It was dark by the time they got back to Marie's house. Skyler pulled up first, then Flynn. Holly was still asleep. Skyler opened the back door, unbuckled her and picked her up.
"H-how do you feel?" asked Flynn.
"I'm completely numb now. That happens sometimes, it's wonderful."
"N-numb, like… like you can't feel anything?"
"Yep. Now I'm just thinking of all the practical things. Like I have to give you the keys to this car. Actually you know what, you can have my entire key set. She locked the car and then gave her keys to him. That one's the car, that one's for here and that's for our house. I'm sorry to leave you with that but I have organised as much as I could - there are still some things in the kitchen cupboards but that's about it I think - I packed all my clothes and everything away when I was packing for our trip. They're still sitting in boxes in my bedroom, but I stripped the bed and everything, so it's just a matter of moving the furniture and boxes. You'll hire someone for that, right?"
"Yeah, n-no problem."
"I gave you the lease, right? And the forms?"
"Yeah."
"Forms - transfer form for the car is in the glove box. I signed it. You can sell it to one of your friends or a stranger or whoever you like. I paid $2,200 for it - it should still be worth that, but if it's one of your friends, obviously give them a discount."
"Sure."
"I'm sorry to leave you with all of that."
"No, it's fine."
"Thank you. I really appreciate your help. On this and many other things."
Flynn nodded absently.
Skyler started moving towards the door. She stepped aside to let Flynn unlock it.
Marie appeared at the end of the hallway as they entered. "I hope you're hungry!" she said. "I stopped at that little Thai place because they have that amazing salad and I know you love that. And I got Pad Thai noodles and green curry. None of which is cooking, I know, but I thought we needed something special. I've got mac and cheese in the oven for Holly."
"Oh, thank you." Skyler gave her a hug.
"And then I thought what I should have done was just ask you what you wanted, but I just didn't think of it until I was almost back here and I figured you'd already be driving by then, although actually maybe you weren't, because I've been back here for a while actually, like maybe for as long as it would've taken you to drive back, I don't know."
"I'm sorry we took ages - I ended up falling asleep as well as Holly."
"Oh that's ok, that's a good idea before driving."
"Thai food is an excellent idea, thank you."
"You're welcome."
Flynn looked between the two of them, wondering if Marie was numb too, the way she was chattering. But then she went quiet, and the silence was gaping and raw.
Skyler couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she wanted to give Marie some money for the food, but she literally had nothing.
Marie took out a pile of plates and carried them to the dining room. Skyler swapped Holly to her other arm, grabbed the salad and did the same. Flynn stood at the edge of the kitchen watching her go.
...
"We gotta get a picture with the cake," said Marie.
"We got a picture with it at the picnic," said Flynn.
"Yeah I know, but most of it is still there, and we have to get a picture of us all together. If I balance the camera on the bar it should work."
Flynn moved closer to his mother for the photo, thinking actually he'd really rather not remember tonight. Holly climbed onto her lap and held the edge of the cake box with a smile on her face. The cake said, "Best Mom ever – we love you." Marie sat on the other side of Skyler and smiled. Skyler saw the expression on Flynn's face, leaned towards him and kissed him on the cheek. The camera went off. "Oh, sorry," she said. "I was looking the wrong way."
Marie jumped up and checked the photo.
"Do you wanna do another one?" asked Skyler.
"No, it's perfect. You guys look so adorable." Marie smiled. "Let me get another one of just you three." She stepped towards them with the camera. "Put the cake between you."
"The cake doesn't…look nearly as good as it did," grumbled Flynn.
"Oh, are you kidding? You can still see most of the writing, it's perfect." She raised the camera. "Flynn, I need you to smile."
"I can't smile."
"I'm taking this photo so that she can take it with her. I need you to smile."
Skyler turned to look at him, her eyes searching his as he attempted to wrench his mouth into a smile. "Thank you for the cake, honey," she said. "It made me feel really special."
