What She Left Us (5 page)

The
doctor had indicated that if one of them had it, the two of them would be
carriers, and that they’d be dealing with this together. Courtney prayed to God
that this disease somehow decided to skip a generation, but in what she had
read on the Internet, and from what the doctor had told her, it wasn’t likely.

She
stopped by her mother’s house and went up to the bedroom. She felt bad that she
still hadn’t gone through her things, but after that last time she was there,
she couldn’t go through it alone. She didn’t have it in her. Someday she would,
she thought, but not now. Not when she was dealing with this. She needed
backup. She needed her sister.

Jenna
flopped onto her mother's bed, grabbed the blanket, stuck her fingers through
the comforting holes and dialed Courtney. She answered on the second ring.

“’Lo?”

“Court?”

“Hey
Jenna!”

Jenna
looked at the phone, a bit shocked to hear her sister sounding so… well, so
unlike the last time they talked. “You sound cheerful,” she said.

“Yeah,
well, I’m having a good week,” Courtney said.

“That’s
good. How’d that soc paper go?” Jenna asked.

“Good.
Real good. Got a B+, and the teacher’s a bastard, so I was really happy. How
are you, how’s Darren?”

“Everything’s
fine here.”

“You
know, tell him I’m pissed at him. I called him, but he never called me back,”
Courtney said.

“Yeah,
well, he’s been taking some double shifts lately.”
Double shifts? Why did I
lie to her,
Jenna wondered.
Why can’t I tell her the truth?

“Are
you guys coming up for parent’s weekend?” Courtney asked. “I might have someone
to introduce you to.”

“Um,
I don’t think I can make it then. I think Darren has to work. And what do you
mean, ‘someone to introduce me to?’” Courtney asked.

“There’s
this guy.”

“Oh
really,” Jenna said. She could tell that her sister was happy and she was glad to
talk about something else. She didn’t want to discuss Darren and the breakup,
or the possibility that they both might have a genetic disease.

“Yeah.
He plays the guitar.” Courtney said it so it sounded almost decadent.

“Ooh,
sexy.”

“Definitely
sexy. But I’m not sure if it’s going anywhere. We’ll see. We hung out the other
night, and he’s really, really nice.”

“I’m
glad,” Jenna said.

“I’ve
always been a bit jealous of you and Darren, and now that I think about it,
it’s been kind of immature of me. Maybe I need to be a little patient. Like my
time will come, you know. How's Darren anyway? You tell him to call me, okay!”

“Sure,”
Jenna was desperate to change the subject. “But hey, when do you get a weekend
off at that prison you’re in charge of? I kind of need you at home for a couple
of things. Stuff for Mom. You think you can get away and come home for a night
or two?”

“Well,
we have two days off later this month for fall break. Do you really need me
home?” Courtney asked.

“Yeah,
I really do need you at home. There’s some important stuff we have to go
through, and I don’t think I can do it alone. Please Court?”

“Okay.
Hey, depending on how things are going with Mitch, that’s his name, by the way,
guitar man. Mitch. Maybe I’ll bring him with. You and Darren can meet him.”

“Yeah,
I’d like that.”

“Okay,
give Big D a hug for me. Love you sis.”

When
Jenna and Courtney got off the plane the very first time they went to see their
father the summer after he moved to Chicago, they had no idea what to expect
from the visit. They certainly hadn’t expected to see their Aunt Helena either.

“What
the hell?” Jenna whispered to eleven-year-old Courtney as they walked toward
their father and an eccentric looking woman standing next to him.

“Bad
word,” said Courtney, who was still very much a little kid.

“Who
cares,” Jenna spat. “What is she doing here?”

“Who
is it?” Courtney asked.

“That’s
our Aunt Helena. You met her once, a long time ago.”

“I
don’t remember her.”

“Yeah,
because she’s kind of crazy, that’s why.”

“She
doesn’t look crazy.”

“Well,
she is.”

From
the distance, their dad waved while the woman next to him stood by. Her eyes
were dark and she wore black clothing but had a pretty blue scarf around her
neck. She seemed small next to their father, and Jenna whispered to Courtney,
“She was really weird. Like she was all spacey and didn’t talk much. Mom
doesn’t like her.”

“Maybe
she’s different now,” Courtney said. “Hey, didn’t she take us for ice cream
before? Now I remember her a little bit! I thought she was nice!”

“We’ll
see, but don’t count on it. Weird people are always weird.”

“You’re
weird but I love you,” Courtney said.

“Shut
up brat. Here they come,” Jenna whispered.

When
the girls met up with their father and Aunt Helena, their dad said, “Girls, remember
your Aunt Helena,” but before either of them could say anything, she knelt down
and opened her arms up. Jenna stood there, arms folded across her chest, already
annoyed they had to leave home to visit their father, but Courtney moved in for
an awkward hug.

 “I’ve
been waiting a long time for this. How are you girls! It’s been forever since
I’ve seen you! The last time I was at your house was like six years ago!”

Courtney
wiggled out of the hug and smiled, and Jenna hugged her father.

 “Do
you girls remember me?” Helena asked.

“Well…”
Jenna began, “I remember, but I don’t know if Courtney does.”

“I
think you took us for ice cream?”

“I
did! We did go for ice cream!” Aunt Helena said as if she won the lottery. “It
was wonderful, wasn’t it?! The best time ever! Until now!”

Courtney
and Jenna exchanged worried glances.

Their
dad stepped in. “Helena, that was a while ago. But we’ve got this time to get
reacquainted.”

