Thanksgiving- Part Three
Glenn and Maggie were leaving when Rick returned from putting Michonne to bed. They still had to make appearances at both of their family's houses before their night was over. Not to mention Glenn had to lead an online co-op campaign search and rescue mission and Maggie was making her debut as his second in command. The couple had a deal that she'd try to take gaming more seriously if he'd put on a tux and go to more of her public events.
Merle cut out soon after. He gave it everything he had yet Andrea, miraculously, was not ready to jump his bones. He was deeply vexed and befuddled. He packed up all his best moves to take them somewhere they would be appreciated.
His local watering hole was open until midnight, despite the holiday, for the bachelors, bottle blondes and busty brunettes who preferred beers to blood. He thanked the Stud Gods that he'd be able to fire on all cylinders in the right environment as the lady-killer he was.
Carol promised to take Daryl home since he'd come with his brother. The silver-haired capo of Dixon-Grimes Security sat on the plush rug near the gas fireplace with the sleepy-eyed co-founder of the company. Propped up against the long heavy ottoman, they were two inches and two seconds away from being neck-deep in a "professional" and "platonic" cuddle.
Tyreese and Noah had also said their goodbyes to go stand in line for Black Friday sales. Noah had begged his dad to come as the "muscle". When the tenderhearted giant admitted to being nervous about possible altercations over merchandise, Noah told him he'd do the shit-talking as long as he nailed an intimidating stare.
And with the kids getting cranky, Sasha had given Belly to Andrea while she and Abe coated, hatted and scarfed their boys.
Andrea sat at the head of the dining table in the corner of the big space. She was as far away from everyone as she could be, while still able to hear the conversations around her. She was cradling Annabelle's head in her palms. The baby's still little body rested on her forearms and her tiny socked feet rested in the blonde woman's lap. The miniature white romper she wore was somewhat big on her, but the soft fuzzy fabric made her feel like a plush stuffed animal. Andrea just sat there looking at her, taking in her scent.
She was wondering what kind of mother she would be, if she ever got the opportunity. It was an idea she was becoming more and more detached from. The only man she would ever consider doing something that big with was ready to do it with somebody else. At least that's, what he'd told Michonne. Andrea found it hard to believe, though.
It was hard enough to believe that they had broken up in the first place, never mind the fact that he had actually moved on.
On a deep yawn, itty bitty arms shot up, stretching above little Belly's hair covered head. The newborn settled again after squirming and parting her eyes just a fraction. She was still asleep and smiling intermittently through whatever dreams her brain could be making up in her few days of existence in the world. Andrea took a breath in awe, when a shadow crept over the baby's peaceful face.
Andrea looked up to find Shane reclining against the heavy table looking down at his feet, arms and ankles crossed. "Hey." he said with a whisper.
It may have seemed like he was speaking softly so as not to disturb the baby, but truth was, Andrea was taking his breath away. In her little rust-colored suede mini skirt, dark brown tights and booties. Her ponytail ended in little silky ringlets and the big brocade pashmina scarf around her neck gave her the appearance of an alabaster bust crafted to be revered to time immemorial.
He'd been trying not to stare at her all evening. He was trying to ignore the light flowery fragrance she wore that made his blood pump recklessly. He was trying and he was failing miserably.
"Hey, Bubba." She answered back with an instant smile that she tried her best to dim. It didn't work so she deflected to the baby, "Isn't she cute?"
"Yeah." He looked at the tiny stranger thoughtfully. "A spoonful'a sugar if I ever seen one."
Andrea peered at him, furtively, from under her side-swept bang. She was nervous to ask but she had to. "So, are you trying yet?"
"What's that?" He shrank his eye with confusion.
"Trying for a baby."
"Nah." He seemed honestly surprised by the question. "This thang with Lori 's new. We ain't that serious yet."
She took a breath, the first one since he'd began the conversation. "Oh," Andrea's eyes stayed fixed on the serene face of the infant in her hands. "Sounded serious at the baby shower..."
