August 1st 2022
Chapter 213
Our Dreams For Peace
Marianne wasn't the only kid in the house looking forward to the parade though she was definitely the most motivated. She and Tori talked about it so much over breakfast that the triplets were having to be reminded to eat, so busy as they were listening to their sister and niece that their mouths hung open without any food reaching them. It was a good thing that they genuinely had time to spare ahead of the broadcast, because it definitely slowed things down, meal wise. But finally, everyone had eaten, and it was time to go up and get dressed. This, too, was affected by 'parade fever,' as dressing several little girls who would not stand still for giddiness was understandably challenging. It was a good thing that Maya and Lucas were pros at this point. PJs were swapped for clothes, shoes put on, hair fixed up, and of course, special day meant special lockets all around. It was reassuring in a way that, as excited as they all were, none of them just rushed back downstairs as soon as they were ready to go. They stuck around and waited for the others, and only once the five of them could go did they go down the stairs, into the living room, and on to the floor. Marianne knew how to turn on the television and she did, turning on to the channel when she was reminded of the number. The parade had not started yet.
Their group of five girls – plus baby Mackenzie, once Maya brought her and put her in Marianne's care – was soon joined by another, as Winnie Grayson and her mother were the first guests to join them. The girl hurried to go sit with her best friend while her mother went and thanked their hosts for having them before offering herself to help with anything that needed doing.
Maya: Any idea when you'll be back?
Emma: I'm spending today with friends.
Emma: Didn't Eliza tell you?
"Hey, Lizard?" Maya turned to her little sister, still frowning at her phone before she looked at her and showed the screen. Eliza saw the texts and her expression was perplexed. "Did you forget to tell me, or…" she trailed off, finding her own answer in a pair of eyes similar to her own.
"I just… figured she'd come around in the end," Eliza finally shrugged.
"Come around to what?" Maya asked. "What's going on?"
"We just…" Eliza shook her head to herself. "It's stupid…" That wasn't going to pass without more explanation, and she knew it. "We had a fight, alright? Or… I guess things have been getting weird for a while and it finally just erupted," she confessed.
This was the first that Maya heard of it, and she was ashamed to say the first she was made aware of it. She hadn't seen any of this, hadn't realized that anything could be going on between them. As far as she knew, all was right as rain between the best friends turned sisters. Had she been so caught up in kids, and baby things, and work, that her sisters had been right there, living in her house, and she hadn't noticed? Eliza read this concern in her face and shook her head.
"Don't worry about it, okay? It's not on you."
"What happened?" Maya had to ask, but Eliza shook her head again.
"I don't want to talk about it, okay? Can't we just enjoy Thanksgiving, all this today?" she asked. Maya sighed. Easier said than done, have you met me?
"Moo-oom! It's starting!" Marianne called out.
"Okay, pumpkin, just let us know when it's time, will you?" Maya called back.
"Okay!"
Eliza volunteered to run an errand when they realized they were missing something, jogging up to the Sandersons' after Lucas had called to ask if they could spare it. Maya suspected she'd jumped on the chance to get away, if for a few minutes. Of course, she turned right back around and used those minutes herself… to check on Emma.
The answers were much the same. She didn't want to talk about what had happened between her and Eliza, and she was sorry for keeping her big sister in the dark like that.
"Don't worry about it, I just need to know that you both are okay," Maya told her. "Is it so bad that the two of you can't be in the same house today? Really? Like you'll cause a scene or…"
"No, no… I mean I don't think we would… I wouldn't," Emma insisted.
"Then come home, M&M, please…" Maya tried not to sound so sad for her absence and troubles, but she couldn't pull it all in so easily, which might have worked to convince Emma in the end.
"Alright, I… Can I bring my friends? I'm at Issa and Landry's and they couldn't fly home, so…"
"Bring them, please, absolutely," Maya nodded. There was a pause, voices in the background, before Emma returned.
"They're going to bring a few things. We were going to get a pizza or something, no turkey, but they both made desserts, so… We'll be there."
After they hung up, Maya went to look out the window in the front, to keep an eye out for Eliza's return. Lucas had been recruited to sit with the girls on the living room floor, and there he was, with one triplet on either of his legs and one in the middle, as good and captured and the merrier for it. He caught her eye, where she stood, asked with a look. All good? She tipped her head. Remains to be seen.
"Mommy, it's starting! It's starting!" Marianne called her away from her post, so she moved to sit on the couch, earning herself a viewing buddy in granddaughter Tori. Oh, how glad she always was to be back here, and when she was, she'd stick to her grandparents like glue.
