When Perry arrived home and felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Della rushed into his arms and the two held onto each other tightly. Then Perry smelled it. He pulled back and looked at his wife, "have you been drinking today?"
"What? No," Della said.
"Why do you smell like alcohol?"
The kids were all home from school now. They were hiding where they could hear but not be seen, "I spilled some on my dress a few nights ago. The meeting was last minute and I grabbed the closest thing." Perry stared at her, "I don't have a drinking problem."
"How do you know?"
Della looked at her husband with disappointment, "I just do, and I can't believe you don't trust me."
Della stormed off into the kitchen. Perry followed and the kids sat at the table, "Della, I'm just concerned about you. You've never been one to drink an exorbitant amount of alcohol."
"Yeah, well, my life was crumbling around me and I felt completely helpless. I've never felt helpless before. I can control my drinking."
"Can you?"
"Yes!"
"It didn't sound like you could earlier. Did you spill alcohol on your dress a few nights ago or this morning? Is that why Maureen drove?"
"The alcohol had been spilled on the collar of my dress. I had gotten into my pajamas and left the dress on the floor," she explained angrily, "I stumbled and spilled some on the neckline and shoulder of the dress."
"It's true," Maureen said. That's when they realized their children were there.
"Maureen drove because it's her car and I didn't feel like driving. Perry, I haven't had a drink since that night a few nights ago. That drink was the first I'd had in two days. I don't feel the need for alcohol. Besides, I went to a meeting."
"You did?"
"Maureen asked me to go to be safe. She offered to drive me and go in with me. I listened and explained what had been going on. No one there thought I had a problem. Some had been on and off the wagon for years. Others are newly sober, and a few have been sober for quite a while. They asked if I felt I'd lose it without another drink. I said I didn't and I don't."
"I'm sorry," he said.
"It's alright," Della said, "I probably would have asked you the same thing."
Perry looked at Maureen, "come here," he said softly. When the teen reached him, he hugged her tightly, "you're a wonderful daughter."
"I am?" Maureen questioned as she pulled back.
"Not only did you stay home to help your mother, but you kept up with your school work and you even tried to keep the reason for your absence a secret to protect her. I'm very proud of you."
"Thanks, daddy," Maureen smiled slightly.
"I'm proud of you too," Della said, "and I'm incredibly grateful for everything you've done. Now, it's time for you to go back to being the child and for me to be the parent again. I'm sorry you had to be the adult, to begin with."
"You were going through a hard time. It happens," Maureen said, "I wasn't the only one helping," she said as she looked at her sister.
Maggie stood with the shoebox that had been in her closet. Perry took the lid off, "our wedding picture?"
"Mom saw it the night you left and threw it across the room," Maggie said, "we all chipped in some of our allowances to get it fixed."
Della hugged her daughter, "thank you, that's very sweet."
"We all took turns making dinner and keeping the house clean," Maureen said.
"I feel just awful for everything you had to do," Della said.
"Don't," Vivian responded.
"Yeah, we're not mad," Maggie added.
"Maureen said that we just had to get you through this and it would be okay," Violet said. "We trusted her and she really stepped up."
"Yeah, we got through this because she held it together," Maggie said.
"It was amazing but weird," Vivian said. "It was like she was possessed or something."
"By the way," Della said while looking at her husband, "Nova and Evie are allowed on the furniture."
"They are?"
"I passed out a month and a half ago. They never left my side and I didn't make them. I've purchased something to help clean up the fur."
"Okay," Perry said.
"They've also been sleeping with me."
"Well, we can give it a try. I don't know if there's enough room for all of us, but we'll try."
That night, Perry came out of the bathroom to find Della sitting up in bed with Nova right next to her on his side of the bed. "I see what you mean." Perry climbed in on his side and Nova stared intently at him, "I think she's gonna eat me."
Nova held up her paw and Perry took it. The dog then licked his face, "see, she loves you."
"She's taste testing me."
Nova went to lay down in the dog bed that Della had put in the room. Evie was in her cat bed. "I'm kind of cold without her."
"Let me warm you up," Perry said as he pulled his wife closer to him. The two held onto one another all night long. Never again would they ever allow the little things to blow up and tear them apart.
