Annihilate Me: Holiday Edition (3 page)

“Key
word, Jennifer.
 
Summer.
 
Summer.
 
In case you haven
’
t noticed, it
’
s now winter.
 
Winter.
 
Snow has let loose from the sky.
 
Leaves have shed themselves from the
trees.
 
No one goes to Maine in the
winter.
 
And why in the world would
they?
 
For me, it brings back images
of the Soviet bloc.”

I
just looked at her.
 
“Seriously?”

“Well,
at least the Soviet bloc in winter.”

“What
do you know about winter in Maine?”

“Nothing.
 
Which is how I
’
d like to keep it.”

“What
if you came with us for Christmas?”

“Christmas?”

“I
assume you’ve heard of Christmas?”

“Maybe
in passing.
 
I will say that there
always seem to be sales around this time of year.
 
And you know how I feel about
sales.
 
They are auctions for the
unwanted.
 
They are for items that
were overlooked, dismissed or, worse,
returned
.
 
I’ll have nothing to do with them.”

“Are
you finished?”

“I
just got started.”

“Look,
Barbara.
 
Here’s why I’m here.
 
Alex and I are going to go to his home
on Hancock Point.
 
We
’
d love it if you, Alexa and Daniella would
also join us.”

She
threw back her head.
 
“Why are you
turning my morning into a Shakespearean tragedy in which everything I know
dies?
 
First you come in looking
nothing like the polished young woman I know you can be, and then you tell me
that you and Alex are going into a dark world of weird bedroom
experiments.
 
As if that isn
’
t enough, now you
’
re talking about taking me and my girls away
to some secluded kind of holiday hell that, if we
’
re being honest here, probably has frozen
over at this point.”

“It
’
s beautiful in Maine this time of year.”

“It
’
s desolate, cold, and lonely.”

“Oh,
it is not.
 
You
’
ve been to the Point before.”

“
In
the summer.
”

“Fine,
try the winter.
 
It can
’
t hurt.
 
And what
’
s your
other option?
 
Staying in your
apartment with your girls for yet another year in the city?
   
Going to another restaurant
and having awkward conversations about boys?
 
There
’
s
some excitement for you.
 
Why not
mix it up?
 
Try something new?
 
Give the girls a new experience that
they
’
ll remember—”

“With
hostility?”

“You
’
re in a mood this morning.
 
But come on.
 
Be serious with me for a minute.
 
No more joking, OK?
 
We
’
re
inviting all of you because we want to be with you.
 
You
’
re our family.
 
We love you and we want to share the
holiday with you.
 
We
’
ll trim the tree together, I
’
ll teach you and the girls how to make my
grandmother
’
s warm apple cider, we
’
ll have a wonderful Christmas Eve, and then
we
’
ll open presents on
Christmas morning before making Christmas dinner later in the day.
 
There
’
s more than enough room for all of us—you
know that.”

With
our typical sparring over, her face softened and she shook her head at me.
 
“
I don’
t know,” she said.
 
“The girls have friends here.
 
They
’
ll want to spend time with
them because they haven
’
t seen
them in months.
 
And
I don’
t see them often enough.
 
For years I put work before Alexa and
Daniella.
 
They still resent me for
it, but I
’
m trying to fix that.
 
I want to make sure that they
’
re happy when they come home.
 
I want a better relationship with them.”

“Maybe
without the distractions of the city, that could be possible.
 
It
’
s
not as if we
’
re going to be there
forever.
 
It
’
s for a few days.
 
What could go wrong?
 
Their winter break must go into the
middle of January, which means they
’
ll
be back in the city for New Year
’
s
Eve.
 
That’s when they
’
ll really want to be in town.”

She
looked at me, but didn
’
t answer.
 

“I
want to spend Christmas with you,” I said.
 
“You know you
’
re my
surrogate womb.”

“I
wish you wouldn
’
t put it
that way.
 
It makes me feel like I
’
ve been reduced to a body part.
 
Worse, it makes you sound like a
hippie.”

“I
do it to tease you.”

“And
you do it so well.”

“As
if you don
’
t.
 
How about if you give the girls a call
right now and see what they think?”

She
leaned back in her chair.
 
“All
right, Maine.
 
Look
—I
’
ll
come clean with you.
 