The movie featuring young acrobat Haley Hunter had been doing very well for itself, enough so that a few weeks back Katy had received a call, letting her know that the Thanksgiving Day parade wanted to feature a live performance of one of the numbers in which Haley was featured. So, they needed her to be in New York on that day. This then meant Katy, Shawn, Nellie, Gracie, MJ, and Haley were flying out there. Shawn had been there with his youngest for a couple of days already, while Katy had flown out with the other three just last night. They would be flying home that evening, which meant a delayed dinner with the Friars over the weekend. And in the meantime…
Maya never stopped being amazed at what her little sister could do. The eleven-year-old was as agile as she was graceful, and it reminded her of when she'd been a baby, how much they used to say that she looked like a little doll. And as focused as she was on her performance, as always, Maya could read right through those features and know how deeply her little sister was freaking out on the inside, beyond excited to be doing this. As would be done whenever they watched Katy's show, Maya made sure to record the family's reaction, the better to show it to her little sister when she came home.
Speaking of little sisters…
Eliza had been longer than intended over at the Sandersons', as she'd been compelled to try out something that Missy's grandmother was making. She also had a pie with her on top of what she'd gone to retrieve, a gift from the family. This meant that she missed the performance, but she had nothing to worry about; it would be on constant replay for the remainder of 2035 and then some. In the meantime, she could join her nieces for the rest of the live broadcast.
"Hey," Maya quietly addressed her sister as she came to sit next to her. "Just so you know, Emma and her friends are going to be joining us later today." Eliza looked at her, somewhere between surprised and conflicted. "Are you going to be alright? Both of you?" Maya asked. Part of her wished she could have made the decision with Eliza there, too, instead of facing her with the accomplished fact, but that was behind them now, and they had to look forward.
"I'll be fine, I promise," Eliza told her, and Maya wanted to ask if she was sure, but it felt like she'd be digging where she shouldn't, so she took her word for it. Maybe… hopefully… things would improve by the end of the day.
"Pappy Joe!" Remy pointed to the television.
"That's Santa, kit," Lucas told her, kissing the top of her blond head. She turned her eyes up to look at him, giving a very suspicious look. Perhaps she already assumed that they were one and the same. Either way, she was happy to see him on the screen, and that went for all the little girls, from Marianne down to seven-month-old Mackenzie. This was possibly her very first glimpse of Santa Claus, in all her life, and so far, she was reasonably intrigued.
With the parade winding down, it was only a matter of time before the rest of the guests started to arrive, so everyone moved back into action, making sure everything was set to receive them. Maya and Lucas would sometimes laugh when they would get complimented on how well they did, receiving large parties for a dinner like this. What did they expect, when they were already looking after all their small girls every single day?
Emma and her friends arrived. Issa and Landry had been friends with Maya's sister since her first semester, though they didn't go from casual friends to more tight knit ones until this fall. Since then, they had been at the house a couple of times. The two girls were from far out of state, which had been one of the things that had brought them together. After living in the dorms for a semester, they'd gone and gotten an apartment together instead and become roommates.
Both aware of the situation – as much of it as they'd been privy to – Maya and Lucas couldn't help but be a bit curious about what it would look like when Emma and Eliza were reunited. This was briefly delayed as the returning Emma was questioned by the small girls as to whether she'd seen the parade, and Haley's thing. No, unfortunately, she hadn't seen it, but she was eager to watch it with them later.
When the two Hart-Lanes did see each other, there was definitely a bit of an awkward silence, an uncertainty, and that was brand new… just a bit unsettling, too. It was enough that Marianne, forever their little empath, picked up on it. She was bound to try and do something about it, and if they weren't sure, they only had to see how her hand went absently to where her star would occasionally ding against her locket. The Sheriff was being called forth.
"Leave it alone for now, okay?" Lucas whispered when he pulled her aside.
"But…" she looked to her aunts.
"I know you want to help, but trust me, right now the best thing you can do is leave them be, okay?" Lucas asked. It was a big ask, but Marianne sighed and gave a nod. "Thank you. Hopefully, what we have to tell them later will cheer everyone up," he reminded her, and that did the trick, too. They were going to be telling everyone about the new baby today, when they would have dinner. They had worked it out as best they could with the time difference, one side eating a little later and one a littler earlier, so they could get on a video call and be together for the meal.
"I know it will," Marianne confidently declared. "I know it will."
TO BE CONTINUED
See you tomorrow! - mooners
