Hopefully, with the distraction of Hunter and Sonya on speaker phone, John will lay off. I mean, he should. He and Austin used to be best friends. All that changed when Austin’s parents died and John said he wasn’t any fun to be around. That was the summer we were fourteen. I remember hearing about it and thinking it couldn’t be true. His momma had been like a mother to me, too. At least, during summers in Endings.
Either way, I knew what it felt like to be the kid raised by grandparents. John should have, too. Maggie tried her best, but she was in mourning. The closer Austin and I became, the more time he spent with Pappy. Part of it, I think, was John resenting Austin when he’d ask Pappy about the army. I reckon the two of them spent three hours a night on Maggie’s front porch talking about artillery. John hated it. He’d disappear for hours, while Grandma and Maggie and I stayed inside watching Maggie’s TV line-up and doing crossword puzzles. I never knew where my brother went. I did know, though, that he hung out with several girls at the same time. To him, Happy Endings was an endless dating pool of pretty girls coming and going, trapped on family vacations they dreaded. John was their escape. And each year, they came back less begrudgingly.
I’m glad Grandma got to spend the last six months of her life here. Living in that sublet trailer on Bess and Herbert’s lot wasn’t ideal, of course. But it was better than the cabins and something Pappy would have been pretty happy about. He worked hard to leave her enough money to do it. “When I’m dead and gone you can go live with Maggie,” he’d say. “For now, our winter home is in Raleigh. A man can only take so much of that place you know.” Pappy was just like Austin.
Not me: I get it. I get what made Grandma retreat to Endings the second Pappy was gone. He couldn’t have been dead a week before she was back on Maggie’s front porch, laughing at memories of the time he got stuck on the lake. Maggie says Grandma died of a broken heart.
Maggie says a lot of things. Usually, for the sake of ease, I agree. One thing I know for sure is why Maggie despises Bess. It’s not because of the rumors, the constant stirring of trouble, or Bess and Herbert’s way of grinning when someone is in pain or trouble. The real reason Maggie hates Bess is that when Grandma died she was late on rent. It took a week for her to drive me out of there—the trailer I shared with Grandma—and sell off everything Grandma owned in lieu of rent. There was nothing I could do to stop her.
Maggie says I should be madder. I’m really not. I mean, I took with me the things I cared about—Grandma and Pappy’s wedding bands, the quilt she made the summer I was ten, my momma’s first communion dress. I guess I’m just good at forgiveness. I don’t see the point of holding grudges. For Maggie, though, it’s a lifestyle.
John doesn’t care for Maggie too much. He’s convinced she had a crush on Pappy. It’s not like it would have mattered. The only woman to keep Pappy’s attention was Grandma. In spite of their differences—and being direct opposites—I really believe their love was true. Theirs is exactly the type of relationship I hope to have with Austin thirty years from now. I think we’re off to a great start. If only he’d come home!
5
“Girl! You can’t have a wedding without a bachelorette party! Are you insane? I reckon you’ve lost your mind, all this love crap. Listen, before you know it, you and your old man won’t even be sleeping in the same bed. Live it up while you can!”
I cannot phantom Stixx and Cyber sleeping apart. Known for the stripper pole smack-dab in the middle of their trailer, the kinky couple is rumored to be into swinging and all sorts of wild adventures. Either way, Austin isn’t going to love the idea of a bachelorette party thrown by the wildest person at Happy Endings.
“I don’t know. That’s really not my thing. I don’t like being the center of attention.”
“Callie! How many times does a girl get married? Like twice? Three times, max? Be serious. Every gal needs a party to kick off her starter marriage.”
“Starter marriage?” I laugh out loud. Austin and I have been together since we were fourteen years old. Nine years later, I’m pretty sure we have the commitment thing figured out. I neglect to remind Stixx of this, because, what’s the point?
“We can do it at the bar. I talked to Julie. She had some good ideas.”
“Julie did?”
“Yes. Julie. I know. Her old man and she have a history you know. She’s not as much of a prude as she appears. Just old.”
“She’s not that old!”
Stixx shrugs. “Okay. Motherly. Or something. Having a kid fucks shit up, ya know?”
“I guess.”
Stixx rolls her eyes. “Okay. So I’ll plan everything. Don’t worry, I’ve got this.”
“No strippers. Austin won’t like it.”
“Screw Austin. You can’t let your Old Man control you. Besides, how will he know? I’m sure Austin has secrets of his own.”
Again, I laugh. “Austin couldn’t keep a secret to save his life.”
“Cyber either. But still…”
“Okay, so you can do this but—please—don’t make it a big thing.”
“Oh, you big baby. Stop worrying! The more the merrier, I always say. I need to run down to The Ink and drop off Cyber’s lunch. Forgot his wallet again. When I get back, I’ll start making calls. This is going to be so much fun!”
“I don’t even know who you should invite. I don’t have very many friends.”
“Don’t you worry about it. I know everyone.”
Great. Just what I want to do, party with strangers. “I don’t drink.”
“You will.”
Twenty minutes more of Stixx trying to convince me that Austin and I need to spice things up and that it’s not normal to “be so mature” at our ages, and I’ve all but agreed to every idea she has planned. I don’t have interest in fighting her. If she wants to throw me the “best bachelorette party the world’s ever seen,” then who am I to stop her?
I’m just glad Austin won’t be around to hear the details. By the time he gets back, focus will be on the wedding, not the pre-party festivities. Austin’s always been a bit possessive. There was that time he overheard Julie and me talking about the maintenance man. He didn’t think it was cute when I suggested that Brice could come clean our trailer anytime, but that I’d prefer he did it naked. Thinking about it, Stixx may have a point. Maybe spicing things up with Austin wouldn’t hurt… Forever is a pretty long time.
Still, it’s never made sense to me why Austin gets so jealous. I’ve never given him a reason to be. Austin is the only man I’ve ever been with and I intend to spend my life with him. Maybe it’s a man thing. I reckon it’s sort of cute. Shows me he loves me.
Even Maggie thinks I should let Stixx do her thing. She says I need to have a little fun in my life. I think she worries that I’m too busy taking care of her and not having any fun. She’s told me not to “lose my youth” half a million times. “Austin’s had his fun,” she says. I’m not sure when that was. I mean, since his parents died, he’s mostly been focused on getting out of Endings. But you don’t argue with Maggie. It’s almost as fruitless as arguing with Stixx. When they get their minds fixed on something, look out!