Eric finally pulled the car up outside a concrete apartment block. The
entire journey had been in complete silence apart from Nathalie's
occasional wailing. Eric turned in the seat and looked at Abby.
"We're here," he told her. Abby looked directly at him.
"Yes I know," she replied, calmly. "Is she there?"
"No, she's in hospital," he answered her, knowing exactly who 'she' was.
"Wow," Abby raised her eyebrows and looked surprised. "So maybe she isn't faking. Maybe this isn't just a huge plan to drag me out of my structured happy life to join in with her miserable failure." Eric shook his head and got out of the car. It had stopped raining, but the clouds were heavy and dark and the wind whipped at his face. Abby got out of the car on the other side and looked at him from over the top of the metallic paint covered roof.
"So, what is it this time?" she asked him.
"Huh?" he looked at her, blankly.
"What's wrong with her?" Abby explained, impatiently. "I might have come all the way down here with no explanation, but I'm not going any further until I find out what's wrong with her."
"It's cold out here, Abby, and it'll take ages to explain," Eric protested. "Come inside and I'll tell you then."
"No, I said I'm not going any further. Tell me now," Abby refused, stubbornly. She had no point to this argument; she just wanted to make sure she was still in control. She just wanted a bit of reassurance that she wasn't the one being told what to do. Eric rolled his eyes.
"It's not a condition or anything," he sighed. "She's just old. She's had a series of strokes and her last one was quite serious." Abby looked at him.
"What, so she's not got, like, I don't know, cancer or anything?" Abby asked.
"Well sorry to disappoint, Abby," Eric snapped, sarcastically. "Is her death not bad enough for you unless accompanied by a disease?"
"A stroke? Come on, Eric, it's a bit vague. She could die tomorrow, or I could be here until next year," she shook her head walked around the car. Eric thought she was going to go into the apartment, but she got into the driver's seat instead.
"What are you doing?" Eric asked her, suspiciously. Abby wound down the window and looked out at him.
"Seriously, Eric, what does it look like? I didn't bring you up to be stupid," she snapped. "I want to go home. Give me the keys." Eric stared, disbelieving.
"You can't do this, Abby." Eric told her. "You've come all the way here and you're really going to turn back now?"
"Looks like it," Abby answered, coolly. "Eric, don't tell me what to do. I practically raised you, and now I have my own kid to deal with. Can I please go home?"
"Well if you're so in control, why are you asking me if you can go or not?" he shouted back. Abby said nothing but held out her hand for the keys.
"Fine, Abby. If you were such a good 'mother' to me, then you'd stay and set a good example by being there for your own mother." Eric shouted. He shrugged his shoulders and placed the keys in her waiting palm. Abby raised her eyebrows.
"What, like she ever set a good example for us." She commented.
"Abby?" Eric began. Abby looked at him straight in the eye. "Are you scared?" She immediately averted her gaze and wound the window up. Above her, the clouds were indecisive. Rain or don't rain? Not like it mattered, her day could not get much worse. The car reversed out of the drive. Eric stood calmly and watched his older sister drive his car away, possible all the way back to Chicago. It backed up to the wall and then made to turn around and leave. But it stopped. It didn't go on. Eric cautiously approached. Could this be one of Abby little games that got his hopes up and then tore them down again? He may be older now, but Abby could still hurt him.
He stood outside the window and peered through it. Abby sat, looked at her hands as they lay, motionless on her lap. He opened the car door and she didn't look up.
"Abby?" he whispered. "You scared?" She turned and looked at him with shining eyes and nodded. Her dry lips mouthed the word 'yes' and she fell into his arms.
"Come on, then," he murmured and he closed the car door, took Nathalie from the back seat and made his way back to the apartment. She drew back from him and took Nathalie from his arms.
"Sorry, Eric." She told him. The clouds darkened overhead and a raindrop fell from the sky. It splashed onto her cheek and then the rain poured down.
"It's ok, let's get inside." He handed her the house keys and took the car ones from her. Then her went to the car and fetched her suitcase. Abby stood in the rain, sheltering Nathalie under her jacket. She was glad for the rain. It ran through her hair and down her neck. It mixed with her tears and drizzled down her face. Could he tell she was crying now? Could he tell that she wasn't the strong one anymore? She was glad for the rain; the rain that kept her in the shadows and hid her fear and anxiety from her brother. How could she see Maggie again? How could she come back after so long?
