Christmas with the Gerard's

4

19 days until Christmas 

Please have mercy on me, take it easy on my heart... I’m beggin you for mercy.  

I lay in bed with my earbuds in, listening to my soul cleansing album, the album of all the songs that make my soul hurt and cry. Crying out my pain and emotions is how I cope with them, I cleanse my soul with my tears, and then I raise my head high and carry on with my day. The acoustic version of Mercy is one of my favourites for that, I often find my thoughts drifting to Colton when I hear that song... Why did he and Theo have to be best friends? That is the literal most cliché thing I’ve ever heard. Girl falls in love with older brother’s best friend, loves him all her life only to either end up with him or be crushed inside by the unrequired love... I used to think me and Colt would be the latter, but after the stuff Theo told me and the way he acted around me yesterday, I’m not so sure.  

My phone pings and I open the message from an unknown number * You can run but you can’t hide. Slut* These texts are starting to piss me off, but the bastard isn’t even brave enough to send them with their number so I can reply, engrossed in my phone, I only notice my bedroom door is opening when it’s too late to pretend to be asleep. I look up and my breath catches in my throat. Aunt Heidi. 

She looks exactly the same, not a single day has gone by that woman’s face. She’s stunning. Her body toned to perfection under her long black one piece, her cleavage displayed in a sophisticated classy way, her reddish-brown hair still in the same sleek straight bob haircut and her blue eyes narrowed on me. I pull my buds down and the sound of my ballads pours quietly through the phone. I give my aunt a tentive smile and she frowns.  

“Hello Delia.” Her tone is cold, devoid of all feeling and I know I’m in the s**t now. She walks in and closes the door behind her, slowly moving towards my bed, where I sit cross legged waiting for the shitstorm about to blow my way. She sits opposite me and reaches for my phone, pulling my buds out, cutting out the faint sound of Ruelle’s voice. “I want your undivided attention, dear niece. We have some things to talk about, don’t you think?” I swallow dryly. I would never admit it out loud, but truth be told, I am far more terrified of my aunt than I am my own mum. At least my mum is capable of showing some love and affection even when dishing out her ‘Bollockings’ as we used to call her rants and punishments.  

“Auntie Heidi, I don’t even...” She raises her hand in front of my face and I swallow my words.  

“NO. You don’ speak. You’ll just listen, whatever you think you saw or know about that night, you will shut up about it and never ever utter a word to anyone about it. Or do you want your family to come tumbling down into the gutter with you? Mallory has already gone through a painful separation; do you wish the same on Avery? And you mum? How do you think she would feel? Not to mention, nana Maeve? She’s not well, and whatever s**t you have invented up that thick head of yours will end her faster than that bloody cancer, so. You, keep, quiet. Understand?” I nod, hot tears pricking my eyes, I fight so hard not to let them fall, I don’t Heidi to see me cry, she hates it when people cry but I also don’t want to show this shark any weakness. “Now, clean up and come down for dinner, and no mention of what we spoke about. We talked it out and I am the world’s best auntie. “ 

****** 

“f**k off! You did not say that to him?!” My sister Mallory hollers at my aunt with laughter, at the dinner table with all us grown-ups sitting and drinking the conversation turns to my aunt’s latest adventures. At the age of fifty-two, my aunt has been all over the world, courtesy of her career, at the age of twenty she was offered a job as an air hostess and she took it and never looked back, growing up, I loved when she came home, she would always shower us with extravagant gits and duty-free goodies. After twenty years as an air hostess, she took the plunge and qualified as a pilot, so now she flies the planes she once ‘walked’ as she so eloquently puts it. As I grew a bit older, I realized she led a somewhat lonely life, and now sitting here listening to her talk on and on about herself, I realize she’s full of s**t. 

“I did, and I would again, just because he owns the airline doesn’t give him the right to tell me what to do and wear on a date! I am nobody’s mousy wife!” She says while smugly looking over at my mother. My mother simply smiles at her and sips her wine quietly. I feel a slight tap on my leg and look to my left, Theo gives me the eyebrow rise look, and I nod. Mum is suspiciously quiet, we all know my aunt is baiting mum into an argument, it’s what always happens with these two. My aunt baits, and my mum gets reeled in like a prize fish. They argue, then we all get involved and somehow Heidi comes out the victim. But this is different, all throughout dinner she has been throwing shade my mum’s way and she’s just been ignored through and through. I chance a glance at my mum, and she’s watching me intensely, I smile at her and she nods her head towards the kitchen and winks. She’s definitely up to something.  

“Excuse me, I need the loo” I get up and walk off, the table turning quiet for a few moments. I stand like a pillock in the middle of the kitchen waiting for my mum and about ten minutes later she stumbles through the door.  

“Took your time!” I glare at her and take her glass, “I think you’ve had enough of this mum.”  

“And I think we need to pull the stick out of your ass Delia, but yeah!” She whisper shouts at me I roll my eyes and down the rest of her white wine, it burns my throat on the way down and makes me gag, I hate white wine with a passion, but I have a feeling I’ll need all the liquid courage I can get! 

“Mum? What are you up to?” I ask her and she bursts out laughing. Not a good sign, I’ve only ever seen my mother drunk a hand full of times and it goes one of two ways, seriously funny jokes and pranks, laughter and mum dancing, or broken dishes and blood. No in between with dear old mum. 

“I emptied a packet of Imodium's into her precious expensive wine! She is literally about to s**t herself, and not verbally!!” she whispers and cackles with laughter, actually doubling over. I sigh. Oh, we are in for some s**t, literally. Theo comes bounding through the door a few seconds later, plates in hand.  

“What the f**k are you two doing in here? Nan is pissed off, you’re being rude!” He places the dirty plates in the sink and turns around, spotting mum doubled over in fits of laughter, he flicks his head towards her a confused look on his face “What’s going on there?”  

“Don’t even.... She emptied a packet of Imodium's into Heidi’s wine”  

“Oh s**t!” He says, barely containing his laughter. 

“You can say that again!” I mutter and we all burst out laughing again.  

We are deep into a proper laughing fit when we hear screams and my aunt shouting ‘Move out the way!!’ We all look around at each other and the laughter comes back! Tears stream down our faces, I gasp for breath, just as mum crosses her legs and Theo slides down onto the floor. Nan comes barreling through the door, a crossed look on her, I she was a cartoon she would be bright red and smoke would be puffing out of her ears.  

“I should’ve known this s**t storm had something to do with you three. Amber you were way to quiet tonight, what did you do to your sister?” My nan moves nearer my mother and in between gasps for air my mother proudly says  

“Her ass is so jealous of the s**t that comes out her mouth, it had to join it sometime!!”  

We all start laughing again, getting more and more hysterical, and soon my nan is laughing with us too...