Chapter 12

I didn’t sleep as well as I had hoped. It may have been the fact that I was alone, or in a twin sized bed. I could have been the nightmares that kept waking me up. All I knew was I was ready to get up when my alarm went off.

I didn’t have a towel or a change of clothes, but I was accustomed to starting the day with a shower. Consequently, I gathered my clothes and headed down the hall to the bathroom.

I stopped next to the bathroom door. Alyssa always beat me to the bathroom in the mornings, but I didn’t hear anyone in there this morning. I knocked on the door. Nothing. I pushed it open without looking inside. The light was off and no one screamed for me to shut the door. I peaked inside. The bathroom was empty. I was shocked. I stepped inside, laid my clothes on the sink counter, and turned on the light.

I didn’t leave myself a toothbrush, but when I looked in the medicine cabinet, there were several new ones waiting. I unwrapped one, added a dollop of toothpaste, and made my mouth taste better. I didn’t have any razors and the only ones available were women’s razors. I didn’t have a problem using those. They were, after all, razors. However, I decided not to. If they belonged to Alyssa, she would probably rip my head off for using one. Then I turned to the shower.

I turned on the water, waited for the hot to reach the showerhead, and adjusted for temperature. I slipped out of my pants and underwear, and climbed into the shower.

I didn’t have a choice about body soap or shampoo. I had to use what was there. Worse, I forgot to lock the door. My hair was thick with lather when I heard the door open and close. “Sorry,” Alyssa said. “I can’t wait.” Then I heard the tail-tell sounds of her using the toilet. With my girls, I didn’t mind. We shared so much more than just the bathroom that it didn’t bother me. On the other side, I would have been in my rights to scream and shout at her for invading the bathroom while I was in the shower. She did it to me enough time while we were growing up.

Instead, I ignored her. I understood needing to go when someone occupied the bathroom. You can’t use the toilet when someone else is using it.

Shortly after rinsing out my hair, I heard Alyssa quietly leave. She didn’t even offer a ‘thank you.’ Again, I decided it wasn’t important enough to fuss over.

After finishing my shower, I found a thick, fluffy towel neatly folded on the sink counter. I didn’t get one out before I started my shower. Maybe Alyssa had been kind enough to get one for me. More than likely, Mom came up and set it out for me. Either way, I was thankful. I dried off, dropped the towel in the hamper, dressed, and headed downstairs.

My phone chirped at me as I hit the bottom of the stairs. Several messages were waiting for me. I hit the icon to see what the messages were and the screen went black. Nothing I did worked. It was dead. The last time I charged it was over twenty-four hours ago. I was surprised it lasted this long. If I was going to stay in touch with home, I had to get a new charging cord.

Several scents reached out to me from the kitchen, and I followed them. Mom only ever made breakfast on Sundays. That way, none of us could complain about being hungry during Sunday school. This was Saturday, but I distinctly smelled bacon, eggs, and something else. I turned the corner and saw a stack of pancakes on the island counter. Plates, silverware, and a tall glass of orange juice all stood on the counter by the stove. I walked into the kitchen, my mouth watering, and looked around for Mom and Alyssa.

They were both, once again, seated in the breakfast nook with cups of coffee. I didn’t know what they were talking about, but they both went silent and stared at me like kids caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

I smiled at their awkwardness and then focused on Alyssa. “The bathroom upstairs is free now.”

Her face was a touch pink, I thought from the coffee, but she blushed further when I mentioned the bathroom. Did she find it embarrassing that she had to go so bad she couldn’t wait for me to vacate the bathroom? We were both adults, and I never even tried to peak at her.

Wait. Did she... ?

She stood up, her boobs bouncing and nipples standing at full attention. “I need a shower,” she announced, and then she marched out.

I turned, watching her go. It wasn’t a matter of ogling her butt again, but studying her manner. After she was out of sight, I turned to Mom. She gave me a sincere expression for a second and then waved toward the kitchen. “Breakfast is ready when you are.”

I studied her face for a moment and then let it go. I also realized that Mom was already dressed too. Apparently, Alyssa was the last to wake up. I pointed back at the hot, fresh food. “You never made breakfast on Saturday’s before. What gives?”

“I had to make some changes after your father disappeared,” she said.

I looked back at the food. “But you made enough food for a small army.”

“I seem to recall that you really liked my pancakes and bacon.”

I nodded. “Yes, but Katrina has kept me on a low carb diet.” Which was true only because she insisted on buying all the food for my apartment.

Mom stood up and I only just realized that she was dressed and ready to go out. She stepped close to me with a smile and hung her arms on my shoulders as if we were about to dance. “Would it really hurt to have some pancakes today?”

I considered that and shook my head. “No. It won’t hurt.”

She smiled. “Good. Oh, and when you have the opportunity, I have a couple of things I’d like you to do while you’re here.”

“Such as?” I asked, a bit of suspicion in my voice.

She pouted and looked around. I looked too. The house looked immaculate, clean. When I met her eyes again, she asked, “What’s missing?”

I blinked in thought and then realized. “The tree.”

She smiled and nodded. “The decorations are out in the garage. You’ll have to go across town to pick out a tree.”