Sisters - A Short Story

 The deadline for this month's short story is suddenly here. In order to keep my options open, I submitted this very incomplete story just to have an entry. I might very well drop this challenge before the end of the year. This month the prompt is "Blossom" and the word count is exactly 1250. 

Sisters

Amanda’s eyes fluttered open. As she became aware that it was light in the bedroom, she sat up abruptly looking to the crib on the other side of her parents’ guest bedroom where she had put Eli to bed last night. They had both been tired from their stressful trip, and Amanda had slept soundly.  

When she saw the empty crib, she smiled. Her mother, the consummate nurturer, had obviously come into the guestroom and taken her grandson downstairs. The smell of coffee wafted up the stairs, backdropped by her Mother’s strong soprano singing hymns, as she always had done when working in the kitchen. At home, as a military wife of a deployed husband, Amanda was on call 24/7 for her 4-month-old son’s needs, so the extra rest was appreciated; still she hurriedly slipped her feet into her slippers to go feed her surely-hungry child, who had only just begun to have a few bites of cereal to supplement his main diet of breast milk.

“Good Morning, Honey!” called her mother when she heard Amanda descending the stairs. “Your Dad’s already left for work, but he said he’d be home early.”

Eli looked perfectly content with runny cereal dripping off his chin. He was sitting in Amanda and Marcy’s old highchair looking at his grandmother expectantly - apparently waiting for his morning concert to continue. Obligingly, Grammy resumed her concert, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound….”

Later, as Eli napped, Helen and Amanda discussed what activities they would like to include in these rare days together.

Helen said, “I called Marcy yesterday. I asked her and Paul to come for dinner tonight so that I can spend some time with BOTH my girls and BOTH my grandbabies while you are here. I got a feeling that something wasn’t right with them; she was vague and wishy-washy on the idea.  Why don’t you call her and see what she says?”

***

Later, Amanda rang off her call, “Great, Marcy. I’m looking forward to seeing you and Ava about 6. I’m sorry Paul can’t come with you.””

“How did she seem to you?” Helen spoke as soon as Amanda looked up from her phone.

“Well, I DID feel like she was holding back or hiding something; but she’s probably just pre-occupied with some household issue. It’s not easy having an out-of-work husband underfoot all the time. She said that Paul hasn’t had any new job leads lately.”

***

Amanda carefully placed Eli into his cousin’s arms. Ava’s eyes shone as she played “big girl holding the baby”; and Eli looked adoringly up into her eyes. “He likes me now!” Ava grinned. “He didn’t smile at me last time.”

“He was too little to smile then,” her mother assured Ava. “Eli has always loved you.” As she spoke, she adjusted Ava’s sleeve, but not before Amanda spotted a string of circular marks around the little girl’s arm.

As Marcy turned back to the adults, Amanda noticed that under her sister’s unusually-heavy makeup there appeared to be a bruise on her cheek.

Amanda, trying not to draw conclusions, quickly spoke. “Dinner was so good, Mom! I haven’t had real fried chicken since the last time you cooked it for us. So, Marcy, have you done any painting lately?”

Listening distractedly as her sister complained about lack of time for personal interests when there is a small child in the house, Amanda tried to gauge whether her sister was acting normally. She was beginning to suspect that Marcy’s husband’s frustration with job hunting was finding an unacceptable outlet.

Marcy’s explanation for her lack of creative product slowly wound down, and Amanda casually, at least she HOPED it sounded casual, reached toward her sister, “Hey, is that a bruise on your cheek? What happened?”

Marcy quickly disguised the alarm that flashed briefly in her eyes and chuckled artificially, “Oh, I’d forgotten about that.” She put her fingers on the bruise. “Actually, it’s a little embarrassing. I bent to pick up Ava last week when she was behind the sofa. Somehow I managed to stumble when I turned. I staggered into the doorframe, hitting my face. But I managed to stay on my feet and not drop Ava! I did notice, though, that my grip on her was so tight I left finger marks on her arm.” She lifted Ava’s sleeve to show the marks she’d tried to hide just a few minutes earlier.

“Mommy,” interrupted Ava, “I looooove baby Eli. Can I have a baby brother? That’s what I want for my birthday.”

“Well, not for your birthday, Sweetheart. That’s too soon; but maybe we will get you a baby brother or sister someday. And now, how about giving me a chance to hold Eli?”

As Marcy took her nephew into her arms, Helen stood. “I feel a little sluggish after that big dinner, Girls. How about a we take a little walk around the block? Ava can help push Eli’s stroller.”

“That’s okay, Grammy,” said Ava, importantly. “Mommy can push him. It’s her turn to have Eli. I’ll get Melody June. She’s been just sitting in that chair a long time. I’ll take her on her on our walk too.” She ran into the playroom to get the doll’s stroller.

***

After Amanda got Eli down for the night, her dad, Jack, excused himself to finish an ongoing project in his study; so Amanda and her mother sat sipping tea in the sunroom.

“Mom…” began Amanda.

 At the same time Helen turned and said, “Darling…”

Their eyes met in understanding.

“What can we do?” Helen looked at Amanda, eyes bright with unshed tears.

“Have you talked to her about it at all?” asked Amanda.

“No. And I think it’s time we addressed the elephant in the room,” replied her mother. “The question is how do we start.”

“She might be less embarrassed to talk about it with me than with you or Dad. What do you think?” Amanda ventured.

At her mother’s thoughtful nod, she continued, “It might actually be a relief to know that she doesn’t have to keep the secret anymore.  I could stay a few extra days to find a good time.”

Helen’s eyes lit as an idea hit her. “I have been telling her I’d like to keep Ava more. How about you two girls plan a night out, and I’ll keep the babies. Sharing a hotel room would give you an opportunity for an intimate talk.”

“Great idea. Do you think Paul will agree to her spending a night away from home? And are you sure that you and Dad are up to keeping both babies at the same time? I can pump some milk for Eli before we leave in case he won’t take the formula. We could go to that Monet exhibit downtown.  It’s this coming weekend. I know Marcy’d love to see that. I’ll order tickets now; with tickets already bought, she will have to agree!”

“It’s good to have a plan! Now, help me figure out what to say and what we can do to help her resolve this.”