Plausibility

by Jettie Woodruff

“Happy?” Liz said, turning to Manny.

  “Me? I didn’t start that, you did.”

  “Manny, let’s stop this. Our daughter is coming home today,” she reminded him as it sank in again. “Do you want coffee?”

  “Yes, but I’m going to go drive Reese to school first. I’m sorry, no fighting for the next few days, deal?”

  “Days? Are you staying here tonight?”

  “I was planning on it. I took three days off. Cody can handle things. Is that okay with you?”

  “Um, yeah, it’s fine. Go take Reese to school.”

  Shit, this was just great, like she didn’t have enough to deal with, without throwing Manny on the pile.

  <>

  Conner nodded to Emmanuel as he walked past his car and into the school.

  “Who is that guy, Reese?” he asked, pulling to the walkway.

  “Mr. Sheffield. He’s my math teacher, and yes, mom is doing him.”

  “Oh, that’s just great. I’m glad you have such a great role model in your life. Maybe we should enter her in like some sort of mother of the year contest or something,” Emmanuel angrily spoke about his ex-wife and Reese’s mother.

  “I’ve got to go, I’ll see you later.” Why did she have to say that? Now he was going to go right back to the house and start all over. Her parents were exasperating. Thank God he lived almost two hours away.

  <>

  “I hope you showered before you dressed. My daughter just told me that you were doing her teacher. Really Liz? Do you think maybe you could abstain from bringing guys home when my daughter is here?” Of course they were going to do this. Why would she expect anything less? It wasn’t like they were about to see their daughter for the first time in 14 years. This made more sense.

  Let’s fight about things that are none of your business. “Maybe if you had YOUR daughter every other weekend like you are suppose to, you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

  “Some of us actually have to work a real job,” he disputed.

  Great, of all times for the flood gate to be lifted, it had to be now, with him.

  “Jesus, Liz. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

  Liz wiped the uninvited tears with the back or her hand and shoved his hands away from, trying to caress her arms. “Don’t flatter yourself. You didn’t make me cry. You don’t hold that power over me anymore. My daughter is coming home. I am scared to death of who she is. I am scared to death that she’s not going to be able to handle everything that has gone on in her life. I don’t know her. Oh God, Why?! Why did this happen?” she wailed and then sucked in unavailable air.

  Emmanuel made her sit down and take slow breaths. He poured them both a cup of coffee while she tried to calm her asthma, it wasn’t working.

  “I need my inhaler,” she requested, holding her heavy chest.

  “Where is it?”

  “On my night stand.”

  Emmanuel took the stairs two at a time and grabbed the nebulizer, right next to the empty condom wrapper. It was all he could do to keep his mouth shut.

  Liz breathed in her medicine, immediately feeling relief.

  “Can you still get pregnant?” he asked.

  “What?” Now what the hell?

  “I was just wondering why you were using condoms. I figured you would have taken care of that by now.”

  Liz rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee. It was no wonder she divorced this man. “I’m not talking to you about my sex life. We’re supposed to be discussing Shelby. Why do you give a shit whether or not I can get pregnant?”

  “I’m just curious, can you?”

  “Oh my God, Manny, yes, yes, I can still get pregnant.”

  “Don’t you think you’re a little old to be taking that chance?”

  Liz dropped her head as it shook back and forth. Her head hurt; he made her head hurt. He needed to get out of her house before she stabbed him in his throat… 20 times.

  “Okay, okay, I’m sorry. Let’s talk about Shelby,” he offered. He knew Liz pretty well. He knew when he was about to get bitch slapped. “Tell me what you know.”

  Liz told him everything that she knew, which wasn’t enough. She explained about the agent staying at her house, the therapy that they wanted her in, the fact that she didn’t want to be called Shelby, how she loved the man that she was raised to believe was her dad, and about what a sheltered life she had lived. They actually talked over three cups of coffee without raising their voices, not once.

  <>

  Liz was beside herself. Emmanuel had to make a drugstore run for another inhaler. He was starting to worry about her. He had never seen her asthma act up this much. She usually had it under control.

