Falling Home Ch. 04

The next morning I woke up to my mother knocking on my door. She stuck her head in as I pulled the covers off, "Hey sunshine, I just wanted to let you know that I'm headed into town, then to the club and won't be back till later; lunch with the girls and all that. Your car is in the drive and your dad got it all ready to go. So, stop by the shop and thank him. Ok hun? Bye bye."

Like that, she was gone. The clock read 9:46 a.m. I knew I wasn't going back to sleep. I threw back the covers and my cell phone flew out of my bed and bounced across the floor.

Right, Natalie sent me a text.

I put the phone on my dresser and went in search of coffee. The pot was empty and the stuff in the cabinet didn't entice me. I made a quick decision to go to the local coffee shop and load up on caffeine before attempting my Christmas shopping.

Twenty minutes later, I grabbed my laptop and was out the door. My little Honda Civic was sitting in the drive looking just as good as it did when I left it in September. Dad kept it in good condition and grandmother Strum had been driving it back and forth to church and to get her hair done each week.

The car smelled slightly of stale old lady; I didn't mind. I backed out of the drive and headed to The Playwrite Café. It's a small café that hosts open mike nights on the weekends and stays open late to accommodate the crowd of small-city college students and artsy types. I loved this place when I was in high school. The coffee was strong and the sofas were comfy.

I ordered my usual large coffee and plugged in my laptop. I booted up and checked my email. I thought I might as well send Natalie a short message. I wrote:

Dear Natalie,

Life back home is hectic, but at least it's dry and warm. I miss you, but consider yourself lucky that you didn't have to do the "welcome home barbecue" with my family; my WHOLE family. They can be a bit overwhelming. I hope you're having a great time in foggy London town, and that this email finds you well.

Much love,

Adi

P.S. I thought about it on the flight; the red in your vase is pain and suffering, isn't it?

I read over the email a couple of times, debating whether to send it. My cell phone rang; it was mom. "Adi, I just wondered if you've left to go see your dad yet?"

"I'm about to go now. I just dropped by the Playwrite for some coffee."

"Well, I just wanted you to see if we needed any chicken for dinner tonight and if so, tell your father to bring home some. Your sister and her family should be here tomorrow. Aren't you excited?"

I wasn't, but I didn't tell her that. Instead I agreed with her and hit "send" on the email.

"Crap," I said into the phone once I realized I had sent off the email to Natalie.

"What? What happened? Adi, what have I told you about talking and driving?"

"I'm not driving mom, I'm at the coffee shop remember? I just spilt a little coffee on me, I'm fine. I'll go see dad right now."

Once I got off the phone, I turned off the computer and put a lid on my coffee. I left the computer in my car and decided to walk the few blocks to my dad's butcher shop on Main Street.

For the end of December, it was a warm 70 degrees and the sun was shining. I strolled into the shop and heard dad yell from the back, "Be with you in a minute."

I didn't say anything. Instead I walked behind the counter, much to the amusement of the other customers in the shop. I had my back to dad when he came out of the chiller. He said, "I don't think you need to be back here."

"Really?" I interrupted him and turned around, "I would have loved for you to have told me that back when I was working here." Dad smiled and said, "Hey Adi, I didn't expect to see you back in the swing of things so soon; what's new?"

"Not much. I would hug you but you're kinda covered in blood."

He held up a chunk of steak in one hand and shrugged. "Fine, don't hug your old man."

"You know I love you."

"And I love you too, even if you don't want to get bloody." I looked at him.

"I wanted to come by and say thank you for having my car all fixed up and ready to go for me."

He handed the steak over to a customer and took her money. He glanced out the window, "I don't see your car out there."

"I was over at the coffee shop and decided it was too pretty a day not to walk."

"I see."

My cell phone rang. It was Kim, she wanted to meet and go shopping in the afternoon. I agreed to meet her for a light lunch at the local deli in a few hours. It was right down the street. The door to the shop opened and three more customers piled in calling greetings to dad and looking at me like they'd seen a ghost.

"Yes, she's back, but for a limited time only," my dad joked, "until I can convince her otherwise."

"Yup, I got a few hours to kill, need some help with this ratty old cash register?"

