The Families in Rossford

THE MESS UNFOLDS

CONTINUED

Even though Meredith Affren had never seen the car before, it swirled up to the house so erratically before stopping at the curb, that she assumed it must be Logan. She lifted her bags and stopped for a moment, undone by the amazing feeling of nearly being opened from below. There was a knock at the door.

Bag in hand, Meredith answered it and Logan said, “Give that to me. Where’s the other bag?” 

Meredith pointed to it and said to the little man on the porch who had arrived with Logan, “Hello.”

“Hello,” he said. “Are we ready?”

“Yes,” Meredith and Logan said, and as Logan took her bags down the steps, Meredith, shifting her purse on her shoulder and struggling to fit right in her coat, closed the door and locked it behind her.

“Here,” Logan said, “Get in the front.”

As they strapped Meredith in she said, “I’ve never met you, sir, so I should just say, I’m Meredith Affren.”

“I’m Billy,” he said. “Where are we going?”

“Saint Francis.”

“Great,” Billy said, and with Logan in the backseat, he took off.

“Guys, I just think it isn’t right.”

In Maggie’s car, Maris and Maggie both looked at Lindsay like she was stupid.

“No, it isn’t,” Maggie said. “There’s a lot that’s not right in the world. Besides,” she went on before Maris could speak, “Had you thought about the fact that he willingly had unprotected sex with her? She could have gotten pregnant.”

“If she wasn’t already,” Lindsay said.

“Look,” Maris said to Lindsay, “I have to know you’re not going to screw this whole thing up.”

“Whaddo you mean?”

“She means,” Maggie said, “we worked really hard to make this work, and it did. It fell totally into our hands.”

“You mean Bennett fell into your hands.”

“That’s what I’m saying!” Maggie hit the steering wheel. “It’s stuff like that.”

Maggie stopped the car.

“Lindsay,” Maris turned around and looked at her friend. “I need to know—I need you to promise—that you won’t give this way.”

“I don’t even know Bennett,” Lindsay said in a smaller voice. “Not really.”

“And he’s kind of a tool anyway,” Maggie added. “Him and that creepy brother of his.”

“I thought you said his brother was cute.”

“In a creepy take me back to your place and rape me way, yes.”

“I promise,” Lindsay said, “that I won’t say anything. But when are you going to tell Bennett?”

Maris looked like she didn’t have any idea, and then Maggie said. “A month. Only… no. You’re already past a month. Not quite three weeks. He doesn’t know when your cycle is. Tell him you all did it like… at the last moment. Now you’re knocked up. I’d say give it till near the last part of January.”

“It’ll screw up his world,” Lindsay muttered.

“Yeah,” Maris said, blankly. “It will.”

“Fuck his world,” Maggie said.

“Maggie,” Lindsay asked her, “Why are we sitting here.”

“I always wanted to see that house up close is all,” Maggie said. “It always seemed… It always interested me.”

But right now a car pulled up to it, and out of it came Dena Affren. A little boy came out of the passenger seat, and she was headed to the back to bring out a baby, a toddler, when her phone rang.

“That,” Maggie decided, “is enough.”

She put her key in the ignition, and they pulled away as Dena, noticing them, watched the car go up the street.

“Hello,” Dena said. “I’m just getting Cara out of the—what? Are you serious? It’s not supposed to come for another—alright! Yes. Yes.”

Dena hit the end button and Cara said, “Mommy, get me out.”

“Stay in there a little longer, Sugar. I gotta call your papa.”

“Mom,” Rob asked from the other side. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, Robert,” she said. “Just… let Mama make this call, okay?”

Outside of Rensselaer, Todd said, “The ladies’ lights are flashing.”

“Adele’s pulling to the side of the road.”

“That’s odd,” Simon murmured.

“Well, let’s not just think about how odd it is,” Fenn told his brother-in-law. “Let’s stop.”

When they did, Adele and Nell both hopped from the front seats of their car, and Nell tapped on the window where Bill was.

“Meredith is in labor,” she said. “Dena’s on her way to Chicago.”

“I guess that means we’re going to Chicago too.”

“Does she need a thousand people to see her give birth?” Fenn said.

Everyone seemed so excited, and Sheridan and Brendan had anxious faces.

“Well, I’m going,” Sheridan said.

“Of course you are,” Fenn said. “But does she want all of us?”

“Let’s just split up into who’s going to Chicago and who’s going back to Rossford.” Todd suggested. He turned to Fenn, “Are you going back to town?”

“Yes.”