  Liz called her parents, breaking the news. They wanted to come, but she denied them their request. Before she started tossing family members her way, she needed some time with her first and get a feel for what she was up against. Having an agent stay with her, was frustrating enough already. How was she supposed to get to know her daughter with her there?

  “Jesus, Liz, sit down, you’re wearing a path in the carpet,” Emmanuel warned.

  “I can’t Manny, how can you be so calm? I am jumping out of my skin here,” she described, looking out the window for 100th time. She wasn’t sure why. Shelby wasn’t scheduled to arrive for another hour.

  “It’s going to be fine, Liz. Everything will work out, I promise. Now sit down.”

  “Um….Manny?” Liz said, looking out the window again. Shit. Who called the press? Everything wasn’t going to be okay. She didn’t want them there.

  Manny got up to see the white van with WKTV printed on the side. It only took a minute for the crew to be out of the van and starting on the news story right away. They had nerve, Liz couldn’t believe their audacity. The female reporter walked right to the door and rang the doorbell.

  “You need to leave!” Emmanuel demanded, opening the door. He didn’t want them there either. It brought back too many memories. The press drove them crazy 14 years ago when Shelby had been taken. Liz actually stopped living; she wouldn’t go out of their town house, she lost her job, and he had to hire someone to take care of Reese. She wouldn’t even do that. That’s when the fighting began. That’s when their little family had been torn apart all because some savaged demon took their baby girl.

  “Mr. Rimmer, how emotional is this for your family?” the reporter asked the stupid, ridiculous question, ignoring his request as she held the microphone out for a reply.

  “Just close the door, Manny,” Liz commanded. This was absurd, were they really going to have to deal with the media? How did they find out so quickly? They had just found out themselves.

  <><><>

  “Seri, I’m going to be sick,” Aquilla warned ten minutes into their forty-five minute drive.

  Seri pulled off the side of the road and Aquilla heaved her shrimp over the guardrail.

  “Please, let’s get a hotel room tonight, I’m not ready for this,” Aquilla begged. She didn’t want to be in Nowhere, Connecticut. She wanted to be home, in her own bed, with Julius and her father. She couldn’t do it, she couldn’t.

  “Come on, Quill, we’re doing this. I’m going to be right there with you,” Seri assured her, trying to coax her away from the grip she had on the guardrail.

  Aquilla looked up, she could jump the guardrail and run. She could go somewhere, anywhere. Wait. Her money was in the car. FUCK. She didn’t want this family. She had a family. The Feds took them from her.

  “Don’t even think about it, get in the car, Quill,” Seri warned, sensing her sudden plan to run.

  Aquilla stared out the window as they drove. This was definitely a different planet. The road that they traveled was mostly country with fields, livestock, and trees. The houses and farms were spread out unlike the close proximity of the buildings she was used to, of course she did live on a small island. There was no room for remoteness between houses and buildings. Their house was one of the few elaborates with that
luxury.

  Seri tried to talk to her about different things that they passed. Aquilla wasn’t interested. She just wanted to curl up and die. With her heart beating a million miles a minute and the anxiety of the unknown, it was almost bad enough to send her into a full blown panic attack.

  She swore that Seri lied. There was no way they had been driving for 45 minutes. It seemed more like five. What was she supposed to do? Were they going to cry? Would they hug her? Maybe they would decide that they didn’t want her and she could just stay with Seri until Julius found her.

  “You okay?” Seri asked, as they turned down Sky-Ranch road.

  “No, I don’t want to go here. You’re making me,” Aquilla replied not looking at her. She was staring at the neighborhood. The houses on this road were a lot closer, with yards, swing sets and porch swings. There were dirt roads branching off the county road. She wondered where they would take her.

  “Fuck!” Seri yelled, coming to a complete stop. Who the fuck called the press?

  Aquilla looked up to see the television crews, reporters, and cameras lining the house that she assumed would be hers. Seri took the next dirt road and called Liz.

  “Hello,” Liz answered. Something was wrong. She wasn’t coming. Something happened. She just knew it.

