It Shouldn't Be You, page 12
Colleen could see herself easily falling in with Moonbeam and June. In fact, the longer she stayed with June, it was clear that David had found a prize.
“So Colleen, what kind of things did you and your mother do together?” Moonbeam asked.
It was the proverbial cold-water bucket on the happy moment. She must have taken too long to answer because June reached out to her.
“I’m sorry, did we touch on a painful subject? Is your mother still with you?”
Colleen gave that some thought and shook her head.
“You’d think since my mother is still alive that the second question you asked would be the easy question, is my mother still with me? My mother and I have never been close. My parents divorced early, and it was messy. They’re better now, but when I was a kid, it wasn’t fun. However, I grew up in a place called Chusada, Florida. I have an amazing best friend, and she has been the most consistent family I’ve had.”
Moonbeam nodded and picked up her teacup on the table.
“Family is so hard. I don’t have a lot of family, either. I have been so fortunate, like you, to find my family.”
“Find my family?” Colleen echoed.
“Yes, your best friend is your family when your birth family isn’t.”
Colleen looked at Moonbeam and smiled. “I never thought about it like that.”
June laughed. “Well, I guess as a result of my mom not having a lot of family, she adopted a lot of people, so there are a lot of people who call themselves my siblings or family, and I’m pretty sure there is not an ounce of blood relations between us.”
“It must be comforting to know everyone,” Colleen said wistfully.
“As an adult, it has its benefits, but growing up, when the eyes were everywhere, not so much,” June said with a laugh.
“I know Travers said you all would have to leave to take care of some business at home. Does anyone know if he and David are getting along?” Moonbeam asked expectantly.
“No, I’m sorry to say that they’re not. I know Travers will do the right thing, but we are all under a time crunch, so I don’t know,” Colleen said.
June clapped to get everyone’s attention.
“Come, come, people, let’s focus. This meeting is about the subtle interrogation of Colleen.”
Moonbeam cackled. “She’s right, so let me do my gentle probing. How did you and Travers meet?”
Colleen placed her hands over her face.
“It’s so embarrassing,” she murmured.
“Oh, this is the good stuff,” Moonbeam said. “The only thing I’m missing is some popcorn.”
“Mom,” chided June.
Colleen looked over at Moonbeam, who was waiting anxiously.
“I don’t know if you should be that giddy, but I’ll have to explain some things as we go for our meeting to make sense.”
“Go for it, my feet are just getting soft,” Moonbeam said.
Both June and Colleen shivered at the thought.
“Squeamish babies. Go on with the story.”
“So my mom had to sacrifice herself for my dad. In fact, when they both found other partners, I didn’t really see a difference. I mean, in both of their relationships, someone is sacrificing their life for the other person. One of the things their sacrifice did seem to get everyone, though, is a family around them. I guess I didn’t realize until recently how much I really want a family. Anyway, I decided I would find a guy who did something similar, and so when the sacrifice came, I would be a great support to my husband. Terrible idea but I went with it.
“In came Luis Chambers. He was everything I thought I wanted. More importantly, I thought he wanted to be with me, as well.”
“Then what happened?” Moonbeam prodded.
“Well, I found out that he had no intention of being a real family with me. He only wanted to use me to get to a better job. I knew all of that, but even up until the day of our engagement party, I thought that was the best I could do. It must sound so sad and pathetic, but Luis has a way of making you think everything will be better, beautiful, and perfect when you’re with him.”
“Humph! He sounds like a frilled lizard!” Moonbeam said, and June started laughing right away.
“A frilled lizard?”
June stopped laughing to explain. “It’s a skinny lizard who’s really small, but when they feel threatened or want to find a gal, they have this hood of skin that flaps out from their body, making them look large and impressive. They can keep it up for a minute, but eventually, they go back to the skinny lizards they were.”
Colleen thought about it. “You’re right, there are a lot of similarities between them.”
June took her feet out of the bath and slipped them into the terry slippers. She then got up and poured tea for everyone at the table.
“So, what happened?”
“Oh, I came to my senses and decided, on the day of the engagement party, to leave. I had this elaborate plan because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to leave if he tried to stop me. So Travers found me and helped me getaway, and the rest is history.”
“So, Travers is a knight in shining armor?” Moonbeam said.
Colleen hoped her face wasn’t as red as she felt. “Travers isn’t a white knight. He’s a little bit tarnished, but he’s definitely one of the good guys.”
June put the kettle back on the stove.
“Well, I think you are so lucky that you had enough self-preservation to get yourself out of there when you did. Men like Luis are everywhere. When I was in the corporate world, men would look at my job title and ask me what my tax bracket was, and that was a compatibility check.
“Colleen, we all make mistakes, but what sets us apart is when we can admit them and then try to fix them.”
“I still think it’s good that you had a knight around,” Moonbeam added.
Colleen could see where Moonbeam was going. In fact, she’d have to be blind not to see where Moonbeam was going. It was cute to see someone who was so obviously a romantic.
