Home with My Sisters

by Mary Carter

  Faith looked worried. “What if she takes it the wrong way?”

  “How could she take an extravagant Christmas present the wrong way?”

  “She could think we’re saying that we don’t believe she could make a go of a real shop.”

  “Last she spoke about it she was into the truck idea. She wanted to stick around here.”

  “It is true that a truck fits her personality better. If she gets tired of Leavenworth, all she has to do is drive away.”

  Faith and Hope laughed. “I’m kind of jealous.”

  “How so?”

  “She’s young. Starting a new business with her handsome boyfriend. Hitting the open road. Drinking coffee. Sounds like the smartest of all of us, doesn’t it?”

  “We’d need to buy her a sign.”

  Faith gestured to the book. “We know what they want to call it.”

  “True. And she could always change it, but wouldn’t it just be complete with a sign?”

  “And a wreath. And a giant red bow.”

  “Oh God. We have to get it.”

  “Let’s take a few pictures, talk to the owner, and then approach Granny. See if she’s willing to finance it.”

  “I’m so excited,” Hope said. Giving was better than receiving. Their father had taught them that.

  “Me too,” Faith said. She reached over and squeezed Hope’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For forcing us to be together. We needed this.”

  “We should do this every year.”

  “Don’t push it.”

  “How are you doing? Have you heard from Charlie?”

  Tears came into Faith’s eyes as she shook her head. “I told her we needed to take a break from each other until after the holidays. Now my heart is aching. I can’t imagine not talking to her on Christmas.”

  “Have you tried calling her?”

  Faith shook her head. “I’m the one who drew the line in the sand. It’s too cruel to go back and forth.”

  “I’m sure a call on Christmas won’t hurt. And a little text wouldn’t hurt now.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “If I learned anything, it’s that we have to hold on to the people we love.”

  “No matter how flawed,” Faith said, grabbing Hope with a grin.

  “Just for that I’m ordering a cheeseburger for lunch,” Hope said.

  “You know what?” Faith said. “We should all order a cheeseburger.”

  Hope grinned. Faith was finally feeling the Christmas spirit. Here comes Santa Claus.

  * * *

  “Where were you two?” Joy asked the minute they stepped into the restaurant.

  “An elf’s job is never done,” Faith said. “Have we ordered yet?”

  “We were waiting for you,” Josh said.

  “I’m getting a cheeseburger and fries,” Faith said, squeezing in between Brittany and Josh. “What about you two?”

  “Yay!” Brittany said. “Yes!”

  Josh nodded. A smile escaped his lips before he could catch it.

  “What’s happening here?” Joy said.

  “Baby,” Harrison said, looping his arm over her shoulders. “Can I get a cheeseburger and fries too?”

  “I’m going to have to sit at another table,” Joy said.

  “We can live with that,” Faith said with a wink. “And after lunch, I’m going for a five-mile hike in the woods if anyone wants to join me.”

  “Why don’t you just walk back to the house from here?” Joy said.

  “Ha-ha,” Faith said. “We should all go.”

  “What about me?” Brittany said.

  “I’ll pull the sled myself,” Faith said.

  “But I won’t be able to burn off the calories,” Brittany said.

  “You’ll catch up when you’re all better,” Faith said. “I’m sorry I’ve been so consumed with that.”

  Josh grinned and stuck his index finger up. “Cheeseburger and fries all around!” he shouted. It was the happiest Hope had ever heard him.

  “What’s with the waitress in this joint?” Stephen said. They all laughed. “What?” he said. They laughed harder.

  “She’s horrible,” Yvette said with a shake of the head. “She’s just horrible.”

  * * *

  “Brain injuries are a mysterious thing,” Dr. Kaplan said. “No two are like. We can’t even be sure that your father is aware he even has a brain injury.” They learned that there were two types of TBI, mild and severe, and that their father had suffered the latter. Symptoms could include limited function of arms and legs, abnormal speech or language, loss of thinking ability, and emotional problems.

  “His arms and legs are good,” Joy said.