"We're here," he told her. Abby looked directly at him.
"Yes I know," she replied, calmly. "Is she there?"
"No, she's in hospital," he answered her, knowing exactly who 'she' was.
"Wow," Abby raised her eyebrows and looked surprised. "So maybe she isn't faking. Maybe this isn't just a huge plan to drag me out of my structured happy life to join in with her miserable failure." Eric shook his head and got out of the car. It had stopped raining, but the clouds were heavy and dark and the wind whipped at his face. Abby got out of the car on the other side and looked at him from over the top of the metallic paint covered roof.
"So, what is it this time?" she asked him.
"Huh?" he looked at her, blankly.
"What's wrong with her?" Abby explained, impatiently. "I might have come all the way down here with no explanation, but I'm not going any further until I find out what's wrong with her."
"It's cold out here, Abby, and it'll take ages to explain," Eric protested. "Come inside and I'll tell you then."
"No, I said I'm not going any further. Tell me now," Abby refused, stubbornly. She had no point to this argument; she just wanted to make sure she was still in control. She just wanted a bit of reassurance that she wasn't the one being told what to do. Eric rolled his eyes.
"It's not a condition or anything," he sighed. "She's just old. She's had a series of strokes and her last one was quite serious." Abby looked at him.
"What, so she's not got, like, I don't know, cancer or anything?" Abby asked.
"Well sorry to disappoint, Abby," Eric snapped, sarcastically. "Is her death not bad enough for you unless accompanied by a disease?"
"A stroke? Come on, Eric, it's a bit vague. She could die tomorrow, or I could be here until next year," she shook her head walked around the car. Eric thought she was going to go into the apartment, but she got into the driver's seat instead.
"What are you doing?" Eric asked her, suspiciously. Abby wound down the window and looked out at him.
"Seriously, Eric, what does it look like? I didn't bring you up to be stupid," she snapped. "I want to go home. Give me the keys." Eric stared, disbelieving.
"You can't do this, Abby." Eric told her. "You've come all the way here and you're really going to turn back now?"
"Looks like it," Abby answered, coolly. "Eric, don't tell me what to do. I practically raised you, and now I have my own kid to deal with. Can I please go home?"
"Well if you're so in control, why are you asking me if you can go or not?" he shouted back. Abby said nothing but held out her hand for the keys.
"Fine, Abby. If you were such a good 'mother' to me, then you'd stay and set a good example by being there for your own mother." Eric shouted. He shrugged his shoulders and placed the keys in her waiting palm. Abby raised her eyebrows.
"What, like she ever set a good example for us." She commented.
"Abby?" Eric began. Abby looked at him straight in the eye. "Are you scared?" She immediately averted her gaze and wound the window up. Above her, the clouds were indecisive. Rain or don't rain? Not like it mattered, her day could not get much worse. The car reversed out of the drive. Eric stood calmly and watched his older sister drive his car away, possible all the way back to Chicago. It backed up to the wall and then made to turn around and leave. But it stopped. It didn't go on. Eric cautiously approached. Could this be one of Abby little games that got his hopes up and then tore them down again? He may be older now, but Abby could still hurt him.
He stood outside the window and peered through it. Abby sat, looked at her hands as they lay, motionless on her lap. He opened the car door and she didn't look up.
"Abby?" he whispered. "You scared?" She turned and looked at him with shining eyes and nodded. Her dry lips mouthed the word 'yes' and she fell into his arms.
"Come on, then," he murmured and he closed the car door, took Nathalie from the back seat and made his way back to the apartment. She drew back from him and took Nathalie from his arms.
"Sorry, Eric." She told him. The clouds darkened overhead and a raindrop fell from the sky. It splashed onto her cheek and then the rain poured down.
"It's ok, let's get inside." He handed her the house keys and took the car ones from her. Then her went to the car and fetched her suitcase. Abby stood in the rain, sheltering Nathalie under her jacket. She was glad for the rain. It ran through her hair and down her neck. It mixed with her tears and drizzled down her face. Could he tell she was crying now? Could he tell that she wasn't the strong one anymore? She was glad for the rain; the rain that kept her in the shadows and hid her fear and anxiety from her brother. How could she see Maggie again? How could she come back after so long?