Moving...Again (chpt2)

“It’ll be fun, Bailey! Just like a slumber party. We moved the boys into the same room together so you’ll have Frankie’s old room.” Rhiannon told me but the far off look in my eyes gave away my worry, “You’ll get through this. You will. Rodrigo and I both have been there before and know how it feels. You can stay with us as long as you need; six months, a year, whatever!”

I appreciated their kindness very much yet my heart felt some reserve. Though I could help out around the house by babysitting and cleaning, I would still be intruding on the lives of a family. Plus, under the façade Rhiannon put on of being a person with much confidence, the mere possibility of a wandering eye was a fear that plagued her heart. For that reason alone I never felt comfortable getting to know Rodrigo even though Rhiannon swore we were like two peas in a pod. Maybe that’s why we get along so well, you’re just like my husband she would tell me.

We pulled up to their house and started the daunting task of unloading my possessions from the back of the truck. Though I didn’t own or take much with me it felt like I dragged the whole world up a flight of stairs. When we finished it hit me how little I walked away with from Sean compared to when we started the relationship.

Sean had lived with his father in California since he was a teenager. When he became an adult he decided to move back and get to know his mom again. He stayed in the guest bedroom of his mom and step-father’s house while getting reacquainted with the city he was raised in many years ago. We met not long afterwards and hardly spent a day apart. When the lease came up at my very tiny and run down apartment we decided to get a place together. Sean brought his old bedroom suite his mom had kept in storage for him and I had my mismatched second hand possessions. Since we had double furniture and Sean’s was in better condition he convinced me to get rid of my things. Through out our stay together he would come home with newer pieces to replace my older ones. When you’re in love you think you’re going to last forever. You don’t stop to think what if he kicks me out one day? How I wish I had though.

I found the box labeled CAMPING and dug out the inflatable mattress. “Just like a slumber party.” I sighed to myself. I plugged it into the nearest outlet and two minutes later wrestled on sheets.

“Knock, knock.” Rodrigo said peaking into the open room.

“Hey.” I answered quickly throwing the pile of undies I started folding back into the laundry basket.

“Hey. You okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll live. Hey thanks for letting me stay here.”

“No problem, Bailey. You’re a good person and no one deserves to be hurt like that. Rhiannon and I are just glad we could be here to help.” He replied focusing only on picking at the stickers his kids plastered all over the door. “Hey, we’re going to watch a movie when the kids get out of their bath and go to bed, if you’d like to join us.”

“Thanks.” I answered not expecting my tone to sound so depressed. I took pride in myself that no matter what I could slap on a smile and sound like nothing was wrong.

Rodrigo stopped picking at the stickers and grinned, “Rhiannon is making margaritas.”

“Hey, Bay!” Rhiannon slurred when I came down the stairs into the kitchen. “Made one just for you. Just what the doc ordered to forget a broken heart.”

I picked up the green slushy mixture and took a sip through my umbrella straw. It was so strong it burned to exhale.

“Yeah, till you wake up with a broken head the next morning.” I joked while taking another sip. I took a seat on the barstool beside the island in the kitchen. I always liked the nostalgic feel of their kitchen. Metal signs hung on the walls advertising shakes and a Route 69 diner sign flashed on the counter. (Rhiannon swore she’d take it down when the kids got old enough to realize what that meant.)

“Put da lime in da coconut and drink it all up.” She sang dancing around with a margarita in hand. “Come on and dance with me, Baisley. Ha, Baisley. Like paisley!”

I sat there watching her short zaftig body try to do a belly dance. “I don’t think I’m quite at your level yet. Let me work on this a little longer. It really doesn’t take much to get you buzzed, does it?”

Rhiannon answered with a hiccup.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” I laughed. Secretly I was jealous. I never liked the fact that I could ‘out drink the guys’. When your mission is to get drunk a high alcohol tolerance can be rather expensive. One drink was all it took for Rhiannon before she’d start singing at the top of her lungs to the songs playing in her head.

Rodrigo came down the stairs and started dancing with Rhiannon without skipping a beat. He took a sip of her drink and started coughing.

“Whew, Babe! Strong enough?” he choked out.

“Not strung enough, Babe. Paisley isn’t drenk yet.” At which she started laughing when a large glob of spit accented the end of her slurred sentence on Rodrigo’s face.

“Okay then.” He said taking her near empty glass out of her hand. “That’s enough for Rhiannon.” To which he emptied the melted liquid into my glass.

“Gee thanks a lot, Rodrigo!”

“Any time, Paisley.” He laughed.

Rhiannon headed into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Rodrigo followed and sat on the floor at her feet. She sat up and started playing with his dark wavy hair he was growing out trying to get into a pony tail.

I ran upstairs to my new room and located the box I put my CDs in. Just by luck the CD I was looking for was right on top. It was a compilation Sean had burned for me. We had been playing a game to see how well we knew each other’s taste of music. I picked up the CD and brought it downstairs.

“Okay, what this party needs is some real music. No offence, Rhiannon.” I joked.

“Huh?” she said still playing with the handful of hair she had.

I handed the CD to Rodrigo since I didn’t know how to work their stereo and figured Rhiannon was in no state of mine to be operating electronic equipment. He got up and popped it into the CD player and pushed several buttons. Soon Goldfinger’s version of 99 Red Balloons was blaring though the speakers. Both Rhiannon and Rodrigo started bouncing around attempting to head bang without hurting each other or throwing up.

It was fun watching them for a while but I started to get depressed. It hit me that I no longer had a dance partner. Now life would be a solo. I had all I could take and excused myself from the lovebirds to go upstairs to bed. I put on a Mazzy Starr CD and hugged the plush red maned lion Sean’s mother gave me because it resembled Sean with his scruffy red hair. I let the tears roll down my cheeks and onto the pillow.

That night I found out my mattress had a leak.