Chapter 66: The Duracell Moment

Monday, July 17th, 2006

Katie woke up, her thoughts still lingering on the conversation she’d had with Josh the night before. He had confessed how lonely and depressed he felt without her in the house. Now that she was no longer in school-and wouldn’t be returning when the next year began-she realized she hadn’t even told anyone at school yet, not even Kyle or Noel.

Between wedding preparations and everything else, the idea of staying with Josh during the week hadn’t crossed her mind. Maybe it was stress, or maybe she’d unconsciously dismissed it as impossible-but now, the thought struck her as the perfect solution. She decided to talk to her mother that morning and see if she could drop her off at Josh’s house after work to surprise him.

Katie climbed out of bed and made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. After a quick shower, she got dressed and headed to the kitchen, where the smell of sizzling bacon and toasted bread greeted her. Her mother had just finished cooking-a plate of scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, and buttered toast waiting on the table. Hannah was already eating, and Katie poured herself a glass of milk before joining them.

She gave her mother a half-hug and a kiss on the cheek, then did the same with Hannah before settling into her seat.

Katie settled into her seat as her mother set a plate in front of her. “Thanks,” she murmured, watching as Judith prepared her own plate.

Hannah turned to Katie, curiosity bright in her eyes. “How are the wedding invitations coming along?”

Katie sighed, pushing a piece of bacon around her plate. “Almost done. Most are filled out and sealed-I just ran out of stamps.”

Judith sat down and took a sip of her coffee before studying Katie. “Everything alright, sweetheart?”

Katie hesitated, then met her mother’s gaze. “Actually, would you mind driving me to Josh’s tonight? I think I’m going to stay with him for a few days.”

Judith smiled warmly, a hint of amusement in her eyes. “Of course, honey. Honestly, I’m surprised it took you this long to ask.”

Katie hesitated, a flush creeping up her neck. It hadn’t occurred to her how obvious her absence must’ve been weighing on Josh-or how transparent her own longing was to her family. Now that she’d said it aloud, she felt foolish for not realizing sooner.

She gave a sheepish shrug. “I just ... didn’t think about staying weeknights before. But now that I’m out of school for good, there’s no reason not to.”

Judith chuckled, stirring her coffee. “Wedding brain, sweetheart. It’s a real condition.”

Katie laughed softly. “Thanks, Mom.”

Hannah, ever the instigator, propped her chin on her hand with a wicked grin. “So. How is married life? Or-well, almost-married life. Is he as dreamy in bed as he looks in those tight shirts?”

Katie choked on her milk, coughing violently while Judith leveled a half-hearted scolding look at her oldest. “Hannah. Boundaries.” But the glint in her mother’s eyes betrayed her own curiosity.

Mortified, Katie dabbed her mouth with a napkin, debating whether to deflect-but the expectant silence stretched. With a resigned sigh, she muttered, “I’ve only had two partners across both lifetimes, so it’s not like I’ve got a ranking system. But ... yeah. He’s good. Really good. Knows exactly what he’s doing.” Her face burned. “He was heavier before, so now that he’s fitter, things are ... more, uh, accessible. But there’s less padding, so-”

Hannah cackled. “So the equipment seems bigger without the extra insulation?”

Katie buried her face in her hands. “Oh my God.”

To everyone’s surprise, Judith snorted into her coffee. “I get it. Your father was all muscle in his twenties. Now?” She gestured vaguely. “Let’s just say some things are ... cushioned.”

A beat of horrified silence. Then-

Hannah: “Mom. No.”

Katie: “We were so close to a nice breakfast.”

But despite their groans, the air between them felt lighter, freer. Judith’s lips quirked. Mission accomplished.

“So, you totally understand,” Katie said. “In our first life, I found just the right rhythm and motion to stimulate my clit just right while also hitting my ‘G’ spot at the same time.”

Hannah and Judith blinked at Katie in stunned silence before Hannah clapped a hand over her mouth, shoulders shaking. A single snort escaped-then the dam broke. All three dissolved into laughter, the absurdity of their breakfast conversation hitting them at once.