  “Could he improve?” Faith said.

  “Recovery is variable,” Dr. Kaplan said. “He could. Or he might backslide. I’m afraid we simply don’t know.” He set his clipboard down and adjusted his glasses. “I’m going to be honest. You should be celebrating his condition. I saw him when he first came in. We never thought he’d make it out of the coma. The fact that he’s as high-functioning as he is is a gift.”

  “What about more treatment?” Hope asked.

  “Your grandmother had him in treatment for years. He reached a certain point and stopped coming. But that in itself was a good sign. The ability to make decisions for oneself.”

  “I’m his wife,” Carla said. “But he hasn’t seen me in twenty-four years. Will I be inflicting more damage on him if he interacts with me?”

  “Does he seem to recognize you?” the doctor said.

  “He’s been avoiding her,” Hope said.

  “We think that means he does recognize her but he’s embarrassed,” Faith said.

  “Or,” the doctor said, “he’s just not comfortable around a new person.”

  “He recognizes us,” Hope said. “On some level anyway.”

  “He may feel a bond with you without knowing why,” the doctor said.

  “But you don’t think we run the risk of traumatizing him further?” Faith asked.

  “Not if you let him take things at his own pace. I wouldn’t force anything on him. If he’s avoiding you, that’s his choice, isn’t it?”

  Tears came to Carla’s eyes, but she nodded. “It is. I won’t stand in his way. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

  “Mother,” Faith said. “You will not.”

  “It’s beyond painful. I want to look him in the eyes again. I want to hug him. I don’t care about his injuries. He’s my Thomas. I just want to hold my Thomas.” She started to sob. The doctor glanced at Hope and motioned her to the corner of the room.

  “She may need to see someone,” he said. “Get something to keep her calm. The more calming and loving influences around Thomas, the better.”

  Hope thought of all the fighting they’d been doing around him. “Got it,” she said. Give their mother a tranquilizer. Nothing new there.

  “Come on, Mom,” Hope said, linking arms with Carla. “We know a great dive bar just around the corner.”

  CHAPTER 38

  The entire gang gathered downtown for Leavenworth’s Christmas lighting ceremony. The streets pulsed with people. Brittany grabbed Hope’s hand as the crowd was instructed to sing “O Christmas Tree.” As soon as they reached the end, the tree in the center of town lit up like a giant firecracker. The crowd cheered. “Let’s all count down from ten for the lighting of the shops,” the announcer called over an intercom. “Ten, nine, eight . . .” Voices chanted in unison. “Three, two, one!” Up and down the street, the chalet shops flipped on their lights, setting the strip ablaze. This time the cheer was raucous. Last, but not least, the trees on the perimeter came to life, white lights twinkling like stars. The crowd began to follow along with the next song, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” Voices swelled up and out into the night air.

  Hope marveled at the spectacle. Kids were sledding, costumed Santas led lantern parades, and everywhere people were embracing the old-
world Christmas traditions. “Light and love to you all,” the announcer called. “To your homes wherever they may be, from ours.” The Gingerbread Factory had all their gingerbread houses on display, from mini-cabins to gingerbread mansions, and every shop had their doors thrown open for guests to wander in.

  “Has Dad ever come down here?” Joy asked, turning to Yvette.

  “Not since his accident,” Yvette said. They’d invited him, which meant talking to him through the closed door of his cabin, but he hadn’t come out. Hope hated to admit it, but their mother’s arrival had set him back.

  “Do you think crowds at our place will bother him?” Hope asked.

  “He stays in the background for sure,” Yvette said. “But it never seemed to cause him great distress. Then again, he hadn’t shown much interest in anything until you girls showed up.”

  “Interest in them, but not in me,” Carla said.

  “You said it,” Yvette said.

  “I should leave then,” Carla said.

  “Mom,” Faith said. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  “It’s almost Christmas, Grandma Carla,” Brittany said. “You have to stay.”

  “He’ll come around,” Faith said.

  “He’s still stubborn,” Carla said. “I should sit in front of his door until he opens it.”