This made Flynn smile, just a tiny half smile but enough for Marie to take the photo.
"Y-you're welcome," said Flynn.
"Are you ok?"
"Not really."
Skyler raised the hand that wasn't holding Holly and stroked the side of his face. "You going to class tomorrow?"
"Y-yeah."
"Good."
"Mommy, can we eat the cake now?" said Holly.
"Yes, we can. That would be wonderful."
Marie took the cake from them and began to slice it and serve it.
"Can I stay here on your lap?" said Holly.
"Yeah." Skyler leaned forward and kissed her on the head. "Hey, do you guys wanna play another board game after this?"
"Yeah yeah yeah! Can we play pikowary again?"
"Oh you liked Pictionary, did you?"
"Yeah, it was funny."
"I don't think I have that," said Marie.
"We do," said Skyler. "It's in a box in your garage - I think I know which one."
"Ok," said Marie. "Do you wanna take me on again, Flynn?"
"Well maybe we should swap partners," said Skyler.
"Oh yeah!" said Flynn.
"No!" said Holly.
"Well, you have to share and change things around, you know." Skyler stroked Holly's hair. "In life, nothing stays the same. It changes. It's important to learn how roll with the changes. It doesn't have to be bad, it's just different." Holly looked up at her mother, her mouth full of cake and chocolate frosting on her lip. Skyler stroked her cheek. "It's just different is all."
There was the sound of cutlery scraping on crockery and nobody said anything for a few moments.
"Sorry, didn't mean to kill the mood there," said Skyler.
"I would l-love to play with you, Mom," said Flynn.
"But you guys are both really good at it!" said Marie. "We won't stand a chance!"
"No, you guys can have the preschool words and we'll have the adult words," said Skyler. "Make it harder for us."
They only managed three rounds before Holly got sleepy. Marie was drawing a pig and wondering why Holly wasn't saying anything, desperately adding extra detail to its tail and nostrils and pointing at it many times over with her pencil.
Skyler leaned across the table and caught Holly's head as it fell forward. "Do you wanna go to bed, darling?" she asked.
"No, no," mumbled Holly. Her head jerked upright, then fell forward again. "Stay with Mommy."
Skyler moved around the table, picked her up and put her on her lap.
"Mommy?"
"I'm here, darling."
Holly nestled into her shoulder and fell asleep.
"Are you two sleeping in the same room?" asked Marie.
"Yeah, I think that's wise," said Skyler. "And I don't wanna let go of her either."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah. I'm still pretty numb. It's working very well."
"What happened to you this afternoon? I didn't really see it."
"I'm fine."
"She ran into the bathroom and w-wouldn't let me in," said Flynn.
"Oh, what?" exclaimed Marie. "I thought you were together!"
"It was fine," said Skyler. "While I was by myself for not very long a time at all I pulled myself back together. So it's nothing to worry about - sometimes things happen in our lives to tip us over the edge, and then we take a moment to right ourselves again. I know that's where my greatest strength lies, and it's not something you should be worrying about." She was looking at Flynn, even though Marie was the one who had asked the question.
"Your greatest strength lies in r-righting yourself?"
"Yep. I'm like a jack-in-the-box. Bounce right back." She winked at him.
"Just keep talking, ok?" said Marie. "You can talk to us on the phone and in person and in letters. Maybe emails if you're allowed that. Just be honest, please, about how you're feeling and what's happening, and…"
Skyler nodded. "Sure."
"No," said Flynn. "That's not - no. Y-you gotta promise to do it, you can't just ha-half-heartedly say, 'Sure'."
"Thank you for your concern, I... Certainly, yes, I will want to talk to you about... things." Skyler looked between them awkwardly. "Right now I would actually strongly prefer not to talk about any of this, because the only way that I can get through tonight is not to think about it, and the numbness thing has been working very well but it does require a certain amount of effort on my part to maintain, and if I stop doing that I… I don't wanna not do that, so can we go back to Pictionary please?"
