Page 8 of Coming Home for Fall 2
“I’ve lived in a lot of places in my life,” Sasha said without missing a beat. “I never know what to tell people when they ask me that, since there wasn’t one single place that we stayed in for more than a couple years at most.”
“Ah, okay. Why did you move around so much?”
“We just did. I’ve lived in a few other towns in California, plus a couple in Oregon. We lived in Denver for a year when I was a teenager. Oh, but Ferndale is definitely the prettiest place I’ve ever lived in. I really like it here. I love how if you drive ten minutes west, you hit the beach, and if you drive ten minutes east, you end up in the middle of a huge forest. Amazing.”
“Isn’t it though?” Callie agreed. “There’s a reason David and I chose to raise our kids here.”
“Have you lived in the Ferndale area long?” Mallory asked next.
“Depends on your definition of long.”
Mallory frowned. “Well, I guess what I mean is when did you move here?”
Sasha eyed her for a moment, then took a huge bite of chocolate cream pie, and wasn’t able to answer for some time. If it was a tactic to avoid the question, it ended up working swimmingly, because while Sasha chewed, Callie managed to change the subject.
“Mallory, did your father tell you about his river rafting trip that he’s planning in Australia? I want to know what you think about the whole thing. Seems a little dangerous if you ask me.”
Mallory could feel her mother’s eyes trained on her and she knew she would get an earful later if she tried to steer the conversation back onto Sasha. After a few seconds of charged silence, she sighed and admitted defeat. “No, dad didn’t mention anything about going river rafting. All I’ve heard about is his plans to go to Dubai.”
“The river rafting trip is going to be a blast,” David chimed in. “I’m pretty excited, although I’m also a little worried. Not about the things your mother is worried about though. I just don’t want to run into any of those huge spiders they have out there.”
“Oh yeah,” Sasha agreed. “I saw this video of a huntsman spider, have you ever heard of those? I think they might be the biggest spider species in the world. They can get up to the size of a dinner plate! Can you believe that?”
Callie shook with a chill. “Please, let’s not talk about spiders at the table. I try my best to not be afraid of the ones I find around here, and I never kill them, but I’m not sure how well I’m going to sleep tonight if you give me any more details on Australian spiders.”
“Sorry.” Sasha smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to gross you out.” She looked at David. “You really like to pick exotic places, huh?”
“I just want to see as much of the world as I can while I’m still alive. Callie and I started our family pretty young, so wedidn’t get a chance to travel much.” He smiled at his daughter. “Not that I have any regrets. It’s just exciting to be at a place in my life where I can really explore everything the Earth has to offer.”
“I get that,” Sasha said. “I hope one day I get to do the same.”
David then asked what places Sasha wanted to visit when she had the chance. Mallory knew she was going to have to bide her time, wait for another opportunity to ask Sasha more questions. She picked at her dessert and wondered if her mom was going to leave the table any time soon. Callie must’ve known what her daughter was planning, however, because she stayed put until everyone was done with their food, then she stood up with a determined look in her eye. “Mal, sweetie, will you help me with the dishes?”
Dang it.
Of course Mallory couldn’t say no, but that meant she was going to lose her chance to speak to Sasha without her mother in the room. This was clearly exactly what Callie wanted, and Mallory had to go along with it. “Sure,” she muttered, getting up from her seat. “I’m right behind you.”
Stationed at the sink a minute later, Callie rinsed while Mallory loaded the dishes into the washer. “You didn’t have to do that, you know?” she said when her mother handed her the first plate.
“Do what?” Callie asked innocently.
“Pull me out of there like I was a ticking time bomb. I already promised dad that I wasn’t going to give Sasha a rough time.”
“It seemed to me like youweregiving her a rough time, no?”
“By asking her where she’s from?” Mallory snorted. “That’s a very normal question for someone to ask a person they justmet! The fact that she didn’t give me a straight answer is a sign thatshe’sthe one acting weird, not me. And it’s kind of weird that you’re not letting me ask her normal questions either. Why are you so protective of her?”
“Mallory, think about what she’s been through.”
“I would if I knew what she’s been through.” Mallory took the next dish and loaded it on the bottom. “Do you even know what her life was like before she came here?”
Callie stared at her wide-eyed for a moment. “She was homeless! What else do I need to know?”
“So she says.”
“She has no reason to lie about something like that,” Callie insisted. “And I don’t think I have to tell you that people who end up homeless at her age generally don’t have very good childhoods. She’s only twenty for god sakes, Mallory! Think about how scary it would’ve been had you been living on the streets when you were her age! With a baby no less.”
“That’s terrible, nobody is arguing otherwise,” Mallory explained. “I just don’t understand why she’s being so secretive. Or why you are getting so defensive. Asking her some basic questions really isn’t that big of a deal, but the more you two dodge those questions, the more I’m going to think that something is going on. I promise you, Taylor and Ariel will feel the same way.”