  “Let’s just enjoy the evening,” Hope said. “Who wants some hot cocoa?” Everyone, it turned out, and soon they were strolling by the shops taking in the lights and the carols, and the characters, hot cocoa in hand. “It’s magical,” Hope whispered to Austin.

  He gazed at her and grinned. “It is this year,” he said. He leaned over and kissed her cheek.

  “Get a room,” Joy said.

  “Good one,” Harrison said. “Why don’t we do the same?”

  * * *

  There were only six days until Christmas and the Garland Girls had finally settled into their sweet spot, making breakfast together in the mornings, putting finishing touches on the grounds in the afternoon, and playing Scrabble with Yvette in the evenings along with hot cocoa, and popcorn, and Christmas specials on the television. At night they would light up the grounds and play Christmas carols through the loudspeakers, and delight in the sights and sounds. Roger still wasn’t coming out of his cabin, and Yvette was now the only one who could bring him his meals.

  Every day Mr. Jingles would come out and join the rest of them, but in the evening he was always back at the cabin door waiting to be let in. It was bittersweet for Hope; she was so grateful their dad was bonding with Mr. Jingles, but sad he was shutting the rest of them out. Yvette seemed to be getting weaker, although she was still as feisty as ever, which Hope took to be a promising sign. Austin said she was now refusing to go to her doctor’s appointments, which in a way made complete sense to Hope. If she was terminal she wouldn’t want to waste time at the doctor’s either. They needed to get Roger engaged with them again, that would lift Yvette’s spirits. Family was so connected, Hope realized. When one was hurting, they all hurt. Likewise sometimes all it took was one genuine smile from Brittany to lift the entire group. Tomorrow would be day one of the public festivities on their grounds and as they erupted in a flurry of activity, the excitement became palpable.

  The lights and decorations were ready, the skates were dusted off and organized by size, there was plenty of firewood for the fire pit, and the menu of hot chocolate, chestnuts, popcorn, and S’mores were also stockpiled and waiting. And although admission would be free, they would be taking gift donations for children in need, as well as donations for the local animal shelter and suicide prevention.

  “Suicide prevention?” Stephen asked.

  “Austin works for a suicide prevention center,” Hope said.

  “I see.” Stephen glanced at Faith, who made a point of not making eye contact. She hadn’t told him about Josh’s call to Austin. Maybe there had been too much going on to mention it, or maybe Josh’s earlier cries for help was a point of contention between them. Hope made a mental note to ask Faith about it later.

  * * *

  The grounds were set to open in thirty minutes and there was already a line of people waiting to get in. The lights were on, the music was playing, and the skates were ready. Hope kept expecting Roger to come out of his cabin at any minute. Was he really going to miss this? Were they doing the right thing, letting him withdraw like this? Would it be better if they confronted him, or should they ask Carla to leave? Now that their mother was here, Hope wanted her to stay. She wanted all of her family, no matter how flawed, to be together for Christmas. Especially their father. He was the one who was supposed to love the holiday more than any of them.

  Austin came up, his eyes bright. “Do you think we should let them in early?” he said, glancing at the line of people just beyond the gate.

  “Let’s do it,” Hope said. “We’re ready.”

  “Great. I’ll tell the others.” Hope hurried to the fire pit; her first assignment was to make the S’mores and roast the chestnuts. They’d all assigned themselves roles, and they would switch out every hour. She grabbed a few sticks and marshmallows and smiled as she held them over the roaring fire. Even Yvette seemed to be getting into the spirit of things; she was manning the donation booth. Brittany and Josh were passing out the ice skates, Harrison was overseeing all the lights and making sure they stayed on, and Stephen had somehow been talked into wearing a Santa suit. Even Mr. Jingles was sporting his antlers and trotting around sniffing all the guests. Big dogs were a lot less scary when they were adorned in Christmas gear.