“Travers is Travers. Some days he can save me from an engagement party, and other days he just frustrates me so bad I wonder why I’m still around.”
June sat back down and went back to soaking.
“I know you said you left, but if Luis is like the men I know, he won’t just go away. What’s going to happen when he comes for his just promotion?”
Colleen sighed. “He’s already tried to stop us by using his connections. I know it’s only a matter of time before he shows up to get me. I’m hoping I’m back home by then, but I didn’t expect us to be gone this long.”
June reached across the table and touched Colleen’s hand.
“Listen to me. Hyenas always follow behind good hunters. You know why?”
“No?” Colleen was a bit confused by the context, but she kept up.
“Because hyenas don’t kill most of their food, they steal it. So they follow behind lions and cheetahs all the time. Your Luis sounds like he has the soul of a hyena. You're going to have to face that and beat it back. He’s not going to take the hint when you say shoo. You’re going to have to shoot around over his head, so he knows you mean business,” June said.
“June, you always keep going back to those animals. She’s an activist to help rehabilitate animals as well,” Moonbeam said. Moonbeam seemed very proud of that and all of June’s accomplishments. It brought it home for Colleen just how much she was missing and how grateful she was for Elissa in her life.
June took a deep breath.
“Okay, everyone, let’s take a deep breath and then let it out. We want to let this negative situation go.”
Colleen was all for that. In the next twenty minutes, everyone got out of their footbaths, and they were put to the side so the boys could empty them. When the women were sitting with their feet in little terry slippers, Moonbeam asked Colleen a question.
“Since you and the boy love each other, when are you two going to do something about it?”
Colleen knew her eyes were as wide as saucers, and she must have looked shell-shocked.
“Oh, maybe you hadn’t noticed,” June said.
Moonbeam leaned over to June. “She must be in deep. Denial is the first sign,” Moonbeam said in hushed tones.
“I am not in love with Travers,” she said with a firm voice.
“You know he has a nickname for you,” Moonbeam said.
“You seem to know his habits, and if he’s okay,” June said.
Colleen held up her hand to stop them both. “You two are right. I do know those things, and we both have nicknames, but we are just close friends.”
Moonbeam nodded. “That’s right, that’s what they’re calling it now.”
June leaned over. “No, Mom, she doesn’t mean it has a new name, she is saying they are nothing but friends.”
Moonbeam leaned over and looked at Colleen, who nodded her head and then sat back and cackled. ,
“You kids. Just because something isn't convenient doesn’t mean you get to just turn it on and off when you feel like it. Woo-hoo. Okay, we’ll go with your thoughts until we get to the truth.”
Colleen heard Moonbeam, and she decided she’d set everyone straight.
“I want to thank everybody for making Travers and myself welcome here. I'm sure it would fit everyone if Travers and I were in love. The truth of the matter is, I think that love is just an excuse for someone to be trapped in a relationship.”
“No, you can't really think that,” said June.
“But I do. June, even if you look at your relationship, it looks like you sacrificed everything to be with him. I'm not saying that you two aren't happy. What I'm saying is it always seems like if anybody's going to be in love, it means that somebody is about to sacrifice themselves. I don't want to not be me. I also don't want someone else to sacrifice themselves for me in the name of love.”
Moonbeam tsked and shook her head.
“It's a sad day when a woman has such a low opinion of love. I know that life has been hard for you. I can't even begin to understand the relationship you have between your mother and your father. But my own experience is that love never makes you feel like less. Love gives you hope on the days that look bleak. It makes the downtimes seem like special moments. It gives you the ability to look back on all the hardships and be thankful that you were with that person. I hope you get to see what it's like to be part of something so wonderful.”
Colleen listened to Moonbeam. She remembered when she used to think like that. Colleen remembered when she and Elissa would dream that one day that would happen for them. Elissa. The one in a million. Colleen didn't hold out for such a beautiful dream to come true. No matter her true feelings on the subject, she wouldn't argue with June and Moonbeam. They were happy, and she didn't want to take anyone's happiness from them.
Chapter Twenty-Two
When Travers came back, he ran right into Moonbeam. She was waiting for him in front of the house.
“It's about time you got back here. I don't have all day to be waiting to get some help,” Moonbeam complained.
Travers wasn't in the mood. Unfortunately, there was no way to say no to Moonbeam in a polite way. All Travers really wanted to do was to find Colleen.
“What can I do for you, Moonbeam?”
“Well, it's a good thing that you asked me. We need to go and move a plank of wood by the house that you and Colleen are staying in. If you could just walk over with me, I'd really appreciate it.”
“A plank of wood?”
“You haven't been here long enough to understand, but we often have planks sitting around. They help with the construction of houses, replacing studs and such things, but most importantly, they can be used to help do some negotiations. But I need to go ahead and just have it close to the door.”
Travers didn't want to argue with how illogical this whole task sounded. The fact of the matter was he didn't mind helping because he was going that direction anyway. If Red wasn't in the house, he’d text her and ask her to come on over.