I appreciate that you thought of us, but
my daughters can be difficult, which probably comes as no surprise to you since
I did, after all, give birth to them.”

“They
can’t be that bad.”

“Sometimes
they aren’t.
 
Sometimes they can be
sweet.
 
But they also can be
downright rude—especially Daniella—which I won’t tolerate since
they’re now adults and know better.
 
I dealt with their bad behavior when they were children because kids are
kids.
 
But now that they’ve grown
up, I’ll have none of it and they know it.”

“It’s
that bad?”

“It
can be.
 
It all depends on their
moods.
 
I
’
ve told you in the past how strained my
relationship is with them.
 
Still,
despite that, they
’
ve
chosen to spend their holiday with me and not with their father, so that gives
me hope that we can turn things around.
 
I’d rather not blow that opportunity.”

“Asking
a question isn
’
t
blowing anything.
 
Ordering them to
do something is.
 
Do you think they
’
re awake now?”

“Like
their mother, they
’
re both
morning people.
 
They were up when I
left.”

“How
about posing the question to them?
 
If they decline, we are fine with that.
 
If they accept, we
’
ll be over the moon.
 
All we’d like is for you to ask them,
and to see what they think.
 
It’s up
to them, right?
 
Does that sound
fair?”

“OK,
fine.”
 

“I
promise it will be fun.”

She
picked up the phone.
 
“It better
be.
 
They’ll be miserable if it
isn’t, and we’ll all pay the price for it.”

“Maybe
you and the girls can cook together?”

“And
let them see me fail?
 
Never.
 
It
’
s
roughage and ice for me.
 
You know I
don
’
t cook.
”
 

“I
also know that you
’
re an
overachiever.
 
And that maybe your
daughters would like to see you cook a traditional holiday meal.”

She
seemed to pause when I said that, and then she started to tap out numbers and
held up a finger so I wouldn
’
t
speak.
 
“Alexa?” she said.
 
“It
’
s Mother.
 
No, no, everything
’
s fine.
 
I’m
just calling to talk.
 
No, Alexa,
that doesn’t signify the onset of the apocalypse.
 
Anyway, I wanted to ask you and your
sister a question.
 
Can you get
Daniella on the other line?
 
I
’
ll wait.”

She
looked at me and raised her eyebrows as if I
’
d lost my mind.
 
I mouthed the words, “Thank you.”

She
mouthed the words, “You’re probably going to regret this.”

“Daniella?”
she said.
 
“Is that you?
 
No, there’s no emergency.
 
Listen, I want to ask you girls a
question.
 
Be completely honest with
me, because I
’
ll do whatever you want to
do.
 
OK?
 
I mean that.
 
Whatever you want.
 
That said, we
’
ve been invited to go to Alex
’
s home on the Maine coast for the
holiday.
 
Just for a few days.
 
It will be Jennifer and Alex, and the
three of us.”
 

I
wanted to tell her that we were also asking Lisa and Tank, but since I had no
confirmation from them, I had let it slide until I knew for sure.
 

“I
’
m assuming we
’
ll take one of Wenn
’
s Lears.
 
Yes, both of you girls are of age, so of
course you can imbibe.
 
I agree, it
will be cold there.
 
Mmm-hmm.
 
Hold on.”
 
She looked at me.
 
“Will they have separate bedrooms?”

“They
’
ll share one.”

She
put her hand over the phone.
 
“That
won’t go over well.”

“Let
them know that it has a spectacular view of the ocean, a private bath, and also
a large, wood-burning
fireplace.
”

“You
’
ll share one.
 
I know, I know, but listen to me.
 
It has a spectacular view of the ocean,
a private bath, and also a large, wood-burning fireplace.
 
What
’
s that?
 
Yes, presents will be opened there.
 
We
’
ll also have a homestyle
Christmas dinner, and drinks and fun with Jennifer and Alex on Christmas
Eve.”
 
She went quiet and I could
hear the girls talking on the phone.
 
“Yes, you
’
ll be
home in time for New Year
’
s
Eve.
 
This is just for Christmas.”
 

I
heard more talking, and then Blackwell
’
s eyes
popped.
 
“You want
me
to cook dinner?”
 
She looked at me and I waved a hand to
calm her down.
 
I could help
her.
 
I mouthed the words, “I
’
ve got your back.
 
I know how to cook.”