“Nell, you go. And Bill, of course,” Adele said. “I’ll take Mama home.”

“Do you need me?” Todd asked his sister.

“She’s not supposed to be having the baby this early.”

For the first time since they’d known him, Bill sounded panicked.

Nell shook her head at her brother rapidly.

As they began separating, and everyone going back to town got in the Land Rover, Sheridan looked panicked until Bill touched him and said, “Come on. Of course you’re going with us.”

When Brendan followed behind, Sheridan looked at him surprised.

“What?” Brendan said.

Sheridan nodded and they caught hands, climbing in the back of the Jeep.

For a while they drove on together, but at the Gary pass, flashing lights and honking, the Land Rover headed east and the Jeep headed west into the darkening afternoon.

“Alright, Riley,” she said, kissing the golden skinned boy with the tangle of copper colored hair, “goodbye, and don’t let Rob near your model airplanes, cause you know he’s clumsy.”

“Alright, Aunt Dena.”

“Claire—”

“You don’t have to say anything,” Claire told her.

“Thanks for keep the kids.”

“Like I said…” Claire came forward and kissed her.

“Just go. And tell Meredith… I was going to say, tell her our prayers are with her, but… That just sounds hoaky. It’s true,” Claire said. “But it’s still hoaky.”

Claire kissed Dena again, and Julian was at the door talking to Milo. The two women joined their husbands, and Julian said, “I know what you’re thinking. I’m thinking it too.”

Dena nodded. “I wish Layla was here.”

Claire and Julian saw their friends off, and watched the car roll down the street.

“Is Meredith going to be alright?” Rob asked.

Julian was about to say yes, but he realized Rob was asking his cousin Matthew.

“I’m sure everything will be fine,” Matthew said.

“Are you staying for dinner?” Rob asked him.

“Of course he is,” Riley insisted.

“Riley,” Claire said to her son, “what have I told you about volunteering your cousin’s time?”

“It’s actually fine,” Matthew said. “Elias and Bennett aren’t talking, and I don’t think my Dads had much planned for New Years Day.”

Julian sighed.

“Huh?” Claire looked at him.

“I had forgotten,” he said. “With all this going on, it’s still New Years.”

There was a tap at the door and Bennett said, “Yeah.”

The door opened and Bennett said, “Oh.”

Elias sat down at the foot of his brother’s bed where Bennett was stretched out.

He touched his brother’s feet.

“What?”

“I’m sorry for this morning. I’m sorry for… being really fucking crazy.”

“I’m sorry for pushing your buttons,” Bennett told him, putting the book down.

“I was just worried for you,” Elias said. “And… I don’t like Maris. I don’t trust her. But if you want to date her—”

“Elias, I’m probably never going to see her again.”

“How do you feel about that?”

“You sound like Dad.”

“I don’t sound like either one of our dads,” Elias chuckled, “because if they found out about you—or me—they would be furious.”

Elias thought about this and said, “They wouldn’t be understanding.”

“No. they would not.”

“So… how do you feel?”

“How did you feel?”

“I don’t know,” Elias shrugged. “I knew I was gay. I never talked about it. I still don’t. And… I knew I wanted him to be my first. I didn’t think we’d be boyfriends. And we’re not.” Elias shrugged. “It was what I wanted. I felt odd because I wasn’t a virgin anymore and… I felt changed, but I didn’t know how. But it was a good experience, Ben. So, I guess it was good.”

Elias looked at his brother and said, “You know what? It’s been over a year and the verdict’s still out. In my head, by myself I’m happy about it. But I don’t want people to know. I think that kids that have sex are sort of skanky. But I’m a kid who’s had sex, so I guess I’m a hypocrite.”

“I guess my verdict’s still out, too,” Bennett said.

“Why’d you do it?”

“I really don’t know. You did it cause you loved him, right?”

“Of course,” Elias said. “I mean, you know I do.”

Bennett nodded. “I wish it had been more that way last night.

“Uh…”

“Yeah?” Elias looked at his twin.

“You still love him?”

Elias smiled, but didn’t seem to be looking at anyone in particular.

“I’m not in love with him. Not like I was. But, yeah, I definitely still love him.”

Layla woke up blinking at the ceiling. She had gone to sleep almost immediately after Will went off to the conference, and it had been such a deep sleep. Now she took in the sunlight on the ceiling, and the light all through the large suite.

“I am in another country,” she whispered. “I could do anything.”

While she was thinking about what that meant, and exactly what she could do, there was a tap at the door.

“Will?” she didn’t even know what time it was.