  Faith and Joy were supposed to be helping Hope, but so far Joy seemed to be eating more chocolate than she was melting, and Faith was sneaking sips out of a thermos that Hope suspected was spiked. She’d seemed on edge ever since Stephen had asked her why they were giving donations to a suicide prevention organization. Even though Josh had certainly seemed to pull himself out of his dark pit, Hope could tell that Faith and Stephen were still traumatized from the earlier incidents. Faith was probably debating whether or not to tell Stephen what had gone down here. Oh, life was so complicated. Beautiful, but complicated. Soon Hope was too busy handing sticky S’mores to outstretched hands to worry about anything else. The sound of children’s laughter and conversation filled the air along with the swoosh of skates and music over the loudspeaker.

  “Rupert would have loved this,” Yvette said an hour later when Hope went to man the donation table.

  “I was hoping Roger would come out,” Hope said.

  “He’s been watching from the barn,” Yvette whispered. “Don’t look.” It was so hard not to turn her head, but Hope was obedient. Watching from the barn was progress.

  “Where’s Carla?” Hope said.

  “I thought she was with you,” Yvette said.

  “No, Faith and Joy were with me.”

  “Oh no,” Yvette said. In unison, they began scanning the grounds for a pink trench coat. It wasn’t long before they spotted her, trotting toward the barn.

  “I knew it,” Yvette said. She headed for the barn herself, Hope trotting after her. “Look after the booth,” Yvette called over her shoulder.

  “Maybe we should just let her approach him,” Hope said.

  “It’s obvious he doesn’t want to see her,” Yvette said.

  “We can’t control people,” Hope said. “I think I’m finally learning that.” Carla was at the barn door. Roger was on the other side of it. They stared at each other. Slowly, the barn doors started to close. Carla tried to take a step forward, but Roger was able to shut the doors before she made it inside. Even from ten feet away they could hear the sound of it being latched shut. Carla started to pound on the doors.

  “I think we’re going to need more whiskey,” Hope said.

  * * *

  That evening the Garland Girls sat in the living room trying to console Carla. It was just after midnight when the last of the guests had left the grounds. The kids were in bed, exhausted, Stephen had gone ba
ck to his room downtown, Austin was back in his cabin, and Yvette and Harrison had gone to their rooms to give them some privacy. Carla had been crying nonstop since Roger had shut the barn door in her face.

  “He’s not my Thomas,” she was saying over and over. “I thought I was going to have my Thomas back.”

  “We tried to tell you, Mom,” Faith said gently.

  “I thought it would change when he saw me. I thought our love would make it change.”

  “Traumatic brain injury made it change,” Hope said. “We can’t undo that.”

  “I have to leave,” Carla said. “This is too painful.”

  “He still needs us,” Hope said. “Maybe more than ever.”

  “He needs you,” Carla said. “It’s obvious he wants me gone.”

  “We just need to give him space,” Joy said.

  “Why is Stephen staying at a hotel?” Carla said, eyeing Faith.

  “Because we’re getting a divorce,” Faith said simply.

  “Didn’t I tell you?” Carla said to Hope.

  “You have no idea,” Joy said gleefully. Faith shot her a look.

  “Tell me,” Carla said.

  “I’m in love with someone else,” Faith said. “I’m in love with another woman.”

  Carla laughed. The girls all stared at her until she stopped. Then she gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. “That’s not funny,” she said.

  “That’s why we’re waiting for you to stop laughing,” Faith said.

  “You’re not a lesbian,” Carla said. “You’re just athletic.”

  Joy laughed. “I’m going to put that on a T-shirt.”

  “Stop this right now,” Carla said. “You are not a lesbian.”

  “I don’t care what you call me,” Faith said. “I’m probably bisexual.”

  Joy turned to Hope and flashed a grin. “Told you!”

  Hope reached over and grabbed Joy’s ankle. “You’re psychic,” she said. “What a waste buying you that crystal ball for Christmas.” Joy kicked her.

  “Well, where is this woman?” Carla said.

  “She was here, but then Stephen showed up,” Faith said. “We agreed it was best to wait until after the holidays to see each other.”