"Everybody knows how to raise children except for the people who have them."
~P.J. O'Rourke
~~~~~~~~~~
I wake up halfway on the bed to a gloomy, blustery day outside. I don't feel like getting up, so I mindlessly scroll through my phone, trying to distract myself from the thoughts already trying to penetrate my emotions.
Eloise is probably still sleeping anyway.
There was a text from Barb, saying that the girls were thrilled because they'd made a campfire and roasted s'mores for dinner. At least that was one thing I didn't have to worry about.
The weather showed that it was going to be in the 40's and I peeked out the window to see that the brightly colored leaves were already dying and falling off the branches.
I still have to call Aimee and tell her what happened. Or maybe I should make Eloise break the news.
I pick up my phone to get it over with but find myself scrolling to someone else's contact.
"Hello?"
"Sacha?"
I hear a grunt from the other end. "Well, it's good to finally hear from you! None of us have even seen you in days! I've tried calling and texting and I even stopped by to see if you were alive! Not to mention you skipped work yesterday!"
"Sacha," I sigh, but she isn't done.
"You're like a totally different person, Bev! Miss Suzy was worried the other day and she told me that you were actually stocking the magic marker rack in the right order! We don't even know who you are anymore."
"It's just been busy--"
"Oh right, I'm sorry," she scoffs. "Too busy with your new PTO friends? I thought you hated that school, now you spend all of your time there!"
"Why do you guys even care?" I ask above her yelling.
"Because everyone in this town loves you, Bev! Obviously!"
I open my mouth to give a retort, but the words catch in my throat. "What?" I murmur quietly. "Nobody likes me ever, Sacha. Don't try to make me feel better."
"That's nonsense," Sacha drawls. "I mean, yeah, you're difficult and rude, but we all see the softie you are inside. We love you. Ugh! Here I am complimenting you, but I'm still mad at you! And that's another thing--"
"Eloise got drunk last night," I blurt.
Sacha stumbles to a stop in her words. "Wait. What?"
"I don't know what to do."
Sacha's tone immediately softens, leaving all traces of anger behind. "Oh, honey..."
I bite my lip and rattle off the story, beginning from Eloise innocently asking if she could go see her nerd friends, all the way to the phone call at the cafeteria and the police station and the ride home.
"Bev, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to tell you. I know how hard it is for you to deal with all of this again."
I rub my puffy eyes exhaustedly. I'm too tired to even tell Sacha the story about my Grandma Urmantrude getting so drunk one Christmas that she wrapped my mom's gift in her dirty underwear, saying "that's what I think of that stupid garden gnome you gave me last year".
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Good Things I'll Never Do Again
Humor***THIS STORY WILL BECOME FREE ON JULY15th!*** Beverly Curie only lives for herself (and maybe ice cream). When her three nieces are suddenly put under her care, she must do the impossible: think about someone other than herself. Beverly is the only...