  “Liz, we’re here. Do you have a garage that I can get her in?”

  Liz breathed a sigh of relief, calming the threatening asthma attack. “Yes, give me a minute to move my car out, it’s only big enough for one car. She can come in through the kitchen,” she explained.

  Seri eased her way back toward the house. “You can put your head down if you want, Quill,” she offered.

  Aquilla didn’t want to. She couldn’t believe all the people. Her new neighbors were all outside waiting to see the kidnapped girl. FUCK. She hated this.

  The cameras were going crazy as Aquilla stared with deer in headlight eyes at the flashing lights. Her chest suddenly felt heavy as Seri pulled into the garage. A middle aged man quickly hit the garage door button, closing the door behind the black government vehicle. Aquilla wondered if he was her real father, assuming that he was, she looked to the women. She knew without a doubt that was her mother. She had the same long blonde hair and dainty features, just like Aquilla’s.

  Seri squeezed Aquilla’s wrist with a reassuring embrace. It broke her heart when Aquilla looked over to her with the most frightened expression she had ever seen. Fuck, what the hell? She didn’t get emotional, she didn’t have those kinds of feelings. She didn’t get involved with sentiments. She wasn’t weird in that way. She had her reasons and damn good ones. What the hell was wrong with her?

  Aquilla noticed the blonde woman…her mother…holding her chest with one hand as the other one covered her mouth.

  “Seri?” she nervously spoke.

  “Just get out of the car and get it over with, Quill. Once you get past the initial reuniting, it will be better,” Seri tried. What was she supposed to say? Monica should be the one there dealing with this shit, not her. She wasn’t a therapist.

  Aquilla felt sick again. Her knees wobbled and she was suddenly hot and clammy. She was sure she was going to pass right the fuck out. She hated Julius at that moment, not believing that he was allowing this to happen to her. Where the fuck was Julius?

  Liz tried, she tried so hard. She had told herself all morning that she wasn’t going to attack her. She was going to give her space and not suffocate her with her arms. It was hopeless, as soon as Aquilla was out of the car, she had her arms around her, crying and sobbing uncontrollably. She couldn’t even speak. Was she breathing? She didn’t hear any wheezing.

  Aquilla stood immobile, feeling very awkward, while this woman sobbed into her hair. Her arms dangled to her sides and her eyes looked over her mother’s shoulder at her father and sister. Her sister had the same blonde hair, who also looked like she was a bit nervous and extremely uncomfortable. Of course she was, she was gaining a sister that she never knew. She was probably a spoiled only child, and Aquilla was ruining everything. She was probably going to hate her. Who cares? She was getting the hell out of there as soon as she could anyway. She didn’t need a family. She had a family. She had Julius. Stupid fucking Julius. She hated him.

  “Aquilla?” Seri said, interrupting the rant going on in her mind.

  Aquilla hadn’t even realized that her mother had let her go.

  “Uh?” Aquilla said, turning to Seri.

  Her father hugged her next. Fuck, get the fuck off of me. “I can’t believe you’re home,” he said in her hair. “We’ve missed you so much. There hasn’t been one single day that I haven’t thought about you.” How nice, wish I could say the same. Aquilla noticed her mother shake the little device and breathe it deep into her lungs. Was she sick?

  “Come on, I have lunch ready, I’m Liz,” she spoke to Seri with her hand out.

  Seri firmly shook her hand. “Sarah,” she offered.

  “I’ll get your things,” Emmanuel offered.

  Seri turned around and hit the trunk button. Emmanuel lifted the blue duffle bag and then Seri’s small bag. She didn’t have much with her, hoping that Monica would swing by her apartment and bring her some clothes, otherwise she was going to have to do some shopping. How long was she going to be there? Aquilla needed to get onboard and fall in love with her family, QUICKLY.

  “Would you like to see your room before dinner, Shelby?” Liz asked.

  Seri instantly shot Aquilla a look, telling her to keep it cool.

