The Daughter

ONE Angie Barnes looked out the airplane window while the flight landed at Daytona Beach International Airport. She hadn’t been in Florida for quite some time and felt more than a little apprehensive about returning home. Will her parents welcome her? Will they greet this visit with great joy or see it as another opportunity for her to mooch? She had a history of sponging off her parents. Oh, yes, she was really good at holding out her hand and asking for more. She pulled out her phone and dialed. Better warn them rather than just show up unannounced. “Joe!” “In the bedroom.” “I need you.” Joe Barnes walked into the living room where his wife Rachel was sitting on the couch, the phone in her lap. “That was Angie,” Rachel said without expression or emotion. Angela was her true name, but no one ever called her that. She was born near Christmas, and at that time Rachel was fascinated with the idea of Angie the Christmas tree angel. Consequently, her daughter was named Angela, but forever called Angie. “So? Not good news?” Joe asked as he sat across from her. “Depends on how you look at it,” Rachel said, fixing her eyes on her husband. “She wants to stay with us for a while. She’s not sure how long.” “Oh.” Joe knew what that meant. “I’m just not in the frame of mind to fund her living expenses while she searches for her life’s purpose or the meaning of life,” Rachel said, shaking her head. “Did you tell her that?” “Not exactly in those words, but I hinted around.” “If we aren’t firm, she will take advantage again,” Joe said. “I haven’t forgotten.” “When is she arriving?” “In a couple hours.” “What?” Joe shot to standing. “Well, we’d better get our stories aligned. We can’t let her walk all over us again.” “I totally agree,” Rachel said. “But you’re the one who caves in.” She gave her husband a knowing look. Joe acknowledged that was true with his grunt. Rachel was much tougher when it came to their only daughter, their only child. And sometimes that fact caused clashes between Angie and her. “I’ll do better,” he said, walking toward the hallway. “I’ll follow your lead.” “I was really enjoying this last year without the gimme, gimme hand held out,” Rachel said, rising. “Me, too.” They both walked down the hall to the extra bedroom. It would be perfect for Angie while she visited. A door at the entrance to the hall provided privacy from the rest of the unit. A vanity crossed the hall at the end with cabinets and a sink in the center, and a large mirror above. To the left was a door leading to the shower and toilet. To the right, a door to the bedroom. “I’ll have to remove the dog bed, and my clothes from the closet. There isn’t much else here,” Rachel said, glancing around. “And the cross on the wall.” “Let it stay. She can just deal with it,” Rachel said. “If she’s still a Buddhist or whatever she might have become recently, we are a Christian home. She can deal.” “Fine by me.” Angie walked into her parent’s condo unit with a backpack over her shoulders, two large suitcases rolling behind her, and a small carrier attached to one of the suitcases. She positioned everything upright after she crossed the threshold and removed the backpack. Angie was fairly tall for having two parents on the short side. Her long legs slinked from under her blue shorts. The matching shirt, tied in front, accentuated her tiny waist. Rachel noticed that her hair was bleached blonde and flowed past her shoulders. It was red the last time they saw her. She didn’t have on much makeup, not that she needed it. Angie was a very attractive young woman. “Hi, guys!” she said, expanding her arms for an embrace. Of course, Rufus the dog barged in before the parents could hug their daughter. He wiggled between Rachel and Joe and started to lunge at Angie, then stopped just short. Rufus whined and extended one paw toward the woman. “Aw, so sweet,” Angie said, petting the big boy’s head. The labradoodle loved the attention and frantically wagged his tail. “Humph, so well behaved. Is this our dog?” Rachel said. “He always attacks me when I enter.” Rufus and Rachel had history. Rufus always lunged at Rachel when she came in from one of her nights out with the girls. She could write a book about the many incidents she had with him knocking her over, straddling her, and then l*****g her face with vigor. “You just have to know how to handle them, Mom,” Angie said. “It’s all about energy. He recognizes my energy and respects it.” Angie continued to stroke Rufus’ head. Rachel was about to respond, but Joe placed his hand in the center of her back to distract her. Then both parents hugged and kissed their daughter, all the while wondering what was this visit going to bring and why was she here? “Gee, Dad, I see you haven’t grown any more hair,” Angie cracked with a big smile. Joe was in his late fifties. He figured his days for having a full head of hair had long passed. He had a clean-shaven face with ordinary features and few wrinkles for a man his age. He was neither fat nor skinny, and in decent physical shape. “How nice of you to notice,” he said. “Mom, you look great!” Rachel did look great. She was a cute brunette with a classic bob she had worn with