The mention of the baby shower sent a jolt of guilt through Shane. He felt bad about it all through the movie and dinner that night with Lori. He really hadn't meant for Andrea to know about her. He knew it would hurt her.
He didn't know that Lori had deliberately disregarded his instructions to stay in the car. She came into Sasha's house under the pretense of their approaching movie time. But Lori just wanted to be nosey and recognized by his family as his new girlfriend, despite him obviously wanting their relationship to be kept under wraps a little longer.
"I wanted to apologize about that whole thang." He said. Instinctively, he presumed to push her hair out of her eyes, just like she liked, and Andrea did not object. "What I said about you wasting my time. I'm sorry... I wasted my own time... gettin' high and goin' t' jail. And I just didn't want to wait anymore... for nothin'. I admit it... I rushed you..." He lowered his head in regret, "I rushed you."
"And now after all the trust we built together, you're rushing into something else with Rick's crazy ex-wife..."
"Excuse me, you two." Sasha caught Andrea's question/statement as she came to collect Belly. "Sorry to interrupt." she said, smiling. Andrea stood up to pass the baby easier to her mother. Then Sasha just stood there, her eyes shifting between her brother and Andrea.
She had some things she wanted to say to them both. Michonne had given it her best effort to get them to do the right thing. But Michonne didn't have the commandeering tone she need to get through to a rockhead like Shane.
"Actually, I'm not sorry. You two piss me the fuck off." She whispered bouncing her sleeping newborn. Sasha decided, on a dime, to tell them something only Michonne knew. "You know Abe cheated on me when he was stationed in the Philippines?" She spat the confidential news to them like they had something to do with it. "He got drunk. Made a dumb ass mistake and tried to cover it up."
It had been the hardest truth Sasha ever had to face. "The crap y'all are whining about is nothing compared to that!Abraham was perfect for me and then he did the worst thing imaginable. But I asked myself, even though he fucked up, am I ever gonna find another Abraham Ford?" She turned to Shane, "You are rushing. Patience was never one of your talents. But your ass didn't have a choice when you were inside. You waited because that's what you had to do." She brought a hand from under Annabelle's bottom and pushed her finger in his chest. "Andrea says wait. You wait. You love her? You trust her? Then wait."
Andrea felt responsible for him getting chewed out and tried to come to his rescue. "Sash..."
But Sasha turned to scold her too. "And I can't believe you're talking about the trust you built together when you don't trust my brother enough to be his wife and start a family, when you agreed that that was the plan when he got out. I can't believe Mimi's flaky ass committed to Rick inside a year and y'all been doing this for years and still don't know your elbow from your asshole."
Shane, having been on the receiving end of a merciless tongue-lashing from Sasha more times than he could count, stood there waiting for her to finish with his head down. But Andrea felt the need to plead her case.
"Sasha, I tried to..." Shane reached to hold her hand and quiet her from saying anything that might really get his sister riled up. Andrea looked at Shane's posture and quickly followed suit.
"I know I said you could ride home with us but, I think Blondie should take you, so you guys can talk."
"Sasha, I have a girlfriend. I can't be ridin' with my ex-" Shane objected in his most exasperated voice, rubbing his forehead.
"I'm sorry Shane but, fuck Laura."
"Lori!"
"Whoever! If she was it, you'd be with her right now." She waved a dismissive hand. "So, you got him. Right, Blondie?" Sasha laid down the law and Andrea nodded.
"Good. Happy Thanksgiving."
After the departure of the Ford clan, the quiet of the space made it clear that Thanksgiving at Rick and Michonne's had come to an end. Daryl and Carol left a few minutes later after reminding the man of the house to congratulate his lady on an amazing dinner. Leaving Rick seated at the kitchen island in an awkward silence with Shane who was wearing his coat, posted up by the door while Andrea made a pit stop before they left.
She pussyfooted into the master bedroom where Michonne was sound asleep. The bright light from the hallway fell across her face, rousing her.
