gigi Mans, you—”
“Downton,” she quickly interrupted her. “My name’s Downton now, Mom.”
“You must’ve lost your mind.” Tension dripped. “There’s bad blood running in that family, so help me God, if you—”
“What? Dare to enjoy the man I love? Venture to have a normal life with him? Take the risk of giving him what he wants and loving him ‘til death do us part?”
“That fucking literature of yours has stripped you off of your senses, Young Lady.”
“I’m no longer a young lady.” She paused. “I am Danny Downton’s wife and Billy’s mother, and there’s nothing you can do to change that.”
Mumbling something inaudible with a dramatic whine, Rita banged on something or another before hissing, “You can’t, in your right mind to speak so proudly of his family name.”
“I just did,” she defied. “And I always will. Try to stop me, and you might lose me forever.”
“Oh,” she whimpered. “You can be so cruel.”
“I don’t want this. I want you to get along.” I heard the sound of her chair being violently pushed. “But you’re not giving me much of a choice here, Mom.”
As she stormed out of the room, her feet stomped loudly, reflecting the pent-up anger she had been bottling up.
I stood there in the nook that had accidentally carried me for the minutes that had passed, immobilized with the epiphany of how bad things really were.
My poor Gigi had been smiling in my face, day in and day out, masking her mounting fury and disappointment. She didn’t want to trouble me any more than her mother already had.
And that was why I refrained from blowing up today.
I knew it was the last thing she needed.
The sky was beginning to glow with a different shade of blue, an understated prelude to the sunset that had the land waiting in awe.
I let Art take me wherever he had wanted, and this time, we ended up at the lake. The sight of my ancient canopy brought back bittersweet memories with Gigi and our first days together.
Little had I known, things were actually much simpler back then.
My mind kept going back to Rita’s ominous speech. “There’s bad blood running in that family,” she said.
What was that all about?
The sun began to turn orange, and I knew it was time to go back home. The last thing I wanted was for Gigi to think that I didn’t appreciate her efforts in preparing my favorite food.
I also didn’t want Rita to think she was winning.
When I returned, the table was almost ready, and Gigi and Rita were putting the final touches to the meal. Billy was quietly sleeping in his bassinet, peaceful and dreamy-
looking.
I walked over to him and kneeling down. I gently brushed a few hairs from his forehead. His tiny hand twitched as he slowly turned his head without opening his eyes. My heart melted—I truly loved that creature.
When I looked up, I saw Rita standing at the kitchen doorway with a big tray in her hands, held with a pair of oven mitts.
I could swear I saw the subtle shadow of a smile struggling to take over her emotionless expression. God knew why she fought so hard to not let me see it.
Sighing, she turned her gaze toward the table as she marched over there to put the tray down, completely ignoring my presence.
“Babe, you’re home.” Gigi came out of the kitchen with a serving pot, kissing me on the cheek as her sweet smile shone through. She then joined her mother in setting the table.
As we gathered around to eat dinner, my eyes caught a glimpse of the way Rita scowled at me. Silently but spitefully. I tried to ignore it, but against my best efforts, I couldn’t hold it any longer.
I decided to wait until we were almost finished eating.
As I swallowed the last forkful, I glanced in her direction one more time, bracing myself for her hateful glare.
“Say, Rita.” I slowly put down my fork and knife. “What do you know of my family?” Interlacing my fingers over the edge of the table, I locked eyes with her.
I heard a slight sharp inhale that came from Gigi’s direction. At the corner of my eyes, I could see Russ put down his cutlery, furrowing his eyebrows.
“I’m not sure I follow?” Her monotonous voice revealed her nervousness.
“You think there’s bad blood running in my family. I’d like to know what.”
She gasped. “Did Gigi tell you this?”
“No, no, she didn’t. You said it, I heard it. I demand an explanation.”
Scoffing, she let her fingers fiddle with a loose lock of hair that had escaped the bun at the back of her neck. “When was that?” Her pitch grew higher, and I knew I was getting to her.
“It doesn’t matter when,” I insisted. “Rita, what made you say that?” My glower grew sterner.
“Unbelievable.” With both her hands against the edge of the table, she forcefully pushed back her weight, gliding the chair backward with a screech as she shot up. “I’m not going to sit here and be interrogated by you.”
Dramatically spinning around, she banged the back of the chair with her hand before storming out of the house, slamming the door behind her.
First, I looked at Russ, who was shamefully holding his head down with both his hands in fists on the table. When I turned to Gigi, her face was red, her chest was rising and falling with racing breaths, and her eyes were glazed with a thin film of tears that threatened to overflow.
Being swiftly flipped from a position of control to one of complete disorientation and befuddlement felt like a nasty rollercoaster ride. Slowly standing up, I didn’t exactly know what my next move should have been.
Was I to apologize to Russ for upsetting his wife? Or should my first priority be to hold my Gigi tightly and tell her not to be upset?
While my instincts urged me toward the latter, my injured pride was swelling with an ache I had long forgotten.
For someone to loathe me as much as Rita did because of my family was an experience I hadn’t had in decades. And where was her revulsion coming from?
All I managed to muster was a gentle bend over my wife’s head as my lips found their way to her forehead and gently kissed her.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered before sluggishly walking toward the stairs, heading to the bedroom in silence.
Gigi didn’t join me upstairs for hours, but I thought I heard her muffled whispers along with Russ’s somewhere outside. They might have spent the evening out on the porch.
I didn’t know, and at that moment, I didn’t care.
