Susan glanced over at Susie and smiled slightly. She was frowning and going over the notes in her hand. Susan nudged her and Susie looked up. She took a deep breath and smiled. Susan winked at her and Susie stood up. She smoothed her plaid school skirt and straightened her shoulders in the blue school blazer. She walked up to the audience podium, put her notes down and adjusted the microphone for her height. Susan glanced around the packed room and was suddenly aware of all the people wearing the school uniform. Her eyes met those of Judge Morgan who stood against the wall across the room and the woman nodded with a smile. The judge nudged a tall girl standing next to her who smiled at Susan as well. The microphone whistled slightly and Susie tipped her head back a bit.
"Hello," she said quietly. "My name is Susan Elizabeth Lewis and I am a student at St. Alyosis. I am here to speak to you, our esteemed Board of Directors, about a requirement for our students that appears to be archaic and unfair. That requirement is that we are bound to participate in a competitive sport." Susan's chest swelled with pride as she watched and listened as Susie took charge of the meeting. Her speech was concise and precise. She had facts and figures. She had heart and soul. She had everyone in the palm of her hand.
"Thank you, Susie," Mr. Morgan, the Board President, said when she had finished. "I don't think that there is a Board member here who has not been impressed with your tenacity, your organizational skills and now, your poise, in speaking to us. Anyone that can bring my own daughters home from their colleges to attend a school board meeting gets a gold star in my book." A laugh rippled through the audience and Susan glanced over again to where Judge Morgan stood with her daughters. Something drew her eyes to the back of the room and her heart jumped to her throat. It was Chloe. She was standing by the door with her eyes riveted on Susie. Susan frowned and sat back in her seat. She swallowed and looked up at Mr. Morgan again.
"You have brought up some very valid points for us to consider," he was saying, "and we have considered them. As you pointed out, our goal for our girls should be to foster a life long love of fitness and exercise. You are also correct in stating that they may not be playing these sports after they leave school. I am happy to say that we are seriously considering changes within our program. Unfortunately those changes cannot be implemented for this school year. You mentioned that you have signed up to play a spring sport?" Susie nodded.
"Yes," she said. "I'm on the roster to play soccer but it won't be pretty. I still run like a duck." Susan grinned as another laugh filled the room. Mr. Morgan shook his head and laughed.
"Well, maybe next year you will be able to forego the competition aspect and try something else. We will definitely be looking at instituting some of the suggestions that you have given to us...as well as looking at the various survey results you have compiled which include our students' interests and desires." He sifted through the file of papers in front of him. He took his glasses off and smiled.
"Well done, Susan Elizabeth Lewis," he said. "Well done, indeed." The room exploded with applause - and cheers - as Susie turned and stepped away from the microphone. She was smiling happily as she made her way through the outstretched hands shaking hers and patting her on the back. Susan stood up and Susie stopped in front of her. Susie shrugged and Susan wrapped her arms around her in a hug. They both let out a huge sigh and Susan kissed the top of Susie's head. She glanced toward the back of the room and saw that Chloe was gone.
Chuck was waiting up for them, reading in the livingroom, when they got home. Susan blasted him a mile a minute as she chattered on and on about the meeting and what happened. Susan quietly put her things away and listened. She headed into the kitchen to get a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Susan bounced in and hugged her.
"Thank you for coming with me tonight, Aunt Susan," she said. "Thank you for everything." Susan squeezed her tight and held her for a moment longer than she really needed to. Susie kissed her cheek and hurried off to bed. Susan opened her bottle of water and took a long drink. When she pulled the bottle away from her lips, she saw Chuck leaning against the door jamb watching her.
"Chloe was there," she said quietly. He nodded.
"She called for you just after you left tonight," he said. "I told her where you were."
"What did she want?"
"To talk to you." Susan nodded.
"Did she leave a telephone number or something?" Chuck nodded. He gestured toward the notepad on the kitchen counter. Susan picked it and looked at it for a long moment.
"I told her you would call when you got home tonight." Susan nodded.
"I will," she said. "I want to wait until Susie is asleep first."
"That might be a while. She's pretty keyed up." Susan looked at him pointedly.
"She can wait." Chuck sighed.
"Call her now and meet her somewhere. If she asks, I'll tell Susie that you were called in to work." Susan looked at him for a long moment and then picked up the cell phone on the counter.
Chloe was waiting for her when Susan entered the restaurant. She saw her immediately and waved. Susan made her way to the back booth and slipped into the seat facing her sister.
"My god, Chloe," she said as she studied her sister's face. "It's been five years. Where have you been?" Chloe shrugged.
"Here and there," she said.
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have for you."
"How could you just walk away from Joe? From Susie?" Chloe was silent for a long moment.
"She's beautiful, Sus," Chloe said softly.
"You have no idea how beautiful she is."
