“Yeah. I think we got everything, but I want to walk through the house one more time just to make sure.”
Trudy nodded with a smile. “Take your time, sweetie.”
They both knew it was time to say goodbye. And Stormy was dreading it. A ball of knots formed in her stomach as she walked up those rickety steps one last time, skipping the one that had always threatened to give way due to rot.
The inside of the house was all wrong. Lifeless. Empty. As empty as Stormy felt.
As she wandered from room to room, re-checking cupboards and drawers for things she might have missed, she wished that she could sort her feelings into nice neat little piles just as she and Trudy had done with Mama’s things—guilt, anger, regret, anguish, love, hate—the volatile cocktail of emotions swirling around in her head.
Despite the absence of air conditioning in the July heat, Stormy’s arms prickled with goose bumps as she stood in the middle of her mother’s empty bedroom. The room that she had died in. The room where she and her mother had spoken their last words to each other…where she heard her mother say I love you for the very last time.
It was strange standing there in her mother’s bedroom, and she half expected her mama to burst through the door and ask her what the heck she was doing in there. She wished that she would, just to hear her voice one more time…a complaint, an argument, a rant…anything. Anything would be better than the cold, vacant silence.
With trembling fingers, Stormy slid the plastic accordion doors of the closet open, the motion causing the empty hangers to swing back and forth as if they were mocking her. Just a short while ago, Stormy had been planning on leaving that run-down old trailer without ever looking back. She’d resented her mother back then and couldn’t wait to get away from her. Blamed her for all that was wrong in her life.
But then her mama had gone and left first….
The threat of more tears stung the backs of her eyeballs. Dammit! She was tired of never knowing which emotion would decide to rear its ugly head. And sometimes she could swear that they were all trying to come out at once. She was like a faulty round of ammunition—unstable and unpredictable, and liable to go off at any time.
Trudy’s voice startled her, “Everything good in here?”
No. Things weren’t good. Stormy’s gut twisted with the fact that her mother’s life was snuffed out before it was finished. Though there was nothing left in that old trailer to do, it still just felt wrong to leave it. There was no real rationale behind the feeling, and yet it was there, flashing like a neon light in her head.
“Yeah. I’m ready when you are.” She eased toward the door and put her hand on the light switch, giving the room one last glance before casting it back into darkness.
Bye, Mama.
Chapter Two
Stormy opened the French doors that led to the tiny balcony of their new apartment and stared in awe. “Wow, look at this view, Trudy! It’s so pretty.” Through the scattering of pecan trees and live oaks there was a view of the crystal clear river that ran through town. “We’re going to have to do that. It looks like so much fun.”
Trudy sauntered over to the balcony and whistled. “Mmmm Hmmm. Nice view indeed. We definitely picked the right place,” she said as she appraised the gaggle of half naked men that floated by on inner tubes.
“Trudy!” Stormy gave her a playful slap on the arm and giggled as she rested her elbows on the railing. It did look like fun…floating down the lazy river, soaking up the summer sun without a care in the world.
Not that Stormy would know. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been that happy-go-lucky. Maybe never.
As if reading her mind, Trudy said, “That’ll be you pretty soon. Down there floating along with all your college friends.” She gave Stormy a small, hopeful smile before turning her gaze toward the river. Something lingered in her empty stare. It took Stormy a minute to put her finger on it, it was so unexpected and out of place.
Sadness?
“Everything okay, Trudy?” Stormy rubbed Trudy’s shoulder soothingly, the way Trudy had done for her more times than she could remember.
Trudy placed a hand on top of Stormy’s. “I’m fine, sweetie. Just tired.”
That was reasonable. They’d been lugging things back and forth from the truck all morning, making Stormy wish they had gotten an apartment on the first floor instead of the second. Stormy felt sorry for the poor saps on the fourth.
“Why don’t you sit and I’ll make a couple glasses of sweet tea.” Stormy went to the refrigerator and pulled out the floral pitcher. She had to contain a giggle when she put her glass under the automatic ice dispenser on the fridge. For her it was a novelty, a far cry from the old plastic ice trays that she was used to wrestling with, and she was happy Trudy had brought her own appliances along.
She filled the glasses and set them on the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen from the tiny living room. “Oh shoot!” she said when she looked at the plastic cat-shaped clock on the wall, “I’m going to be late to orientation.”
“That’s today?” Trudy looked alarmed. “My goodness, girl. We just barely got here. Aren’t you exhausted?”
Stormy had passed exhaustion several hours ago, but the campus tour was something she’d been looking forward to for the past two weeks. She needed it. Needed to cement the fact that college was real, that there was a future out there for her.
Before she could answer her, Trudy’s phone started vibrating across the counter. Stormy didn’t miss the way Trudy’s eyes widened when she looked at the screen. “Sorry, sweetheart. I’ve got to take this.” She hopped up from her stool and rushed out to the balcony, closing the French doors behind her. She’d been acting strangely over the past few days. Several hushed phone conversations and frequent outings with no explanation…. Stormy suspected she was seeing someone, but for whatever reason Trudy didn’t want her to know about it.
Stormy brushed the incident aside and scuttled into the bathroom for a shower. Twenty minutes later, she popped back into the kitchen to fetch a water bottle out of the fridge, knowing she’d be needing it while gallivanting across the Texas State campus in the sweltering heat.
Trudy had resumed her spot on the bar stool in the kitchen, apparently finished with her secret phone call. “Is that what you’re wearing?” She made a face and wrinkled her nose as if Stormy was stinking up the place.
“What’s wrong with my outfit? The brochure said to dress comfortably. It’s a hundred degrees outside.” She looked down at her white denim shorts and plain, blue tank top. She thought she looked alright.
Trudy ran her fingers down the length of Stormy’s ponytail. “Want some help with your hair and makeup? There’s bound to be some cute guys roaming around. You never know,” Trudy said with a wink.
The last thing Stormy wanted to think about was men. It was her time to shine and she didn’t want anything interfering with that. “No, Trudy. I don’t have time. Thanks though. It’s too hot for all of that anyway. My makeup would just melt off.”
Trudy let out a frustrated sigh of defeat, “Alright then.”
****
It had been a long day and she was hot and tired. The experience had been worth it though. Texas State was like a city within a city and there was so much to do and see. She couldn’t help but be impressed by it.
The campus store was her last stop on the tour. She’d made a special point of stopping in to buy a couple of tee-shirts bearing the school logo, further reinforcing that the whole thing was real. For whatever reason, she was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around actually going to college. Higher education had been like a pipe dream, something she could see in her mind but was too far away to touch. Something set aside for rich kids with functional families…not people like her.
The place reminded her of a department store with racks and racks of clothing and shelves of miscellaneous odds and ends baring the Texas State emblem. A maroon baseball cap with the school mascot
embroidered on it caught her eye. She put in on and pulled her pony-tail through the back while she sought out a mirror.
“You should buy it. It suits you,” said a voice from behind her. Stormy’s heart lurched in her chest at the familiar baritone. When she spun around, her eyes widened and she broke into a huge grin.
To be continued….
Weathering Stormy Page 25