Hannah wiped her eyes, gasping. “Oh my God. I need to get to work before this turns into a full-blown sex-ed seminar.”

Judith checked her watch and sighed. “Same.” She paused, her expression softening as she looked between them. “But seriously, girls ... if you ever want to talk about this stuff, I’m here. No shame in being human.”

Katie and Hannah exchanged a glance, nodding.

Hannah smirked, then-with the reckless glee of someone who’d already crossed every line-added, “Cool. So, hypothetically ... where’s the best place to stash a vibrator when you share a bathroom with your sister? Asking for a friend. Who might be me.”

The kitchen erupted in giggles. As Hannah grabbed her bag and Judith stood to leave, the latter tossed her napkin on the table. “Katie, mind handling the dishes?”

“Of course,” Katie said, still grinning. “And ... thanks for this. In my first life, we’d never have talked like this.”

Judith paused in the doorway, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial murmur. “Well, honey, I’m your mother-but I’m also a woman. Your dad’s gone half the month, and let’s just say...” She shot a pointed look at Hannah’s retreating back. “Duracell stock is up in this household.”

Then she was gone, leaving Katie frozen with a sponge in hand, her brain short-circuiting.

Holy shit. My mother has a sex life.

The realization should’ve been obvious. But for the first time, Judith wasn’t just “Mom”-she was a person. Complex, unapologetic, and ... weirdly relatable.

Katie shook her head, chuckling as she scraped egg scraps into the trash. This family might be insane, she thought, but damn if we aren’t honest.

Katie wiped her hands on the checkered dish towel, surveying the sparkling kitchen with quiet satisfaction. The tang of lemon cleaner still hung in the air, mixing with the faintest trace of bacon grease from breakfast. One chore down, she thought, tucking a stubborn auburn curl behind her ear. Now for the real work.

Her socked feet carried her down the hallway, the hardwood cool beneath her toes. When she pushed open her bedroom door, the sight gave her pause-a sea of ivory envelopes and delicate silver-embossed invitations fanned across her desk like fallen leaves. Even with their intentionally small wedding-just fifty of their nearest and dearest-the sheer volume made her breath catch. Each one was a promise, a thread in the tapestry she and Josh were weaving together.

She picked up her favorite fountain pen, the weight familiar in her hand. Josh had given it to her last Christmas, its rose gold nib catching the light as she tested the ink on a scrap of paper. The ritual began: the rhythmic scratch-scratch of pen on paper, the occasional snick of sealing wax yielding to the stamp bearing their intertwined initials. Outside her window, afternoon sunlight slanted through the blinds, painting tiger stripes across her lavender bedspread. Dust motes swirled in the golden beams, ephemeral as the memories tugging at her heart.

When the last envelope was addressed, Katie arched her back in a stretch, rolling shoulders stiff from hours of careful penmanship. The clock read 12:15-still time before her mom returned. She reached for the list tucked beneath her pen cup, her thumb brushing over the embossed edge of their wedding planner.

Then she saw it.

Christmas Tree Acres.

The ink blurred slightly as memories rushed in-the same weathered barn where she’d stood in ivory lace before and will again, though only some people would ever know that.

She could still feel the way her first wedding dress had whispered against the barn’s original hardwood floors. The exact spot where Josh’s hands had shaken while sliding on her ring.

Katie’s finger hovered over the next checklist item as Josh’s voice echoed through her memory-that deep, warm timbre she could conjure perfectly. “QL’s or nothing,” he’d insisted, his hands cradling hers across the sticky bench. A smear of barbecue sauce had dried near his thumb that night, and she’d absently scratched at it while he made his case. “Their brisket melts like butter. I want our people fed, Katie.”

QL’s BBQ - buffet style

The menu details unfurled in her neat handwriting:

Mains:

Fall-apart brisket Applewood-smoked pulled pork Herb-rubbed pulled chicken