  “Yes, please, but if you don’t mind, could you please just call me Quill?” she asked. Only two people called her Quill, her father and Julius, well three now, since hardheaded Seri insisted as well. She figured her parents could better cope with Quill rather than Aquilla. What did she call them? She wasn’t calling them mother and father. No way, she wouldn’t do it.

  Liz only smiled at her. She didn’t want to call her a name that a man who ripped her from their lives named her. For now she would do it, she would try anyhow. However, she was sure if she just showed her how much she was loved, she would love her name in no time at all. “We’ll go shopping for a new bed once Sarah leaves,” Liz assured her as she opened the door to Aquilla’s new bedroom. “Your grandparents sleep in here when they visit. We’ll just move the twin beds to the downstairs bedroom.”

  Aquilla only smiled. Her king size bed would never fit in that room. “May I please use the restroom?” she asked.

  Liz smiled and hugged her. “It’s right across the hall.”

  Are you fucking serious? She was sharing a bathroom with her sister. Who lived like that? She needed her own bathroom, right inside of her own living quarters. What the hell? The sink barely had any counter space at all, and her sister….um. Shit, what was her name again? Who gives a fuck? She had the whole counter full of her makeup, perfumes, hair straighteners, and a full basket of hair ties.

  Aquilla splashed cool water on her face and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She didn’t look like Shelby. She looked like a sad Aquilla that wanted to go home. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.

  “Quill?” Seri called with two quiet knocks to the door.

  Aquilla took a deep breath and opened the door. Everyone was gone except Seri good.

  “I fucking hate this, Seri, I don’t belong here,” she said in a loud whisper.

  “Quill, you haven’t even given it a chance yet. Maybe you could open your mouth and talk to them.”

  “About what? I don’t fucking know them!”

  “Shhh, stop using that language. I’m sure it’s not as acceptable here like it was in the Chavez home.”

  “Actually, my father would have grounded me for talking like that. You don’t know shit about the Chavez home.”

  “Quill, Stop it, you don’t need to be difficult. You’re only making a bad situation worse, for you and your family. Will you try?”

  Aquilla only snorted and moved past her into her new, teeny tiny bedroom. She opened a cou
ple of the empty dresser drawers, but didn’t open her bag to deposit them. She would live out of her duffle bag. She wouldn’t be staying that long.

  “Come on, your mother has lunch ready.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  “Aquilla, get your obstinate ass down those stairs and let’s sit down and eat with your family. Don’t do this, don’t make it harder than it has to be.”

  “Yeah, and maybe you should go fuck yourself. Let me take you to some family you’ve never met and drop you off and then you can tell me how not to make it harder than it has to be. Okay, Seri?”

  “What do you want me to do, Quill?”

  “Get me the fuck out of here until I can find Julius.”

  “That’s not going to happen.”

  “Of course it’s not. Come on, Mommy, Daddy and Sissy are waiting for us,” Aquilla smartly remarked.

  Liz and Manny stopped talking when they saw Aquilla and Seri enter the dining room. Seri sat across from Aquilla as they both looked at the food and then back to each other. Great, Sloppy Joes, red meat, yuck.

  “Reese, pass the buns to your sister,” Liz requested. Really? She was going to do that?

  “Um…That’s okay. I’ll just have some macaroni and cheese and lima beans. I don’t really eat meat that much,” Quill replied. She noticed the eye roll from Reese. Fuck her. Quill didn’t want to be there anymore than Reese wanted her to be there.

  “I don’t really eat red meat either, thank you,” Seri said, smiling at Reese, declining the bun, as well.

  Lunch was quiet, not to mention awkward. Aquilla ate her food and glanced around the table at her very white family. She didn’t think she was so white anymore. Her beach tanned skin was nothing compared to her families. She wondered if she would lose it and be as white as them since she wouldn’t be living by the pool and the beach. Did they have a pool? She doubted that they did.

  “Do you have a pool?” she asked. Fuck, she didn’t mean for that to be out loud. She was only thinking it.

  “We don’t have one here, but your dad has one at the house in New York,” Liz explained, glad she was talking.

  He’s not my dad.