"She's smart too..." she said softly. "She always was smarter than me."
"Oh Chloe, you are pathetic. Don't turn this into a pity party for you. This is all about making choices. Your choices have always been at the expense of the people who love you."
"Love me?" Chloe said as she raised her eyebrows. "Not...loved?" Susan sighed and crammed her fists into the pocket of the sweater jacket she wore.
"You are the only sister I will ever have," she said. "Of course I love you." Chloe looked up at her and smiled a little.
"What is she like?" Chloe asked. "Is she a hellion?" Susan chuckled and sighed.
"Yes, she is," she said. "But not in the way that you mean." She hesitated and then opened her purse and took out a small photo album. She put it on the table and pushed it toward Chloe. Chloe opened it and blinked as she laughed softly. It was a picture of the technicolor hair, black garbed Susie from last summer.
"What was that all about?" Chloe asked as she traced Susie's face with her finger.
"I asked her about it this winter," Susan said. "It had something to do with trying to fit in with the high school kids she was attending summer school with. She didn't want them to think she was weird or... something...and after that she just wanted to make sure we would keep her no matter what she was like." Tears filled her eyes as she watched her sister's face while she flipped slowly through the book of pictures...Susie with Cosmo...Susie with Chuck...Susie with her...Susie and Heather in their play costumes... Susie in her school uniform...Susie balancing a detested soccer ball on her finger ...their family together...
"Can I keep this?" Chloe asked. Susan nodded.
"I put it together for you."
"Thanks." Chloe slipped the photo book into her bag. She looked up at Susan and sighed.
"What now, Chloe?" Susan asked. Chloe shrugged.
"Maybe back to Seattle...maybe Chicago. I have friends in San Diego. I lived there for a while," she said. Susan closed her eyes.
"Don't walk out of her life again," she said. Chloe blinked back tears and frowned.
"We don't...fit...together," she said. "She could never function in my world. She'd be the kid of an addict. I don't want that for her. And I can't make it in her world either. This is the best thing. She needs to be with you." Susan took a deep breath and then sighed.
"She needs..." she corrected herself, "...we both need you, Chloe."
"Naw...you don't need me, Susie," Chloe shook her head. " You always gave me more that I've ever given you. But I'm fixing that now." Chloe reached across the table and took Susan's hands in her own.
"You have the best thing I ever did. That's all you'll ever need from me." Susan sat still and gripped her sister's hands tightly in her own.
"Please come and see her," she said. Chloe shook her head.
"I wouldn't know what to say to her right now. I just wanted to make sure she was okay," she said. "Someday I will see her though. I promise." Chloe pulled her hands gently from Susan's.
"I won't disappear again," she said softly. "I promise you that too." She stood up and moved to the other side of the booth to hug Susan.
"I will call you...as soon as I am settled somewhere," she said. Susan choked back a sob and hugged Chloe close for a long moment.
"Take care of her," Chloe said as she turned and walked away. Susan watched her leave the quiet restaurant and sat quietly thinking for a long time. The waitress approached and Susan began to chuckle. She shook her head and opened her bag. Chloe had left her with her dinner bill.
The house was quiet when she got home. She locked the door behind her and went up the stairs. She flipped on the hall light and peeked into Susie's room. Susan smiled as she opened the door a little wider and stepped inside. Cosmo was sound asleep in Susie's bed with his fingers wrapped in her curly hair. Susan gently untangled his fingers and tucked his arm under the light quilt. Susie stirred and opened her eyes a bit.
"Was it a bad accident, Aunt Susan?" she murmured as she frowned in the light from the hall. Susan smiled softly.
"We'll talk about it in the morning, sweetie," she said.
"Okay," Susie yawned and closed her eyes. She wrapped a protective arm around Cosmo and slipped back to sleep. Susan leaned down and pressed a kiss to both of their cheeks. She smiled and turned out the hall light as she made her way to the master bedroom. Chuck was propped up on a pile of pillows on their bed with the television on. He'd obviously tried to wait up for her...unsuccessfully. Susan changed into a soft night gown and crawled under the covers next to Chuck. She smiled at him for a moment and then kissed him. Chuck came awake slowly and slipped his arm gently across her back holding her closer. Susan drew back and smiled. Chuck nodded and snuggled her against his shoulder.
"I take it things went well?" he said. Susan nodded.
"She's leaving again," she said. "But she promised to call when she is settled somewhere." Chuck frowned and looked at her.
"And Susie?" Susan looked at him and smiled.
"She's staying right here," she said. "But you already knew that." Chuck grinned and kissed her again.
"So what do you think? Cosmo and Susie...a preschooler and a teenager," Susan sighed. "Do you think we can survive this?" Chuck laughed.
"Oh...I think we'll have our hands pretty full," he said, "...and that's all we'll ever need, right?" Susan nestled up against him and sighed happily.
"Oh yeah..."