As I wasted my time lying down in bed with my eyes staring up at the ceiling, the only question that plagued my mind was: Why?
Chapter Fourteen
Gigi
When I woke up around eight o’clock, the warm rays of the sun greeted my sleepy eyes as I lazily stretched my arms.
I had allowed myself to miss the early breakfast for a bargain of a couple of more hours of sleep. After all, it was Billy’s birthday, and I wanted to be refreshed and ready for the events the day had promised to bring.
As I gleefully made my way downstairs, Mom and Dad were out in the garden, already starting to hang the balloons and colored decorations for the big day.
Billy bounced and skipped around them, excited to have his own party as his big cowboy hat kept sliding down his forehead. Adamant to keep it on, he repeatedly pushed it back up with his petite hands, amused by the little game gravity was playing with him.
His innocent giggles filled the atmosphere, and as I opened the door and stepped out into the sun, I squinted a little while he ran toward me with arms wide open. His laughter grew louder when I picked him up and twirled with him, securing his hat in place with my fingertips.
“Who’s becoming a big boy today?” I hailed.
“Billy!” He flailed both arms in the air, his hands forming victorious fists.
I kissed him on the cheek. “That’s right.” As I put him back down, I hollered, “Morning.”
“Good morning, Sweetheart.” Dad’s knee was acting up, and he limped his way toward us. “I can’t believe this rascal’s four already.” He shook his head, contemplating the tick of time.
“He’s making us all old, isn’t he?” Mom joined in, a long string of colored paper cutouts dangling from her arm. She leaned onto my ear, “Can you believe he insisted on this?” She raised her arm for me to examine the cowboy hat decorations.
I giggled, looking around with a hint of pride. “Yeah, he’s been obsessed with horses lately.”
“It’s all Danny, I tell you.” She shook her head in dismay.
“Mom?” I whined as I tilted my head sideways, my eyes begging her to not go there again.
“Alright, alright,” she cringed, waving both hands in the air as if to tell me to leave her alone. “I sent Michael out to get me some cake ingredients.” Walking away, she headed back for the tree upon which she was hanging a thread.
“Cake!” Billy enthusiastically jumped. “When do we have cake?”
“When Daddy’s back and everyone’s here, Honey.” I ruffled his blond hair with my fingers as he fidgeted, tugging restlessly on the skirt of my yellow sundress.
It was the same dress Danny and I had picked out together at Marsha’s, five years ago. The fact that it still fit me gave my self-esteem an incredible boost.
“Don’t pull too hard now,” Mom hollered his way. “It’s an old dress.” She shot me a meaningful look.
“I love this dress,” I insisted, crouching down to look into my son’s eyes. “Danny and I picked it when I first came into town.”
“Was I there?” His beautiful azure eyes grew wider.
I giggled. “No, Baby. It was before you were born.”
“Wow, it is old.” He let out a little laugh before running back to fiddle with a stray balloon.
“I’m gonna go get the food ready. Dad, wanna help me?”
I knew he hated being out in the scorching sun, especially with his recent tendency to get headaches.
“If you insist.” Winking at me while mom wasn’t paying attention, he put down the string she had given him to hang and strode on to follow me inside.
“It’s too early, anyway.” I glanced at him as I closed the door behind us. “You could’ve waited for me to help her.”
A shrug of resignation pulled up his shoulders. “Whatever Rita wants…”
I tittered as we headed toward the kitchen. I opened the fridge and pulled out trays of half-ready items, and we began to prepare the party meal.
After thorough deliberations, Danny and I had agreed on inviting a few of our friends from town, as well as all the ranchmen, of course. We were lucky that Billy’
s birthday fell on a Saturday, and so we had informed everyone a week in advance.
At around two o’clock, our small party of friends arrived, closely followed by Danny as he pulled over into the driveway. Everyone said their hello’s and started drinking their beers while Danny and Dad started the grill and began barbecuing burgers for everybody.
After everyone was done eating, and while Mom and I served little cups of ice cream on colored trays, Danny stood at the center and gestured to Michael from a distance.
His loyal assistant disappeared somewhere behind the shed for a minute before he reemerged, pulling the reins of the most gorgeous little white horse.
My eyes widened, and as everyone gasped and cheered, Billy jumped up and down, squealing, “A pony!”
My mother’s hand immediately gripped my arm, her fingers squeezing my skin red. “What the hell?” she hissed.
Danny’s face beamed at our son’s excited reaction, and he grinned, beckoning him forth. “C’mon, Billy. Meet your new friend.”
As Michael led the horse toward the center, Billy’s legs raced the wind, bolting in his direction.
“It’s ‘bout time he learned how to ride.” My dad chuckled before Mom shot him a death stare. His smile didn’t falter since he seemed to enjoy watching her writhe with fury.
“Unacceptable.” Her whisper came out strained as her eyes spitefully fixated on Danny.
Our friends were all happy for Billy and the perfect birthday present his father had just given him, crooning with “Aww’s” and “Oh’s” all around us.
The only one whose veins were about to pop was my mother.
I thought I heard her curse from under her breath when Danny announced that he was going to give Billy his first riding lesson. Unable to tolerate her ruining the moment any longer, I pulled her by the shoulders and took a few steps away from the circle.
“What’s the matter with you?” I struggled to keep my voice low. “Can’t you be happy with us for once?”
“I can’t, and I won’t as long as that rancher remains in our lives.”
“That rancher is my husband, Mom.” My tone grew harsher. “And I won’t let you talk about him like that anymore.”
