Holding On
Chapter 16- Early Morning
The next morning Lizzie woke to the smell of pancakes in the frying pan rising slowly from the kitchen up to her room. She ran downstairs to find her mother and Maggie cooking breakfast. Maggie had on a dark blue apron that fell down around her ankles and she was attempting to put the batter in the pan. Jo was making sure she didn't spill it on the newly cleaned floor. When she saw Lizzie in the kitchen she smiled. "Well I found out Maggie doesn't like cereal." She said. Lizzie laughed.
"She doesn't like anything that comes in a box. She loves to cook her meals from scratch." Lizzie said, and then looked at her daughter trying to make pancakes. "Or at least meals she helped make." Her mother raised her eyebrows at Lizzie. "I've decided to think of it as a blessing." Lizzie said. "When she's older she can cook for me."
"Yes!" Maggie exclaimed. She had overheard the conversation between the two women and agreed with everything they said. "I want to cook for Mommy!"
Lizzie looked down at her daughter. "Wonderful." She said, considering herself lucky to have a daughter who was willing to cook for her. Then she took her by the hand and steered her into the bathroom. "We'll get all that batter off your face before you eat."
After they finally scrubbed Maggie, they sat down to breakfast just as Jo was putting it on the table. They sat down and Lizzie's father, Sam, joined them at the table. "Where's Matt?" he asked.
"He went out early." Jo said, seating herself next to her husband. "Said he had a life and death situation to take care of." She said smiling. Lizzie grinned at her brother's exaggeration and his eagerness to deal with his problems.
"What do you plan on doing today?" Sam asked Lizzie.
"I thought I might take Maggie over to Miranda's house." She replied. "She made me promise to visit again."
"Why don't you invite her over here?" Jo suggested. "It would be nice to see her again. She used to be over here all the time when you were in school."
"OK." Lizzie said. She secretly wondered whether or not it would be a good idea to call Gordo and ask him to come over. "Do you think I should call over David Gordon, too?" She asked. Her parents knew he was following her and they stopped eating and starred at her. "Like a reunion. Almost." She said.
Her mother blinked at her in disbelief. "Do whatever you want, Lizzie. Just think before you call." She said and got up to clear the table.
Sam took his granddaughter into the living room to play a board game while Lizzie helped her mother wash the dishes. "You sure you want him to come over?" Jo asked Lizzie, cautiously. She didn't want her daughter to do something she would regret later.
"Yes, mom. I think it's time to talk to him again. He's been ready to talk civilly and now I'm ready too. I don't think I should miss the opportunity." Lizzie replied. She believed every word she had said, and things couldn't get that bad because Miranda was going to be there, too.
"Then call him." Jo said tossing her the phone. Lizzie stared at it. She looked at her mother again.
"I don't know where to reach him. I don't have his number in LA." She said, stalling. Her mother was already going through a pile of letters and notes.
"Here." She said, trusting a small piece of paper at Lizzie. "Gordo left this number when he came to see you the other day. He'll be at that hotel for a week."
Lizzie dialed and walked into the next room to talk privately. Jo started at her daughter. She never thought Lizzie's life would be like this. Working, single mother who lived all the way across the country in Boston. She always thought Lizzie and Gordo would be together and they would have lived close by, or at least in the same state. It also made her sad to think that she only saw Lizzie and Maggie once a year. And she also felt bad that because she knew Lizzie was lonely without Gordo. Even though she had been dating Jake, Lizzie hadn't had someone to help her raise Maggie.
Lizzie waltzed back into the room looking pleased with herself. "He's coming." She stated. "And so is Miranda. I called her too. It'll be our own little reunion. You know the three of us haven't been together for six years."
"Speaking of reunions" Jo started. "Don't you have your ten year high school reunion coming up soon?"
"Really?" Lizzie asked, intrigued. "I wouldn't know. I haven't opened my mail in ages."
"That explains my you don't respond to my letters." Jo muttered.
"Oh." Lizzie said meekly, thinking of the piles of unopened mail she had tossed into the trash. "How do you know about a Hillridge High reunion anyway?"
"I don't." her mother answered. "I guessed. But I'm right. They always have these sorts of parties the tenth summer after you graduate. Ask Miranda and Gordo if they got an invitation yet."
"Ok." Lizzie said. "But I don't even know if I'll be able to go. I mean, it would mean coming back here after I just left. It seems pretty pointless."
"Or you could just extend your visit." Jo said as she finished up the dishes and walked into the living room where Maggie was beating Sam in Chutes and Ladders. Lizzie followed her and sat down next to her daughter.
When she graduated from high school Lizzie never thought this was where she would ten years later. But it was, and she loved it. The ten years hadn't been wasted. She was actually proud of what she had managed to accomplish moving to a new city, finding a new job, and most importantly, raising her daughter. She realized she couldn't wait to see everyone from her high school.