and without bangs for most of her adult life. At fifty-three and holding her figure, Rachel was as pretty as her daughter. “Thank you. So do you.” Rachel maneuvered her daughter toward the living room. “Let’s get comfy.” “I’ve been sitting for hours, or else walking through airports,” Angie said. “I’m glad to be on solid ground.” “Where did you fly from?” Joe asked. “California.” “You’ve been in California all this time?” Rachel asked. “Oh, no, I’ve been in lots of places, but most recently in California,” Angie said, sitting back on the off-white couch. “So, where have you been staying? What does that mean?” Joe asked. “Well, Dad,” Angie said, “I’ve been in Massachusetts, the United Kingdom, then India, Massachusetts again, and then California. I stayed at ashrams everywhere I traveled.” “Ashrams,” Rachel said flatly without facial expression. “Yes, Mom, ashrams. Perfectly safe to be in. Holy places, you know?” “I know what an ashram is. I don’t know why you were living in them,” Rachel said. “And, of course, you haven’t communicated with us for at least nine months. Last we heard you were in the States. We didn’t know anything about the United Kingdom or India.” “Well, Mom, I didn’t think I had to check in with my parents every time I decided to travel,” Angie said, a look of exasperation coming over her face. “I am twenty-five.” “Your age has nothing to do with this,” Joe said. “When you are in a foreign country, we need to know, in case something happens or you disappear.” Angie flung her long hair over her shoulder with a scowl. “Look, nothing happened; nothing was going to happen. I was perfectly safe, end of story.” “Here we go,” Rachel said, remembering how obstinate and naïve her daughter could be. “Angie, you can’t live so irresponsibly that you endanger yourself,” Joe said. “I’m not being irresponsible. Gee, Dad!” Angie stood. “I was hoping you guys, after moving to this condo, would relax some. But you’re both still so uptight.” Rachel decided to sit back and let Joe handle things. “Angie, we are your parents. We care about you, always will. If that’s being uptight, well, I guess you’d better get used to it,” he said. “If you don’t like how your parents act, you can live elsewhere.” “No, I can’t. I don’t have anywhere else to go right now. You’re stuck with me for a while.” Angie threw a cutesy smile at her father. “Besides, I know you’ve missed me.” Rachel wasn’t so sure that last part was true. She didn’t miss the chaos Angie tended to create in their lives. She wanted a calm, peaceful life. All the unique people who lived in this fifty plus condominium that she managed were enough entertainment and chaos for her. At least they didn’t live under her roof. “Okay, what do you say we get your bags in your room?” Rachel said. “I’ll carry the bags,” Joe said, rising. “Dad, suitcases have wheels now,” Angie said. “They roll.” “Whatever,” Joe answered with a wave of his hand. As the three approached, a loud protest erupted from the area where the suitcases had been dropped. “What was that noise?” Rachel asked. “Oh, that’s just Precious,” Angie said. “Precious what?” Joe asked. “Precious, my cat,” Angie said. “You have a cat?” Rachel asked. “Yes. Is that unusual?” Angie said. “I’ve always had cats, ever since childhood. You know that. Cats are my passion.” “You never mentioned a cat,” Joe said. “We didn’t know about a cat.” “So, what’s the big deal? You have pets,” Angie said, stroking Rufus’ head as he stood beside her. “There is a limit on the number of animals we can have in one unit, Angie,” Rachel said. “I manage this condo. I can’t have any more animals than I currently have. One dog, one cat. Period.” “Well, I won’t be here long, maybe, so it shouldn’t be a problem,” Angie said. “I’ll be gone before it becomes an issue.” Rachel had doubts about that. “There is also a limit on how long you can visit, since you’re not fifty years old,” Joe said. “Gee, so many rules! How do you stand it?” Angie said. Joe looked at his wife and decided not to respond. “Okay, let’s get your luggage into your room,” Rachel said. All three paraded down the hallway toward the second bedroom. Joe pulled the suitcases behind him and then swung them onto the queen bed. Angie handled the backpack and carrier with Precious inside. “Oh, this is nice,” Angie said when she entered the bedroom. “I like the soft aqua walls.” “And your bathroom is over there, just past the counter and sink,” Rachel said, pointing across the hallway. “Nice. Private,” Angie said. “Yes, it is. And I expect you to keep everything nice while you’re here,” Rachel said. “Oh, Mom, I’m not five!” Rachel didn’t comment. Sometimes it seemed like her daughter acted like a five-year-old. “And the litter box is where?” Angie asked. “Very conveniently in your bathroom.” Rachel said. “Introduce your cat to it. I’ll have to place another one in the other bathroom for Benny now. I suggest closing the door at the end of the hallway until we can acquaint all the animals.” “Good idea, Mom. I’ll let Precious out after you leave.” “Okay, then. We’ll let you unpack and rest if you want,” Rachel said, turning to leave. “Thanks, guys,” Angie said. She sounded sincere. “Later,” Joe said.