1
CHARGES
“You like these, right?”
Eliana jumped as she glanced up from her book to find her daughter standing at the edge of the bed, a yogurt cup extended between them. She blinked, glancing down at the treat, noticing it was the same strawberry blend that she’d eaten every single day for at least three years.
“Yes?”
“Alright,” Abby nodded, setting the cup on the bedside table. Then she turned and walked back out as silently as she’d arrived, pulling the door shut behind her.
“You know you can just open the door and tell me you love me!” Eliana shouted at the retreating pre-teen, finally processing the situation. “You don’t have to bring offerings to visit me!”
She sighed as she glanced back at the book in her lap, then slipped the hair tie she was using as a makeshift bookmark between the pages and set it aside, her mind still trailing after Abby. The kid stayed locked in her room 24/7, with her books and her video games, only makingmysterious appearances to bring unsolicited food or perform her chores. Her grades were steady, and her attitude was fine—but still, Eliana worried.
Abby’s twin, on the other hand, was her polar opposite. A veritable firecracker in comparison. Evidenced easily by Zoey busting through the same door just moments later and tripping over her own feet in the process.
“Hey, Mom,” Zoey said as her arms windmilled, scrambling for purchase. She caught herself on the edge of the laundry basket Eliana had left on the dresser, until that too lost its balance, and emptied itself upon her head. “Ewww,” she scowled, knocking away the men’s boxers hanging from her shoulder.
“They’re your father’s.”
“Still gross.” Zoey shrugged. “So what’s for supper?” She moseyed closer, eyeing the yogurt sitting innocently on the bedside table. “Oh, it’s a ‘fend-for-yourself’ night? Is it that good of a book?” Zoey flipped the novel over, scanning the back. “Looks like smut.”
Eliana snatched the book out of her pre-teen’s hands. “Mind your business, you heathen. And no, it’s not a ‘fend-for-yourself’ night, I’m making chicken. Your sister just brought the yogurt to me to be . . . nice.”
“Ah, a guilt-gift.” Zoey nodded sagely. “You should talk to her about that. She brings them to me all the time, whenever she thinks she’s neglecting me.” Zoey smirked. “Though sometimes I think she’s trying to train me to be patient.”
“I was just reading, though,” Eliana mused, waving a hand at the book. “How does that make sense?”
“Identical doesn’t mean we think the same,” Zoey said, snatching the yogurt off the table. “She’s your daughter, you figure it out.”
“She’syourtwin,” Eliana whisper-yelled at Zoey as she flounced back out of the room, giggling with the stolen yogurt cup in her hands.
Eliana glanced at the clock and sighed, swinging her legs around to stand up. She’d thought that reading in her bedroom might have kept the kids at bay, but she’d not even had thirty minutes of quiet time before they’d found her. There was no point trying to lose herself in the words again, not with so many fresh tasks brought to her attention. She needed to get the chicken defrosting, fold those clothes, and probably talk to Abby. But when she grabbed her phone off the bedside table, she was startled by the notification that flashed across the screen.
Four hundreddollars at the Elliston Hotel?
She knew her husband would need to rent a room that night. He traveled the majority of the week for his job, but the charges were never that high. There were rules requiring them to fall within certain established guidelines for financial reimbursement.
She unplugged the phone and navigated to her contacts, dialing his number.
“Hello?”
“Hey, babe,” she said, diving straight in, “I just got a notification from the credit card that there was a four-hundred-dollar charge at the Elliston. I think they overcharged you.”
“Why would you get a notification like that?” Jesse asked, his tone one of shock.
“I get notifications for any charge over two hundred dollars. I always have.” Eliana sighed, "That's not the point. You need to go talk to the desk. They messed something up.”
“No, they didn’t. They ran out of the basic rooms andonly had the penthouse suite available. It was the only option, and I cleared it with my boss, so I’m all good for reimbursement.”
“Oh.” She frowned. At such an extreme markup, why wouldn’t they ask him to use a different hotel? Regardless, she felt silly for panicking. “Well, I’m sorry for the alarm.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t know. But I’ve told you, Elly, you don’t have to worry about the money. I’ve got it covered. I promise, okay?”
Eliana sighed. It was a common argument and one she didn’t feel like hashing out in that moment—particularly not when she already felt foolish.
Jesse and Eliana fell in love young, marrying the summer following their high school graduation. Due to finances, they agreed that he’d get his degree first while she worked, and then swap. Until Jesse entered his final year of school and they’d gotten two pink lines on a plastic strip, and discovered they were pregnant . . .with twins.