"I would love some help. It'll be just like old times. Except I won't have to pay you."

"Who says?" I asked as I fell back into the comfortable rhythm of customers and cash.

Twenty minutes late, Kim walked into the shop and we left together. Over sandwiches Kim said, "So, how's your girlfriend?"

"Kim!" I looked around to make sure no one was listening.

"What? It's the twenty first century. No one actually cares about a lil' girl on girl action. Hell, most people would drool over it."

"But not here. Not my family."

"Yes here. But yeah," Kim conceded, "not your family."

I sighed and sat back. "It's not a big deal. It's nothing, you know." Kim nodded, acknowledging that she knew what I was talking about.

"Well, if it ever comes to taking sides. I've got your back and you always have a place to crash. I mean, you'll have to share the sofa with Toby, but..."

"Toby, that mangy mutt!?"

"Hey," Kim stood up and acted indigent, "I'll have you know that Toby is a prize winning specimen. And if you don't want to share the sofa with Toby, you can always fight him for it."

"I'd rather share the bed with you." I wiggled my eyebrows at her and she shoved me out the door of the deli, laughing all the way.

We hopped into my car and I drove us towards Atlanta where we could get some real shopping done. We walked around, window shopping until I looked at my watch and realized that we had spent almost four hours shopping and I only had one hat to show for all our effort.

"This is crazy. I just want to buy a few gifts, I don't want to spend my life savings to pay for Christmas," I was complaining; I knew it.

"Look, let's get the car and swing through a coffee shop drive thru on the way to Little Five Points. It has the best vibe; junk stores next to boutiques. It's great."

I agreed. I hadn't been to Little Five Points in years, but I wanted to get there and be on the road again before the sun set.

Once my energy level was restored, I was ready to shop. I parked on a side road and bounded into the first boutique where I bought a couple of classmates some kitsch, American items. We walked down the sidewalk and passed a used clothing store. I ducked in and soon found myself walking to the dressing room with arms loaded with cheesy clothing that I would never wear.

A few minutes later I was walking around the store in rhinestone covered jeans, used yellow cowboy boots and a fitted, plaid, snap up cowboy shirt, complete with silk tassels along the arms. Kim saw me and burst out laughing.

"Jesus, I can't be seen with you if you're going to look like that," she said between giggles.

I went back to the dressing room. "Wait, I've got to get a picture of this."

I turned and posed for Kim, looking about as sexy as rhinestones and plaid will allow anyone to look. When I found Kim again she was looking through old vinyl records and I wanted to move on to the purse boutique next door. I walked next door and stepped inside, almost colliding with a girl about my age.

She smiled at me and I apologized for almost knocking her down. I felt my face turning red. She wasn't particularly cute; I couldn't explain my reaction. I stepped back and let her leave the store; I watched her walk away. She had nice brown hair, a cute cardigan in a light purple and jeans. To finish off the outfit she was wearing 6-inch stack black boots with metal spikes sprouting off in all directions.

I smirked and shook my head. Kim chose that moment to walk past the girl and see me giving her the once over. Kim looked back at the girl and I knew I'd been caught looking.

I groaned, "It's not what you think."

"Sure, it's not." Kim acted innocently.

"Really, I almost ran into her and then I stepped back to let her out the door and I..." my face was turning red. Kim was smiling at me, she was enjoying this. I blurted out, "Look at her boots for Christ sake, that's what I was looking at!"

"And I believe you," Kim said in a placating manner and glided past me into the shop.

I never had a clue what to buy Kim for holidays, so what I normally did was go shopping with her and have her pick out what she wanted and I bought it for her. Sometimes I wrapped it; sometimes I just gave it to her then. This shop screamed Kim and I took a seat on the large pea green velour foot rest while Kim tried on top after top.

Thirty minutes later I paid for the light pink dress Kim wanted and picked up the bag.

"This is going to be great to wear tomorrow night," Kim said.

"Not a chance; you've gotta wait till Christmas for this baby."

"That's not fair."

"Sure it is."

We walked along towards my car when we passed a feminist bookshop. I looked up at the sign as Kim peered in the windows crowded with books. "Come on," she said and pulled me in the door.