Chapter 16- Early Morning
The next morning Lizzie woke to the smell of pancakes in the frying pan rising slowly from the kitchen up to her room. She ran downstairs to find her mother and Maggie cooking breakfast. Maggie had on a dark blue apron that fell down around her ankles and she was attempting to put the batter in the pan. Jo was making sure she didn't spill it on the newly cleaned floor. When she saw Lizzie in the kitchen she smiled. "Well I found out Maggie doesn't like cereal." She said. Lizzie laughed.
"She doesn't like anything that comes in a box. She loves to cook her meals from scratch." Lizzie said, and then looked at her daughter trying to make pancakes. "Or at least meals she helped make." Her mother raised her eyebrows at Lizzie. "I've decided to think of it as a blessing." Lizzie said. "When she's older she can cook for me."
"Yes!" Maggie exclaimed. She had overheard the conversation between the two women and agreed with everything they said. "I want to cook for Mommy!"
Lizzie looked down at her daughter. "Wonderful." She said, considering herself lucky to have a daughter who was willing to cook for her. Then she took her by the hand and steered her into the bathroom. "We'll get all that batter off your face before you eat."
After they finally scrubbed Maggie, they sat down to breakfast just as Jo was putting it on the table. They sat down and Lizzie's father, Sam, joined them at the table. "Where's Matt?" he asked.
"He went out early." Jo said, seating herself next to her husband. "Said he had a life and death situation to take care of." She said smiling. Lizzie grinned at her brother's exaggeration and his eagerness to deal with his problems.
"What do you plan on doing today?" Sam asked Lizzie.
"I thought I might take Maggie over to Miranda's house." She replied. "She made me promise to visit again."
"Why don't you invite her over here?" Jo suggested. "It would be nice to see her again. She used to be over here all the time when you were in school."
"OK." Lizzie said. She secretly wondered whether or not it would be a good idea to call Gordo and ask him to come over. "Do you think I should call over David Gordon, too?" She asked. Her parents knew he was following her and they stopped eating and starred at her. "Like a reunion. Almost." She said.
Her mother blinked at her in disbelief. "Do whatever you want, Lizzie. Just think before you call." She said and got up to clear the table.
Sam took his granddaughter into the living room to play a board game while Lizzie helped her mother wash the dishes. "You sure you want him to come over?" Jo asked Lizzie, cautiously. She didn't want her daughter to do something she would regret later.
"Yes, mom. I think it's time to talk to him again. He's been ready to talk civilly and now I'm ready too. I don't think I should miss the opportunity." Lizzie replied. She believed every word she had said, and things couldn't get that bad because Miranda was going to be there, too.
"Then call him." Jo said tossing her the phone. Lizzie stared at it. She looked at her mother again.
"I don't know where to reach him. I don't have his number in LA." She said, stalling. Her mother was already going through a pile of letters and notes.
"Here." She said, trusting a small piece of paper at Lizzie. "Gordo left this number when he came to see you the other day. He'll be at that hotel for a week."
Lizzie dialed and walked into the next room to talk privately. Jo started at her daughter. She never thought Lizzie's life would be like this. Working, single mother who lived all the way across the country in Boston. She always thought Lizzie and Gordo would be together and they would have lived close by, or at least in the same state. It also made her sad to think that she only saw Lizzie and Maggie once a year. And she also felt bad that because she knew Lizzie was lonely without Gordo. Even though she had been dating Jake, Lizzie hadn't had someone to help her raise Maggie.
Lizzie waltzed back into the room looking pleased with herself. "He's coming." She stated. "And so is Miranda. I called her too. It'll be our own little reunion. You know the three of us haven't been together for six years."
"Speaking of reunions" Jo started. "Don't you have your ten year high school reunion coming up soon?"
"Really?" Lizzie asked, intrigued. "I wouldn't know. I haven't opened my mail in ages."
"That explains my you don't respond to my letters." Jo muttered.
"Oh." Lizzie said meekly, thinking of the piles of unopened mail she had tossed into the trash. "How do you know about a Hillridge High reunion anyway?"
"I don't." her mother answered. "I guessed. But I'm right. They always have these sorts of parties the tenth summer after you graduate. Ask Miranda and Gordo if they got an invitation yet."
"Ok." Lizzie said. "But I don't even know if I'll be able to go. I mean, it would mean coming back here after I just left. It seems pretty pointless."
"Or you could just extend your visit." Jo said as she finished up the dishes and walked into the living room where Maggie was beating Sam in Chutes and Ladders. Lizzie followed her and sat down next to her daughter.
When she graduated from high school Lizzie never thought this was where she would ten years later. But it was, and she loved it. The ten years hadn't been wasted. She was actually proud of what she had managed to accomplish moving to a new city, finding a new job, and most importantly, raising her daughter. She realized she couldn't wait to see everyone from her high school.
