I glance over at da, who snores in the recliner. He got his multiple sclerosis diagnosis when I was in high school. Against my parents’ wishes, I decided to stay close and study at the local community college. After realizing college wasn’t for me, I dropped out at the end of the first semester and found my first waitressing job.
Since then, I have had different jobs before I found my current gig three years ago. If I hadn’t started working there, I wouldn’t have met Haisley and her former housemates. They became my friends overnight. Haisley and I are soul sisters as we get each other the way nobody else does. We’re like twins born years apart in two contrasting homes and families.
Since last summer, my da’s condition has worsened. He’ll need more assistance, like a wheelchair, sooner than later. Until then, he’s trying only to use his walker, but it's taking a toll on him. Mama and I joke that his Irish blood makes him so damn stubborn.
“Mama, tell me the story of how you met da again,” I beg like I have a million times before.
“Oh, it has always been your favorite story, my little Chicklet.” She says, laughter breaking through her lips. “I had just turned seventeen and wanted to see the world. My aunt lived on Long Island and earned her living cleaning houses. She asked if I would like to join her to see if American life was for me.”
I sigh dreamily. “And you said yes because you were curious to experience life far away from everything and everyone you knew.”
“Yes, that sounds about right. After that, my parents saved all their extra money for a year to buy me a one-way ticket from Barbados to New York. I went to a local bar with my cousin during my first month here. And there he was—the cute ginger guy with freckles and the palest skin I had ever seen.”
“How did you know he was the one?”
Mama coos. “I just knew it was meant to be when he looked at me across the dance floor. It was a feeling like no other. Like I had found my missing piece. So, I waved, and he blushed...”
And that’s the story of how my parents—a ginger Irish-American guy and a dark Bajan girl who happened to be in the same place in New York—met. As mama said, my favorite meet cute gets me feeling emotional every time. Not only because it’s my parents but because they met against all the odds.
I wish something like that could happen to me, too—finding my soulmate in the most unexpected place. There’s no denying it. But I'm unsure if I'll ever have a story like that to tell. But here’s to hoping one day I do.
3
JAX
Currently playing: Little Lies by Fleetwood Mac
“Jax, are you still alive?” Rose’s light-hearted voice asks through the guest room door.
I groan, holding my pounding head. “Yeah, I am, even if I wish I wasn’t.”
I hear a male chuckle join Rose’s giggles.Ollie.He must have stayed over too.
“Fresh coffee and breakfast are waiting for you downstairs. I made pancakes with mini chocolate chips just for you, J,” Rose says through her giggles.
Always so damn sweet. “Thanks, Rosie. I’ll be down in a bit.”
“You better,” Ollie quips before I hear their footsteps retreat as they head downstairs. I want to say something back, but my head hurts, and my mouth feels like a desert is forming there.
I should have known that one beer wouldn’t be enough.Now I need to deal with the consequences of my actions.
What I remember, I ended up staying at Eli and Rose’s after we shared a bottle of Eli’s favorite whiskey. By sharing, I mean I drank at least half, Ollie and Rose both had a drink each, and Eli got the rest. I should buy Eli a new bottle, even though he isn’t short on cash. It just doesn’t feel right that I drank most ofhisfavorite.
I stretch my aching muscles and let out a blissful sigh as I feel cool cotton sheets against my mostly naked skin. For a second, I think about checking my phone but decide against it as I don’t want to move. Not yet.
I finally get out of bed after deciding I can’t handle my headache and the silence around me. I fucking hate the silence. It gives me time to overthink.
The soft dark gray rug under my bare feet feels like I’m walking on a cloud. I take a few steps toward the ensuite bathroom, where I hope a bottle of aspirin awaits me, and open the door without turning on the light. With each step, my head is pounding more, and I need something to take the edge off.
There has been way too much drinking lately, and I need to stop before it sucks me in. I will not become my mother, not in this lifetime. Swallowing two pills without water, I freshen up quickly and leave the bathroom.
The clock on the nightstand shows it’s almost one in the afternoon as I grab my clothes from the armchair in the corner of the room. When was the last time I was able to sleep this late? But I definitely needed it. I can’t even imagine what my hangover would have been like if I was awakened earlier. My entire body needs a detox after last night. Best to start with Rose’s pancakes, which are my favorite.
Downstairs, I look around at the new illustrations Rose has added since I last visited two months ago. There are interestingpieces that I want to explore when I’m more awake and less hungover. I especially like the artwork inspired by the Greek island Santorini. The colors take me in, and I stop for a moment before continuing toward the kitchen.
“Morning, sunshine, don't you look fine as hell,” Eli’s voice teases, and I flip him the bird, looking for the coffee pot.
“I haven’t even had my first cup of joe yet, and you’re making me feel shitty. What’s up with you all being so fucking bubbly this morning?”
