Page 61 of The Leaves In Autumn
She chuckles. “My bad.”
As the song fades, another one rises. Camila Cabello’s “Havana” changes the mood. The room feels suddenly smoky and hot, like a Cuban nightclub. The opening piano notes, set to the steady drumbeat, makes wannabe dancers of us all. The floor becomes crowded. I feel an elbow in my side, and Barbra gets shoved into me. Do it again.
We lock eyes, and mine ask for another, closer, dance. One hand settles on my shoulder and the other around my waist. The song doesn’t require more than a controlled sway. And small steps with big effects. She’s good at it.
Sexual torture. I am willing to offer myself up, if only for the memory I will have tonight. This wasn’t planned. I shouldn’t be doing it. I see the same hesitation in her eyes. It will be moot soon, because an ocean will be separating us.
“I’m not sure this is a good idea,” she says.
“I can’t help myself.”
Neither stop. I’m a coward. I want to kiss those lips again. She reads it. There’s just a whisper of a pause.
“Don’t,” she says. “It didn’t end up very good for us when you did it last time.”
She pulls away. Not in anger, but slowly. Deliberately. With the affection of a friend. She squeezes my hand and walks away.
CHAPTER 20
Barbra
Two more miles. We pass the first sign. Logan International Airport - Right Lane.
I always hold my breath when my mother is about to leave. There is no guarantee it will happen. Especially today. She sees how different our lives have become. Better. She wants a little for herself. Correction. She wants it all. It is fucked up knowing your parent always has their best interest in mind, and no one else’s. We would have settled for the occasional consideration.
“I was hoping to get to see your sister before they left on the honeymoon.”
They haven’t yet. They are hiding from you.
“Glad you two got to talk this morning at least. That was nice.”
“If you call a ten-minute conversation talking. It felt like she hurried me.”
You barely talked to her yesterday.
“I’m surprised the family isn’t having some sort of day after get-together. A lunch or dinner or something. They’re so fancy. Foo foo French.”
“We could have eaten frog legs!”
Xavier is consistently boring. I leave it. But Mom doesn’t.
“You know, just for us family. We would have stayed longer.”
The entire family is at Aurora’s for brunch. Where I will be soon.
She’s no dummy. Although it is how she is seen sometimes. I offer an excuse.
“I’m sure all they want to do is collapse.”
Through the rearview mirror, I see Xavier raise his hand for permission to speak! Guess her pool of possible contenders is dwindling to equally messed up men. Her beauty is fading under the weight of makeup and time. And way too much sun for decades.
“What time did the party end?”
“Oh, it wasn’t long after you guys left.”
Two in the morning, according to Scarlett.
“I hope I don’t get sick on the flight. My head’s killing me, and I have a weird pain in my neck.”