The door bell brought a middle aged woman with dreadlocks over our way. "Hi, welcome. May I help you find anything?"

"No thanks," Kim replied, "we're just looking around."

The lady, who was obviously bra-less, nodded to us and returned to her post at the counter. Kim and I wandered through the rooms filled with books. The far room had a section for gift items. Calendars and notebooks lined the wall. Some were of women, heroes of the feminist movement, and then there was a spinning rack of videos.

Kim was spinning the video rack and beckoned to me. She picked up a title as I walked over. "Imagine Me and You," she said.

"Hey, I recognize her."

"Been watching many lesbian movies then?" She mocked me and flipped the movie over.

"No, she was in that movie with the singing and dancing on the bar..."

"Coyote Ugly."

"That's it."

Kim put the movie back and slowly spun the rack. "Since we're here, I wonder if they have anything a bit more risqué?"

"What do you want with that?" I asked.

Kim glanced over at me, "I just want to see what gets you going."

"You suck. You know that?"

"Hence, I'm straight." She picked up another movie with Angelina Jolie on the cover. "This looks good; made by HBO, and it's on sale." She tucked it under her arm and spun the rack some more.

"Hmmm. Lesbian Lolita; this looks promising."

I made a face. "What?" Kim asked.

"Lolita."

"What's wrong with Lolita? Lolita's hot."

"Yeah, if you're Humbert and like little girls."

"Point taken," she said and returned the video. I wandered over to the wall of books again. I picked up a book entitled The Pied Piper: Feminist Lesbian Fiction; a compilation of stories. It looked interesting. I jumped when Kim spoke over my shoulder.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, just a second." I kept reading the blurb. Kim grabbed the book and took it to the counter.

"You can have this too. You've really got to loosen up." She paid for the book and we deposited our purchases in the trunk and headed back home.

The trip home was uneventful. The hard part was going to be getting the book back in the house without my parents seeing it. My purse was too little to hold it and the hat box didn't have room inside.

I dropped Kim off at her car in town a few minutes earlier and she had left the book sitting on the passenger seat when she gathered her bags from the trunk. Now, back at home, I was almost hyperventilating. The book sat on the seat like a beacon of my unnaturalness. I slammed my car in park and shoved the book under the passenger seat. That would have to do for now.

I went inside and put away the gifts I had bought. Mom was making dinner; it would be ready in a few minutes. In my room I dropped the gifts on the floor and pulled out my laptop.

I opened it up and checked my mail. I had a new message from Natalie. It read:

Hiya Adi,

It was good to hear from you; it made my day. It's warm and dry back in the states? Rub it in why don't you? But at least here it didn't rain today; that's something, right? What do you have planned for Christmas? I bet you have another big family gathering. You think I should consider myself lucky not to have to go to one, but I think it could be fun. Your family sounds lovely, like they love you a lot. Hurry up and come back, I got you a present.

Much love,

Natalie B.

P.S. Nope. Pain and suffering are rarely red, they sneak in under the guise of a cooler color; keep guessing.

I read the email again then I closed my laptop and headed downstairs for dinner. I would reply later.

Down in the kitchen, mom was pulling a chicken out of the oven and dad was sharpening a knife by the sink. They were like a quintessential American couple that I would never be a part of. I pulled out a bar stool and sat down. I was staring off into space thinking about what I would say to Natalie when I heard mom saying, "Earth to Adriane. You there?"

I sat up straight and re-focused my eyes. "Yeah, I'm here."

"Didn't seem like it," dad said. He was now carving the chicken.

"I was just wondering why you cooked so much food, not that it doesn't look great," I told them.

"I just wanted enough for sandwiches tomorrow. Your sister and her family are arriving and some of the family are coming around. Speaking of," she looked up from where she was dishing up vegetables into a big bowl, "You and your sister need to go shopping tomorrow and pick up something for your grandparents."

After dinner, I excused myself and went to email Natalie. I opened my laptop and re-read her message. Then I began:

Dear Natalie,

I was stuck. I couldn't think of a single thing to say.

The weathers nice; wish you were here.

I sighed and lay down and fell asleep right away.