Butterfly
954 Words
The phone was ringing. There was a knock at the door. Everyone was running around the house like chickens with their heads cut off. When did this house become so chaotic?
“Somebody get the door!” Garrett yelled.
“Can someone please answer the phone?” Lorena added.
“Got it,” Laurel and Graciela answered.
Graciela ran down the stairs from her room. Laurel ran to the front door from the livingroom. They almost bumped into each other.
“Door.”
“Phone.”
Graciela answered the phone and Laurel got the door.
“Aunt Olivia! Jackie!”
“Hey Laurie,” Olivia greeted.
“Cuz!” Jackie screamed.
They all hugged.
“Come in. Come in. I’m so glad to see y’all.”
“The feeling is mutual, sweetie.”
Olivia and Jackie walked in showing that Danny Christopher and his son, Francisco came along.
“Laurel, you’ve gotten so big,” Danny said.
“Danny, hi. I wasn’t expecting you but I’m glad to see you.”
She hugged her aunts’ fiancée. He walked in the house also.
“Too bad the only thing that got bigger was your height,” Francisco started.
“Do you want to get decked on your first day here?” Laurel warned.
Francisco laughed and walked in with everyone else.
“Hello?” Graciela answered.
“Gracie? You’re actually on the phone? That’s a first,” Marie said.
“Ree, I’d love to talk right now but I have family coming so …”
“But I have big news.”
“Good or bad?”
“Good. Both good.”
“Both? Alright. Let’s hear it.”
“Okay. First, my cousin, Kat … she just came in from Australia.”
“The one with the jerk boyfriend?
“They’re not together anymore, but yes. She brought her baby, Meralei.”
“That’s nice. I’ll bet you’re glad to see her.”
“Very. Now for the big news. Huge news. You are going to be so glad that you heard it from me.”
“Will you get on with it!” Graciela said anxious.
“Guess who’s coming to Jupitervale.”
“Who?”
“Greg Marcel!” Marie yelled excitedly.
Graciela’s heart stopped. Did she hear right? “One more time?”
“Greg Marcel is coming back here! Aren’t you excited?”
Excited? Oh, yeah. Sure. Greg Marcel is coming back to town. The guy who was supposed to be her best friend. One day he’s there walking home with her from school and the next day he’s gone. He decides to move away and not tell anybody. She doesn’t hear from him in years and now she’s supposed to get excited because he’s coming back? I don’t think so.
“I thought you said you had good news?”
“That is good news!”
“You coulda kept that to yourself.”
“Gracie, what’s wrong with you? Are you still mad because he moved?”
“You mean you’re not?”
“Things happen. People move. It’s not that big of a deal. You really need to get over it.”
“Get over it? Marie, it’s like he left us behind.”
“Gracie, you’ve been trying to leave this town for the longest. Do you really have room to talk? I mean, if the tables were turned, do you think that Greg would be acting like this?”
“He would probably care less but I do.”
“Oh, Gracie.”
“Plus, I would never leave at the expense of you guys.”
“The only reason you haven’t left yet is because you haven’t gotten your big break.”
“That’s not true,” Graciela said.
“Look, all I’m saying is you really need to stop being so sore about the whole thing. I doubt his intention was to hurt us when he left and why are you acting like this anyway? It’s not like he was your boyfriend and rolled out without letting you know?”
“Graciela” Lorena called from another room.
“I have to go. My mom’s calling me.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye.”
She hung up the phone and ran into the next room as fast as she could. She saw everyone sitting down talking.
“Auntie Liv.”
“Hey, sweetie pie. How’s my favorite fifteen-year-old niece?”
“I’m your only fifteen-year-old niece,” Graciela laughed. “Hi, Jackie. Hey, Danny.”
“Hello.”
“Hi, G.”
“What about me? I’m here too,” Francisco said.
“Hello, Francisco.”
Francisco nodded. Graciela sat down with everyone.
“Where is Vanessa?” Olivia asked. “I thought we were all going to be here.”
“You want me to call her for you?”
“Don’t you think you spend enough time on the phone, Graciela?”
“I think you’re having a memory problem. That’s you, Laurel.”
“Girls,” Garrett warned.
That was the end of that conversation. Just one word in that one tone told both Laurel and Graciela it was time to shut up.
- Writer