“Oh
Frank!” Helena jumped in. “That’s okay! We’re going to have such a great time
together. I’m thrilled to be here with the girls! They’re stunning, they’re
beautiful. I can’t wait for all the fun this week! We can do whatever you want!
The Ferris wheel, American Girl Doll store, Millennium Park! I’m going to be
the best Chicago tour guide you’ll ever have!”

“Dad,
you’ll be around too, right?” Jenna asked.

“Of
course. I’m taking some time off work, not to worry,” he said.

Helena
grabbed both girls and squeezed Jenna and Courtney’s cheeks like they were
two-year-olds. “I’m so happy to see you! Come on Frank, let’s go get their
luggage!”

**

“So,
I told you she’s weird, huh?” Jenna asked later that night when they finally got
back to their dad’s house and were up in the room he had designated for them.
It was a loft area with a pull-out couch. Not much of a room for them, but they
were only going to be in Chicago for a week, so it was good enough. Courtney
had been excited to get to share with Jenna. Jenna, not so much.

“I
think she’s nice,” Courtney said.

“Whatever.”

“You’re
not very nice,” Courtney said.

“Maybe
she escaped from jail,” Jenna said. “And Dad’s hiding her here so she doesn’t
have to go back!”

“It’s
weird to think that she’s Daddy’s sister.” Courtney said. “They seem so
different. And she’s lots younger than Daddy.”

“Well,
at least she’ll take us places this week while Dad’s at work. She said she’ll
take us on the Ferris wheel, and that she’ll take you to American Girl.”

“Yeah,
Daddy would never take us to those places, so that will be fun,” Courtney said.
“And we’ve never had an aunt before.”

“Maybe
she’s not all that weird,” Jenna said. “Maybe I’m not used to her,” Jenna
admitted. “I don’t know what it’s like to hang out with an aunt, or what
they’re supposed to do.”

“I
think they’re supposed to buy us lots of things!” Courtney said.

“She
seemed a little overly excited to see us. When she doesn’t even know anything
about us. Weird.”

Courtney
turned the corner and there he was.

“Whoa!
You scared me!” she said to Mitch.

“How
so? I live here too,” he laughed.

“I
don’t know. I expected everyone to be off the floor, you know, parent’s weekend
and all.”

“Yeah,
well, some of us don’t invite our parents up for the weekend.”

“Ouch.”

“Nah,
just kidding. My parents couldn’t make it. They had something to do for one of
my sisters.” Mitch said.

“Oh
that’s a bummer,” Courtney said.

“It’s
typical.”

It
was then she noticed he had his guitar slung on his back. “Where are you
headed?” she asked.

“I
was going to grab lunch and then go find a place to play.” He looked at her
thoughtfully, then touched her cheek. God, those eyelashes weakened her knees
and short-circuited her brain.

They
had passed one another in the hall a few times since the night she had been in
his room until three, and he joined her at dinner in the cafeteria one night.
Other than that, Courtney had been afraid he wasn’t interested in her.

She
desperately wanted him to be interested in her.

“So,
you in the mood for lunch?” he asked.

“Sure,”
she hesitated, “if you want company.”

“I’ve
been looking for a reason to get together. I don’t know how it works with the
RA. You know? If students are allowed to… ”

“Yeah,
I’m not sure how that works either,” Courtney admitted. “I might have to find
out, you know, if it were to come to that.”

“I
might like for it to ‘come to that,’” Mitch grinned.

Courtney
got that low familiar ache in her stomach, that rumble of butterflies, and then
he put his hand on her shoulder and led her to the elevator.

“Going
down?” he smirked.

“Yes,”
she laughed.

The
doors opened and, with his hand still lightly on her shoulder, he led her into
the empty elevator. Once the doors closed, Mitch moved her swiftly to the
corner, so as not to waste time, she guessed, and he kissed her. Gently at
first, and she could taste peppermint on his tongue and she inhaled deeply and
he pressed his body against hers and she closed her eyes and lived in the
moment of the elevator kiss. Both hands were on her shoulders pressing her firmly
against the wall of the elevator, and then he moved a hand to her neck just
behind her ear, softly touching her, causing her skin to prickle. She kissed
him back, wishing the elevator would get stuck between floors three and
forever.

When
the doors opened to the lobby, he pulled away from her, his arms still on her
shoulders and he looked at her.

“Wow,”
Mitch said, “that was some elevator ride.”

He
took her hand and she followed him out, saying nothing at all, but thinking
everything.

**

When
they got outside into the bright fall sunlight, Courtney finally caught her
breath and got her words back. She asked, “So, what was that?”

“That,
Courtney,” Mitch said, “is what I have been dying to do since that first night
you knocked on my door and stayed until three. Nah, that’s a lie. I’ve been
dying to do that since I first laid eyes on you at orientation. When you first
said that you’re not going to take any crap from kids who aren’t following the
rules, and there are no second chances and that just because you are a female
RA you are not afraid to write up anyone.”

She
smiled at him.

“So
was that okay that I did that?” he asked.

“More
than okay,” she said.

“Good,”
he grabbed her hand and they made their way through campus up to the deli to
grab sandwiches. Courtney squinted as the sun came through the fiery oranges
and yellows of the fall trees.

“You
should have brought sunglasses, and you should have brought your drawing
pencils,” Mitch said thoughtfully.

“I
haven’t drawn in forever. Besides, I really wasn’t planning on being hijacked
today,” Courtney laughed, crunching her boots on fallen leaves. “Anyway,
drawing trees and leaves are so overdone.”

“So,
what’s your thing to draw?” he asked.

“I’d
probably like to do you,” and then she laughed, catching herself. “Sketch you,
I mean.”

“Sure,
sure, anytime you want to ‘do’ me, let me know. I’m all yours,” Mitch said.

“Is
this getting too deep, too fast?”

“That’s
what she said,” Mitch said.