"Everybody gone?" She whispered to the figure entering the room assuming it was Rick, when Andrea's voice answered back.
"No. Sorry Mimi. You know I'm always the last to leave your house. I just need to get a couple tampons to hold me over 'til the morning. Nothing'll be open this time of night and I'm not paying convenience store prices for a generic brand." She fussed as she made her way across the bedroom and pushed into the master bathroom like she was in her own house.
"Go ahead. Take as many as you need." Michonne said groggily, as she checked her phone for the time. 10:38. Her phone buzzed with an illuminated screen displaying the picture of her and Carl from their trip to the amusement park and his contact name Young Skywalker. She answered it with a smile.
"Hey. It's late. How'd-"
Carl cut her off whispering, "Sorry 'Chonne. Is Shane still there?"
"Shane? No, I think only Drea is here." Andrea called from behind the bathroom door that Shane was still out there with Rick. Michonne corrected herself, "Never mind. Yeah, he's still here, Carl. Why?"
"Can you put your phone on mute and put it on speaker for him?"
"Okay." Michonne got up to find her brother in the apartment. "What's going on, Carl? Why are you whispering?" She asked, automatically matching his hushed tone. "You okay?"
"Yeah, yeah." He rushed her, "Is he there yet?"
"Yeah." She answered Carl, walking up to Shane. "It's Carl." She informed her brother. "He wants you... I don't know what he wants. He told me to put you on the call."
"Me?" Shane asked unsure. Michonne looked at Rick's equally puzzled features.
"He said." She shrugged holding up the phone on speaker.
"Mute it!" Carl reminded her in a strong whisper and she did.
Carl had been headed back from the bathroom when he noticed his mother's bedroom door open. In the dark of the room he saw a small blinking blue light like a beacon between her pillows. It was his phone.
He'd been looking for it all day to call his dad and Michonne. His thoughts clouded as it dawned on him that his mother intentionally hid it from him. How could she? Why would she? He had been compassionate and considerate enough to stay there with her all day. Then when he saw their ignored texts and missed calls, he started an angry march downstairs to find and confront her about it.
When he reached the bottom of the steps, he heard her syrupy quiet giggle and squinted in irritation instead of rolling his eyes, but he couldn't catch that sigh of annoyance before it escaped. He turned to go back to his room, content to wait until morning to hear her explanation, until-
"He was good enough to stay with his poor accident-prone mother." She said with a pouty inflection followed by scandalized laughter in response to whatever her caller said. "When you put it like that, I think maybe I should have let him go with his dad."
Carl wondered who she could have been speaking to. He would have assumed his Aunt Leslie but the voice his mother was putting on was the one she reserved for people who didn't know her well. The shifting glow of the TV spasmed across the room. She had it on but muted. He peered around the corner to see her sitting in the unlit living room, with her back to him on the couch.
"Well, Negan, what did you have in mind?" She purred.
Negan? Carl wondered at the unfamiliar name and after a brief pause, he heard his mother ask in a flirtatious voice, "What does it depend on?"
Carl had no doubt now she was talking to a guy... and the conversation did not sound too innocent. He shook his head at her behavior. He was the spitting image of a disappointed Rick Grimes.
First, she drags his dad's name through the mud, then she tries to keep Shane from Michonne. Maybe his dad was right and that was adult stuff that he shouldn't be in the middle of. But his mother didn't hesitate to guilt him into staying home with her. She knew how much he was looking forward to today.
Carl's mind started racing. He knew his dad didn't trust her. He knew Shane shouldn't trust her. Up until a week ago he didn't even know she was seeing Shane and now this new guy... how many guys were there? Maybe Carl couldn't trust her either. That was a hard line to cross but looking at the body of evidence, it seemed more and more likely that she was not the victim she always painted herself to be.
Hiding his phone and keeping him from Michonne and his father all day was a twisted move that made him question other times when his phone mysteriously disappeared. He thought he was just irresponsible like she said but as he put the puzzle pieces together he remembered his "forgetfulness" often coincided with his mother being unhappy with his father.