When they got to the front of the house, Moonbeam pointed to the plank of wood.
“Now, if you could just lean it up right next to the door for me, I would really be appreciative.”
“No problem.”
It was then that Travers heard some movement from inside the house. He was so relieved. It meant that Red was sitting in there, and he wouldn't have to go looking for her.
“I'm going to go inside now, Moonbeam, is that okay? Do you need anything else moved?”
“No, I'm good to go, you can go on in,” Moonbeam said dismissively.
“Are you going to come in with me? I can see that you're kind of standing by the door?” Travers asked, hoping that if Moonbeam did come in, she wouldn’t stay long.
Moonbeam waved him on. “No child, you go right on in. I just want to catch my breath and take a look at the surroundings for a bit. Then when my work is done, I will go walk right on back to the house. By the way, I will be back in about two hours or so.”
There was something wrong or out of place, but Travers couldn't focus on it. He couldn't identify what was weird here. But it didn’t matter, he pushed everything to the back of his mind and then focused on getting in the house to talk to Red. After talking to Red, he was sure he would be able to fix whatever else was amiss.
“Okay, I'll see you later.”
Travers went into the house, but when he looked in the living room, he didn't see Red. But he did hear a banging coming from the back of the room. He soon realized that the banging was coming from the bathroom. When he got in front of the bathroom, he noticed there was a plank of wood underneath the doorknob. He quickly removed the wooden plank, and out came his brother David.
Travers was so shocked at seeing David he couldn't even react when David pushed him to the side.
“Did you come here by yourself, or did she bring you?” David asked as he ran to the door.
“What are you talking about?” Travers asked as he followed his brother.
As both men approached the door, they could hear the scratching of something being dragged and then a final thump.
David ran up against the door, but it didn't budge. He tried turning the doorknob, and still, the door didn't budge.
From the other side of the door, Moonbeam’s voice rang out.
“Now you two boys listen to me, first off, don't you go breaking my door. I make a good living, but it's not that good. The two of you need to sit down and talk some things out. You two are causing all kinds of stress with everybody. I'll be back. And remember, no fighting.”
Travers looked at his brother, leaning against the door and couldn't believe what he was hearing.
“She has got to be kidding,” Travers said.
David turned around and looked at Travers with a disgusted look on his face.
“I can't believe you fell for that,” David said, shaking his head.
Travers looked at him, confused.
“You can’t be about to yell at me for falling for the same trick you did? At least I was outside. How did she get you in the bathroom?”
“She told me one of the workers has to keep his cows in a shed because the lock broke. She wanted to test the plank against the door to see if I could get out. So she wanted to try it here because it would be the same space—you know, it doesn't even matter,” David said, frustrated.
David threw up his hands and pushed by Travers to sit on a chair at the little kitchen table. He plopped down in the chair and glowered at Travers.
“I was hoping that it was Colleen at the door. I don't think that Moonbeam would have locked her in here.”
Travers kept looking between his brother and the door.
“You are kidding, right? We aren't really going to be staying here, are we?” Travers asked incredulously.
David gave him a small smile. “Well, I have no intention of knocking down the door,” David said matter-of-factly.
“Great. This is just great! I’m stuck in a room with you, and you won't let anyone knock the door down because you don't want to offend Moonbeam?”
“Well, a happy wife is a happy life. If Moonbeam is unhappy, then June will be unhappy. So you are on your own here, little brother.”
“Why doesn't that surprise me? I mean, I've been on my own for a very long time now,” Travers muttered to himself.
“So we are stuck in this room together. We might as well get rid of that chip you have on your shoulder,” David said serenely.
Travis turned and looked at his brother, sitting in the chair as if he didn’t have care in the world.
“Why does it matter? I'm going to be leaving soon. You'll be here with the company. Everything is going fine. You'll stay here and do what you need to do. I'll go back to the city and do what I need to do.”
David opened his hands wide and looked at his brother.
“I would have never figured you for a coward.”
Rage like a river of rushing water pumped through his body, obliterating any reasonable thought. The only thing he could think about was making David pay.
In retrospect, that wasn’t the only reason that Travers charged his brother sitting on the chair. Travers ran headfirst into David, both of them toppling over and rolling onto the floor. They tousled like boys in school. David wouldn't punch Travers, and Travers wouldn't hit the old man. Instead, it became a wrestling fight. Both trying to get the other one into some kind of submission hold. They rolled to and fro on the floor, running into furniture and even knocking over a small table. Finally, David managed to get the upper hand.
“Little brother, I think you need to stop,” David said out of breath.
Travers didn't answer; instead, he just pushed against the solid arm of muscle that was around his neck.
“Little brother, I can feel you've got those gym muscles, but I've actually been working in the field,” David said.
The comment just made Travers push even more until he had expended his last bit of energy into pushing both of them backward. When no relief came, and David's arm was still around Travers’ neck, they both lay exhausted, locked to one another.