"I…" Marie sighed. "Yeah, I guess, but it's just so important that you..."
Flynn put his hand out. "Come on. Aunt Marie? Put your hand in too. M-Mom, take our hands. And l-look us in the eye and promise us. You will not suffer…alone. You will not lie and t-tell us you are fine when you are not. J-just talk to us and tell us what's happening."
"Hear hear," said Marie, looking Skyler in the eye. "Please. Just-just be honest, just tell us how you're feeling and what's happening. A problem shared is a problem halved, you know?"
Skyler gripped their hands and scrunched her eyes shut, riding a wave of despair. She breathed through it and forced her mind into focus. "Right now what I'm feeling is that this is my last chance to have a nice time with my family, or indeed to spend any time with my family at all, but I would rather spend it having a nice time than just, you know, deteriorating into tears or fear or any other bad things which we've already had quite enough of. I have taken on board what you've said, I have reassured you that there is nothing to worry about, so let's play Pictionary."
"You need four people for Pictionary," said Marie.
"Well one could draw and the other two guess. Either that or something else that's funny. I need funny."
"Th-that's a pig, Aunt Marie," said Flynn.
"Yes it is; I don't think you should get a point for that, though!" said Marie.
"Alright, it's my turn. Ready?" Flynn started drawing.
"Car!" yelled Marie.
"Not quite."
"Wagon! No, sedan!"
"Y-you don't get more points if you make more guesses."
Flynn drew some lines and bumps in discreet places on the car.
"Beat up car? No, that wouldn't be one of the clues."
"I didn't s-say I was using a clue from the game."
He drew a cloud of smoke coming out of the tailpipe.
He drew another picture beneath it with what seemed to be the same car and a sports car speeding off in front of it with tyre tracks behind it and the driver waving. Marie and Skyler frowned. Flynn drew a woman driver in the first picture with her hands together in prayer, and then he drew a child in the back seat.
"Is it... my car?" asked Skyler.
"Yes!" Flynn grinned. "And you don't have to… worry about it anymore, h-how good is that?"
"Oh yeah, that's... a relief. You do, though."
"Nah, th-this is me here." He pointed at the second car.
"Of course it is."
"I was tr-trying to figure out how to draw the fact that you have to wait ten minutes for the car to warm up before… you can drive it, but I couldn't really draw that s-so I thought I'd just draw the fact that it's… just so slow and crap all the time."
"Hey, make fun of it all you want, but it was very cheap and it only broke down twice in eighteen months, which for a cheap car is pretty darn good."
"O-oh my god, I can't believe you just said that. It 'only' broke down twice."
"Ok, clearly you haven't driven many cheap cars."
"Ah no, j-just that one and the sticky brake one. A-all of the crap cars I have driven have been yours."
"Sticky brake, what, the Wagoneer? That was a great car!"
"You keep telling yourself that."
"You're a little smart ass. You make a big deal out of being an adult, but really you're just the same little smart ass, aren't you?"
Flynn giggled. "Eat it."
Skyler laughed.
"What's my car, then?" asked Marie.
"Yours is a bug."
"It's a beetle."
"No, it's a bug."
"You are a smart ass!"
"I'm an intelligent adult who understands s-synonyms and word puns."
Skyler snorted.
Marie gasped. "Oh my god, we could play Charades!"
"Th-that could be fun," said Flynn.
"I have a sleeping three-year-old attached to me," said Skyler.
"Oh that's fine, you can do movies or books that are about kids, or babies or Oompa Loompas or-"
"Did you just compare my child to an Oompa Loompa?"
"No, I said she could play an Oompa Loompa. Ooh! I've thought of a good one." Marie stood up.
"Is it Ch-Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?" said Flynn.
"No," said Marie, rolling her eyes at him.
"Is it Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?"
"You really are a smart ass." Marie made the action for movie.
"Movie," said Skyler.
Marie held up two fingers.
"Two words. "
Marie held up one finger
"First word."