holiday syndrome

2. the dinner

"They are already ghosts"

gif: marley

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

     MACK was absolutely stunning in her crimson sweater dress that matched the glass of wine that swung loosely in her hand. Her calla lily skin held a warmer tinge at the cheeks that reminded Marley of the dark mahogany chest upstairs in her childhood bedroom. Marley couldn't take her eyes off the way her wrist swung back and forth with no worry that the liquid could spill. Though, Mack had never made a mistake in her life, especially not something as lame as spilling wine on her mother's carpet.

     It was a wonder that Mack even came to Christmas dinner at their mother's house, though it was technically a week after Christmas. Mack had claimed that her and Mads had needed a few days together after the wedding before they visited people. They were to leave for their official honeymoon the next day and Mack wouldn't stop talking about it. In fact, she had printed out an itinerary for her to read, as if Marley needed a reminder that Mack's life was perfect.

      At the beginning of the night, it seemed like Mack couldn't care less about their mother's condition or what she was going through. Marley only watched her sister's cold exterior shed once, when her mother choked on her pills and took ten minutes to regain her breath.

     Mack was never good at caring for others or taking care of them; Marley had always known that. However, it was a slight surprised to her when Mack stopped visiting their mother altogether. She had known how important it was to their mother that they remained a family after their father passed away. Marley supposed her sister had been swallowed by money and fame and hadn't yet been choked back out.

     Her sister was nearing thirty though, soon enough she would be choked back out with developing wrinkles and less of a midnight, youthful glow.

     "Mackenzie, baby you should tell your new husband to come over and socialize. He looks like a puppy that's been kicked to the curb," their mother crooned pleadingly.

     Marley glanced at Mads who was sitting in the family room watching a random channel mindlessly. His eyes were unfocused and his lips were twisted into a distraught frown that Marley prayed wouldn't become permanent. She had said actual prayers that her sister would make him happy and that nothing would fall apart. None of them could afford to fall apart so soon after the wedding.

    They just needed time anyways, or at least that was what she was trying to convince herself.

     "Don't bother the poor guy, Ma. I'll go chat with him and warm him up first," Marley scolded with a tight smile. Her mother pursed her lips but didn't say anything further.

     Mack twisted her lips in distaste while Marley poured herself another glass of wine (her third) and walked carefully to the vintage couch. It had a paisley print and smelled like chai tea but it was somehow still in quite good condition. Marley had remembered jumping up and down on it as a kid, even falling off plenty of times. While she still had scars, they were quite good memories none the less. Her home was bleeding memories in every single room, reminding Marley of her childhood adventures every time she visited her mother.

      "Do you like reading?" His eyes darted to her and then back to the TV, though he looked incredibly more aware of his surroundings. She licked her lips and wondered if it was such a good idea to approach him after all.

     Would it always be like that between them if they happened to run into each other? She was beginning to feel as though they had a dirty secret between them that made a potential civil family relationship impossible. Of course, Mack would probably never want them to have a relationship anyways. It was most likely for the best that they let the awkward tension between them keep them apart.