Ch 3: Empty
"Aunt Jordan it's Nine O'clock!" Mackenzie screamed into Jordan's ear as Jordan pushed her away and sat up sleepily.
"What?" Jordan snapped, suddenly it was like she woke up from a dream. "Shit… I mean Crap." She shoved herself out of bed and dressed quickly. A knock at the door signaled Nigel and Bug were there, Mac rushed out to answer the door. Angela stood there, next to Nigel, heavy with baby, and a four-year-old hanging off her shoulders.
"I have to pee." She stated flatly as Mac moved aside to let her through.
"Hi Uncle Bug, Hi Uncle Nigel."
"Hey honey," they said in unison, sitting on the couch with a sigh. "Where's Jordan?"
"Getting ready, she woke up late again." At that second Jordan emerged from her bedroom sporting a bright red tee shirt and black dickie jeans.
"Hey everyone." They all greeted her, as Angela waddled into the living room. "Where's everyone else, Garret and Lily, Cal and Shelby, Sydney?"
"Meeting us there… we ready to go?" Mac asked impatiently, sticking her chin out stubbornly.
The trip was silent, no one spoke, and no one needed to. Mac slid down into her seat as they pulled off on the expressway. She could feel her chin tremble slightly. She was only seven, only seven when her mother was murdered in New York, Only seven when her mom's pimp took her to Boston, intent on selling her. Only Seven when she met Woody. But he had changed her life; in the few weeks he had known her she had learned more about herself, how strong she really was. She looked out the window at the ocean, pounding against the sand, she wondered if that was the same ocean that she had stood next to once upon a time, smiling and running around. It didn't seem the same, it seemed sad and empty, dark and mysterious.
"Time changes things." Someone had once said to her, though time prevented her from remembering who, she was so little, all she had was this blurred vision of a face, and the features weren't distinct and a little grainy. She looked over at Jordan who was watching the road silently as she prepared to change lanes.
She wondered for a moment what it would be like to disappear, like rain into a puddle, just fade into the crowd. She wondered how free it would be not to be known, not to be obligated to anything…
The memory of her mother brought her back like cold water. Her mother was a runaway, a vagrant prostitute, and she was the smartest person Mac had ever known. She had hopes and dreams like any other girl; they were all crushed by her need for money. Mac never resented her mother; she always had clothes on her back and food in her stomach though sometimes her mom went hunger so she wouldn't.
She thought her mother would be proud at the way she had carved out a life for herself. Except, she could see it falling apart, a little at a time. Jordan was becoming distant, Garret was thinking of retiring, Bug and Nigel barely spoke anymore; Angela was preoccupied with Matt and her little one on the way. All of it was gone, after five years of birthday parties and Christmas's it was all over. They were all separating, like cream and milk. Mackenzie felt tears run down her face silently, she didn't need that. All she wanted was a little piece of history, was that too much to ask? A warm house, a safe bed on a quiet boulevard. Why couldn't that be her?
She wiped away her tears and burrowed down deeper in her seat… it would be a long drive.
Jordan looked over at Mac; she was almost asleep, her legs curled up against her body. She felt bad for her, she had been disappointed by so many people in her life, and now they were spending what seemed their last weekend at the cape in honor of Woody's birthday, he would be thirty-seven on Sunday, it was Thursday. She felt a lump gather in her throat she pushed it down and kept driving. She normally would be driving to run, but now she had Mac, she couldn't run, though she wanted to. She pulled up the sandy driveway and up to a worn gray beach house. She parked haphazardly, the car jerked to a stop. She yanked the keys from the ignition and wiped away a rouge tear in the same swift movement. She sat only for a moment before waking up Mac, they had to mend whatever was happening, quick.