✦ ✧ ✩ Curtain Call ✦ ✧ ✩ - Charlie Gillespie

Chapter 43

Eri's POV

I made my way to the truck. The back door abruptly opened almost hitting me on my face and the two most beautiful little kids jumped out of it.

"Eri!! they said, grabbing each one of them one of my legs. I held on for dear life after their embrace and smiled down at them.

"You guys have grown so much" I made a little pout at the boys who stood up in front of me, their heads up to my hips "How old are you guys now? five?"

"And three quarters" they said, the both of them with an adorable lisp from missing their front teeth.

"Eri" I heard a man say from the driver's seat of the car "I didn't know you were coming today"

"It was one kind of last minute thing" I told my uncle, walking up to him to hug him. He effortlessly put me up in the air squeezing me against his big torso.

"You haven't grown one bit, what are you eating out there? I knew all those glamorous food trends were not nutritious."

"Thanks, I guess" I simply replied, nodding my head and putting my hands in my back pockets, "Mom's inside cooking" I continued, signing the kids to run in to her.

As they all went in I turned again to the two men riding the horses that were getting closer. I walked up to them and my eyes opened wide when I realized who the one on the horse galloping faster towards me was.

"DAD!" I shouted, running up to him, grabbing the horse's lead rope as he got down "Shouldn't you be resting?"

"Honey!" he said, taking the lead out of my hand and hugging me with his whole body, "Hey, I'm feeling better than ever" he said, as he put his arms around my shoulder and started walking towards the house with me.

I decided to just enjoy that moment with him and ask all the questions later. We made our way through the door and found my aunts and uncles helping my mom with the food and setting up the table. I looked around trying to absorb their energy as the kids grabbed my hands and made me pace around the dining room to show me their toys.

"I missed you Eri" the sweetest little voice came from behind me.

"Hey beautiful" I said, crouching down to put myself in little's Emma's eyes. She was the youngest cousin and my little protégé as she was the only one who found my set stories actually interesting. She smiled back at me and scrunched her nose "Did you come back because uncle John is sick?" I felt my stomach turn and sink at her question but tried to hide my emotions.

"I came back because I missed you all!" I replied, putting her up and attaching her to my hip as we finished setting up the table. We sat down and had the biggest meal I had since last Christmas, the last time I came to my hometown.

"Ah man I'm stuffed" I said, looking down at my squeaky clean plate "I think I might have to take a big nap"

"You are not coming riding with me?" my dad said.

"You are going out again?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows at my mom who gave me a little smile.

"Of course I am, you do remember how to ride a horse right?" My dad said, taking his plate to the kitchen to clean it "Let's go. Matthew got them fed and ready to go out again"

"Who now?" I said, opened my eyes wide and turning my head to my mom again, flaring my nostrils. As the lack of answer I followed my dad into the kitchen and as we started to help with the cleaning before going out I gained the strength to ask the question.

"Dad have you forgotten that me and Matthew broke up? I'm sorry but this is way out of line"

"Ah honey! Come on" My whole body shivered at the way Matthew adopted that nickname from my own family for me "I just wanted to see the kid. He never stopped calling me. Make your dad happy. And be fair to him, he thought you were coming the day after tomorrow and was planning to leave before you got here."