He leaned against the wall in the stairway listening to his mother laugh it up with this Negan. He wanted to show her that playing games with people's lives and hearts and reputations had repercussions. He knew if his dad were in this situation he'd say, "People get what's comin' to 'um. Just sit back an' watch the show." His father was cool like that, farsighted and discreet.
But...
What would Michonne do?
Carl knew her. She was a force to be reckoned with. When his dad got on her nerves she made sure he knew it... and regretted it... when he least expected revenge. Michonne had that quick wit and sharp tongue that Rick always fell prey to. For the most part it was playful button-pushing that they laughed about later.
And on her twitter, Carl would classify Michonne's clap back as legendary. She spoke her mind, and if you came for her she made you her special project until you were ruined. She called it serving "petty spaghetti". Maybe his mother needed a bowl.
Carl prayed that Shane was still there. His plan had almost fallen apart when she told him her brother was gone. But the most devious smile played at Carl's lips when Michonne corrected herself and followed his instructions with barely a reservation. His heart swelled that she had his back that way.
Now, he pushed the side button to sleep the screen and sat on the floor next to the couch, right behind Lori's head. Shane, Michonne and Rick all looked uncertain as they heard Lori laughing without knowing the reason for so much secrecy on their end. Rick approached Michonne and her brother trying to hear a little better.
"If he was really my boyfriend he'd be with me on Thanksgiving, right?" She said to the man on the phone. "At least you were gentleman enough to call to check on me."
"Who is she talking to?" Michonne wondered out loud.
Lori was silent as the man on the line spoke and then she continued, "It's been a while since I had one of those. Is that what you are, Negan Louis? A real man."
That name rang a bell for Shane, but not a crystal clear one. He racked his brain trying to remember where he'd heard that name from before. Negan. Negan Louis. He kept repeating in his mind. The name was odd enough to stay afloat in his memory, but he couldn't remember-
"Wait." he said looking at Michonne. He chuckled as he recognized the memory of the name and marveled at Lori's audacity.
Michonne saw acknowledgement on her brother's face. "You know him?" she asked eagerly.
"It's the fuckin' guy she rear-ended this mornin'." he spat amazed. "The guy in the Beamer. Damn."
He slumped against the door. He had the answer, but he was still trying to put two and two together. He was trying to think of how they could have exchanged numbers. He was right there the whole time in Alpha mode.
Well, at least until the police got there. His reluctance to deal with the cops in anyway had drove him back into the car. That must have been when it happened. Right in front of my face. He did his signature stance, arms and ankles crossed as he continued to listen to Lori flirt with this slimy douche. "Hang up, Mimi. I heard enough." he said.
Carl saw the screen alert him to the end of the call and he smirked to himself as he made his way back to bed, he sent Michonne a gif from the movie '8 Mile' of Eminem puking over a toilet with the caption "Mom's Spaghetti". It was a reference to her banner for revenge. A message of no retreat or surrender from the song 'Lose Yourself'. She snickered at her white son's subtle skill for retribution.
Rick caught a glimpse of the gif on her phone. He caught her eye about to question what she found so amusing when Andrea walked down the hallway. "Well, R.I.P. to those panties." she said as she met the others at the door, completely unaware of the tea that had just been served by Carl. "What the hell, Mimi." Andrea held up a blue box. "They had a sale on tampons? You stocked up and ain't tell me?"
Michonne was confused. She opened her mouth to ask her friend what she meant. But Andrea continued,
"Don't worry. I left you more than enough. You get your period before or after me? I can never remember."
"Before." Michonne whispered as her eyes went wide with realization. She stared into space, trying to remember her last period. She couldn't believe what her calculations were confirming. She looked at Rick, delirious, in a partial panic as Andrea's rant about her period turned to white noise.
Rick bulged his eyes expecting her to answer his unasked question. When she just stood there like a deaf mute, he finally asked her outright, "The hell's mom's spaghetti?"