Chapter Twelve

Peach Creek had been transformed into a frigid winterscape as the season held the region in its icy clutches. The cul-de-sac and all surrounding areas were covered in a blanket of snow and as a result, the roads that intersected the quiet town had been salted and scrapped by the county authority. Large mounds of the stuff were piled up on the sidewalks and along the edges of the residences that dotted the suburb.

The Eds and Kankers had returned home together on a bus ride but had since separated. Each party trudged through the snow and towards their own homes with the Eds bound for Rethink Avenue and the Kankers destined for Park n' Flush Trailer Park that was just over the hill.

Walking through their childhood stomping grounds brought forth an avalanche of memories for Double D as they made their way towards the cul-de-sac. He left a lingering gaze on the candy store as they passed by. A new group of kids were inside eager to spend their meager funds on the various treats and delights held within. The more some things changed, the more others remained the same.

When they were kids, this was their world. It was limited to the cul-de-sac and its immediate surroundings. The construction site that had long ago been completed brought with it an entirely new assortment of houses complete with new residents, but almost everything else remained the same. Park n' Flush still stood, by some miracle, and Double D knew he wasn't the only member of the budding friend group that felt that way.

It was strange to consider the Kankers friends, but they were becoming just that to the Eds. May and Ed were inseparable thanks to the help she offered him with his presentation that he managed to make a solid B on. He gave May all the credit for the resounding success that before her intervention was nothing more than a daunting challenge. Marie was someone Double D interacted with on a daily basis, it was that case before he helped her study so that she could finish off her first semester strong. But that changed from the passing greetings Double D hoped to get away with without more interaction. After working together to pull her out of the sinking swamp that was her grades, his fears that surrounded her were starting to disappear. Of course, she still showed her attraction to him in more hands on ways than the boy would have liked, but it was a start. Even Eddy and Lee were starting to engage more. Granted at this point they only made passing comments to one another, but after the fiasco that had been that Halloween Night neither of them was trying to kill the other, so it was a win in Double D's book.

As the trio of boys turned the corner into the cul-de-sac they said their farewells to the others knowing that they would see each other again if not in a few hours than the following day. They had a few weeks off between semesters and none of them wanted to waste any of their newfound free time. Double D would have been satisfied settling down with a warm cup of cocoa and a new book about chess, but he knew his restless friends would want to do something before they had to make their way back onto campus to continue their freshman years.

Double D didn't sigh when he saw the closed garage door, a tell-tale sign that his parents weren't home. No pang of sadness hit him when he unlocked the front door and opened it to find a silent and empty home. He felt nothing when he flicked on the lights to the kitchen and found a lone sticky note on the front of the fridge. He was passed all of that. He grew out of missing them when he was a child, now he felt nothing. No sorrow, no anger, no relief. It was a feeling of lukewarm indifference that had been constructed over years of them being absent from his life.

Dear Eddward,

Your father and I won't be home this year for the holiday. There's food in the fridge and a present for you under the tree. We saw fit to do more for you given your making the dean's list. Congratulations. Your father and I are both very proud of you.

Love, Mom.

He read the note as he opened the fridge to pull out the filtered water pitcher he had oh so missed. He set it down on the counter as he poured himself a glass of refreshing cold water. The trek here had been in the cold, but the distance they had to walk, coupled with the dry winter air, left him needing just this kind of refreshment.

With a final glance down at the pale yellow note, he stuffed the pitcher back in the fridge, set the empty glass in the dishwasher, gathered his things, and made his way up to his room. He was excited to see his ant farm again and the progress they made during his absence.

To say the trailer was a mess would have been an understatement, and to call it trashed would have been an unfunny pun none of the Kanker Sisters were in the mood for. It seemed that during their absence their mother had allowed the place to fall into disarray, not that any of them were surprised.

Both the lights and the TV were on, but the sole resident of the living space was absent. The empty bottles that littered the floor told them all they needed to know. She had gone out to get a refill. How long she had been gone and when she was due back were unknowns to the sisters. Unknowns that none of them could say they were interested in.

As the sisters shuffled their way inside, kicking the snow from their snows and shedding their outer layers, no one said anything as they scanned the scene. This was going to be home until next semester, so they had better get to work.

Without a word, they split apart and set about going to work. May grabbed the broom from the kitchen, Marie took a trash bag and started collecting the empties and cigarette butts strewn across the floor, and Lee used an off brand bottle of cleaner and rag to wipe up and buff off the stains on the counters, tables, and in the carpet. She even managed to get more out than she had expected.

May stopped in front of the TV as the group worked behind her. She stared at the infomercial that droned on about how the viewers needed to wait for more. It was for a commemorative Christmas tree ornament. She wondered if they even still had a tree here, she didn't see it set up anywhere.

This time of year had always been a soft spot for her and her sisters. Not that any of them would have admitted to the amount of joy they each found in the holiday season. It wasn't because their mother had managed to sober up enough to cook them all a family dinner, it wasn't because their fathers would stop in to visit to show their daughters how much they loved and cared about them with a gesture that meant so much more than a present ever could, and it wasn't because they had a house decorated and adorned with all the season's festivities. None of that stuff ever happened, after all. No, it was because they had each other and that was enough. It always had been.

No matter how hard times were each one of them had scrounged up a present for the other two. It was never anything too extravagant. Three packs of Christmas crackers, a new pair of shoes from a clearance sale to replace the hole ridden ones they'd worn out, or even something as basic as a cheap DVD from the discounted bin they could all watch together.

She reached out on the controls on the outdated television set. After flipping through the limited public broadcast channels, she arrived at her desired destination. She turned up the volume and it emitted a sweet, sultry voice that filled the air and sang a classic holiday tune.

All three of the girls stopped to look at the TV and listen to the song. They only paused for a moment to let the music wash over them. They appreciated the song and the gesture done by the youngest sister. Wry smiles worked their way to each of their lips as they muttered the lyrics and swayed to it as they continued their work.

The Kankers never had a perfect Christmas. Not by a long shot. But they made do and made sure to make the very best out of it they could each year and this year was going to be no different. If their mother decided to show up or not, it didn't matter. The three sisters had more reason to be happy than any of them had had in years. They were due for some celebration and happiness, and what better to welcome it in than the holiday season ushered in with the classic oldies they had loved to listen to each year in their youths. As the next song came on, they worked in a fluid motion to tidy up their home. Happy that they had each other.