“Cel…” I say warningly.
Celie’s only seventeen months older than me, yet we look less alike than most unrelated people. I’m dark-haired and average height; Celie’s blond and as small as a figure skater. She’s also a natural flirt, and my reticence with men has always been a point of contention between us.
“Let me get dinner warmed up,” Mama says as she stands up.
“Good idea,” Molly says.
As the four of them head for the kitchen, I lag behind to pick up Celie’s jacket and go hang it up in the front coat closet. On my way through the living room, I realize the only framed photo of Mama and Daddy has been tipped slightly. I straighten it carefully and then notice it’s dusty, so I give it a quick wipe with my shirtsleeve.
“Mama, please,” Celie’s saying as I walk into the kitchen and take a seat at the table.
Molly whips around from where she’s standing at the stove. “Shut up, Cel.”
Celie sighs loudly. “It’s like a tomb in this house. Everything still untouched as if Daddy’s about to come walking in the door. I’m surprised you don’t have a plate of food out on the table for him right now.”
“Celie…” I say.
She glares at me. “He’s gone, Vannah! He can’t scrutinize your every move anymore, making sure you do everything just the way he needs. It’s not his house anymore.”
“Actually…” Molly turns around again. “Technically, it is still his house. Mama never got the deed transferred.”
Celie turns to Mama. “You never did that? I gave you all the paperwork and everything! Well, I’ve still got the electronic copy on my phone.” She starts to pull it up. “I’ll print it out, and you can sign it tonight.”
“It’s not a good time,” Mama says quickly.
“It’s the perfect time.” Celie holds up her phone and shows us a legal-looking document. “We’ve got the form…” She puts her arm around Mama. “And we’ve got Mama.” Mama sighs, but Celie keeps going. “All we need is to put those two things together, and we’ve got a winner.”
“Coercing someone to do something is not the same thing as them doing it out of their own free will,” I say to Celie. “Let Mama make up her own mind, or it’s no good, anyway.”
Mama takes the out. “I need to look it over, Cel. I promise I’ll look at it. I really will. But I don’t feel good doing it when I’ve had no warning.”
That’s exactly how I feel.
“This place needs a change!” Celie throws up her hands in frustration. “A change in ownership!”
She’s right, of course. Daddy’s been gone for six years, but it feels like six minutes in many ways. Mama has left the house virtually untouched.
Before she finally quit smoking, Celie used up all his cigarettes pretty fast, but it took Mama three years to throw out his comb and toothbrush. He hadn’t had time to pack, not even to grab a sandwich or a soda out of the fridge. All he left with was his wallet. That was all he needed, I guess. He had enough in there to get him to Colorado.
Pru puts his arm around Celie and whispers something to her. She stops yelling, but then her eyes light up.
“I just got a great idea,” she says slowly.
“No,” Molly, Mama, and I all say at once.
But Celie just laughs. “You girls are three peas in a pod. But seriously, this is an awesome idea. Remember our New Year’s resolutions?”
“I don’t think we could forget,” I say. “You’ve been reminding us all month. I still have all your texts.”
“Well, I want to make sure you achieve your goal. You’ve now only got eleven months to do what most people want to do in twelve.” Celie points to Mama. “I’m giving you a resolution too, Mama. You will take this damn house back so you are the sole owner. Okay?”
Mama manages a weak nod as Celie turns to Molly. “You’ve been texting me photos of yourself at bars, so I know you’re taking your resolution seriously. No dates on the horizon yet, but at least you’re out in public.”
Celie points a finger at me. “And you, Vannah? You met a guy you’re willing to score with, which is a huge step. I’m proud of you.”
“Cam is not…” I start to protest.
“Please.” Celie waves a hand. “We all know he’s the one. So ask him. Or jump him. Do something. Remember,” she warns me. “Only eleven months left. In fact, I have a great idea—how about you score a date with him this month?”