Without waiting for an answer, she got up and went to the door.

“Pam!”

“Have you had your beauty sleep?” she asked. “Or are you still resting?”

“I actually just got up,” Layla told her.

“Oh, then I’ll just go.”

“No,” Layla said. “I mean, I woke up—natually for once—and was looking at the ceiling thinking how I wanted to go out and do something, but didn’t know what to do.”

“I know exactly what you can do. You can come out to a late lunch with me.”

“Oh, help me find something to wear then. And I’ll go wash my face. Come in,” Layla told Pam, shutting the door behind her.

While she was in the bathroom, Pam stuck her head in and said, “For an American you’ve got some great taste.”

Layla spat out toothpaste and said, “I’ll take that in the spirit it was meant,” before rinsing her mouth.

“Now, there is this restaurant about three blocks away I want to take you to,” Pam was saying while Layla came out, “because if you’re going to be in the neighborhood, then you should see the neighborhood. Do you know how long you’re supposed to be in London?”

“A week and a half,” Layla said, taking her skirt into the bathroom.

“Are you one of those people who has to see London Tower and Buckingham Palace and all of that?”

“You mean a tourist?”

“Yes,” Pam said, handing Layla her top.

“Not really.”

“Good, cause I’ll show you what’s worth seeing and the rest you can see on one of those dull BBC docs. I know you all get that in America.”

“Yes, though BBC America’s just showing sci-fi re-runs now.”

“It’s not much better over here.”

Layla came out and Pam said, “That’s excellent. You’re classic, darling.”

“I’ll tie my hair with a scarf. Makes combing not as necessary.

“You know, I would like to see Stonehenge, though.”

“Everyone does, That’s sort of understandable,” Pam said. “It’s so ancient and everything.”

“What’s it like up close?” Layla asked as she went for her purse.

Pam smiled at her and confessed, “I don’t know. I’ve never been.”

As they came into the lobby, Pam swatted Jimmy and said, “Baby, get some sleep.”

“My shift ended when Layla came in, actually,” Jimmy said.

“What the hell are you doing here now?”

“Getting my check.”

“Oh, by the way,” Pam reached into her purse, “here’s a little something. Don’t think I forgot you.”

“Wow,” he said as she handed him the money. “Pam, this is really… too generous.”

“That’s bull and we both know it,” she told him, kissing him on the cheek,.

“Jimmy,” Pam explained to Layla, “always helps me out.”

As they were heading out the hotel, Andrew and Nina were coming in, Nina looking beautiful as always, but a little frantic.

“Layla!”

Her first thought was, “Is it Will?”

“What?” Nina blinked at her, and then said, “No. No. It’s… You’re Layla Lawden.”

“Yes, I am. And you’re Nina.”

“No,” Nina said.

“I feel like I should know these people,” Pam began, but Nina brandished a book and turned it over.

“You are the poet Layla Lawden.”

“Well, shit!” Layla said, taking the book from her.

“I didn’t know you were famous,” Pam said.

“Neither did I.”

“Oh, I love your stuff. Like this right here,”

Nina cleared her throat and read:

 

“You don’t deserve me if you are not willing to feel me

If you are not willing to be taken over

If you are not willing to be stabbed in

The heart and set on fire

I don’t know much

I’m just a girl with a man in my mouth

That’s what I know,

The scent of sweat,

Fury of passion

Clashing and rubbing and fusion of flesh

The letting go

And in that I know

The hot pouring of liquids

Semen, tears, honey, 

More fire pain than money can buy!” 

 

“You filthy slut,” Pam said, admiringly.

“Well, I guess I’ve been caught,” Layla said, ignoring the hot flush in her cheeks.

Andrew looked on her with longing and noted, “William is a very lucky man.”

“You’re not doing so badly yourself,” Pam told him, looking to Nina, and she said to them: “We were just popping out for a bite,” she included Layla in her question, “I’m sure Layla would be glad to have you along?”

“Yes,” Layla said. “That’s a great idea.”

“Oh, wonderful!” Andrew clapped his hands as they walked out onto Great Cumberland. “Where are we going?”

“The Nine,” Pam said.

“The Nine? At this time of day? Really, I would have thought Maisson Jean.”

“Maisson Jean is pretentious,” Pam began. “It’s a long walk, the service takes forever, and the wine selection is overly long.”

“We’re paying,” Andrew said.

“Well, if all that’s true—” Layla began, but Pam caught her wrist and said, “I think I just changed my mind. Maisson Jean sounds wonderful.”