Like Raspberry Wine

Chapter 2

2

Elise stretched and yawned. The time on the dash said it was approaching half past seven; her mom had been driving for almost nine hours, with two rest breaks. “There it is! The first sign for Ridgmont. Thank God! My legs have gone to sleep on me.”

Her mom stretched as well. “I wish you could take over driving for a bit. I’m wiped out.”

“What’s it like being a twin?” Elise didn’t know where the question came from. Her mom glanced at her with a frown, as confused as she was where it came from. “Is it weird seeing someone with your face in front of you?”

“It’s great for buying clothes,” her mom joked.

“I’m serious! What’s it like?” She often wondered strange things like this.

“I don’t know how to answer that, honey. I don’t have anything to compare it to, do I? I’ve always had an identical twin sister, so I don’t know any different. It’s not weird to me, but it seems to weird other people out.” Abigail overtook an elderly lady in an old Nissan.

“I guess most of us will never experience it,” Elise said. “The best we’ll get is looking at ourselves in the mirror. It must be kind of cool to look like someone else.”

Her mom smiled. “It has its advantages on occasion. I’ve got a few stories I can tell you.”

“Ridgmont thirty miles. We’ll make it by quarter to eight at this rate.” Elise was looking forward to getting out of the car and stretching her legs.

Her mom smiled at her again. “Wait! Are you? Is that excitement I see in my daughter’s face? Are you looking forward to getting to the farm, Elise?” She laughed.

“I am, only…” She stopped herself from finishing the sentence.

“Only what?”

“No, I shouldn’t be nasty. It’s not fair.” Elise looked out of her window.

“What is it, Elise? Don’t make me shake it out of you!”

“Oh, alright, it’s just that I’m not looking forward to seeing Rachel. There, I said it. She’s hard work, Mom. I know she’s my cousin and all that, and your niece, but she made me sit through the entire original trilogy of Star Wars the last time I saw her. Six hours. And now I know they were the original trilogy. I can even tell you what a Jawa is.”

Her mom’s facial expression changed from jovial to sad, like Elise thought would happen. She wasn’t a horrible person by nature. “I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Nodding, Abigail glanced over at her. Her expression changed again, from sad to grinning. “I can’t wait till we get there. You’re in for such a shock. In fact, I think I’ll take a picture when we get out of the car.”

Confused, Elise smiled. “What? I’m not following.”

“No, you’re not supposed to.” The grin continued. “Apparently Rachel’s changed a lot since the last time you saw her. I don’t think you’re gonna like it, El. Sorry!”

Slapping her knees, Elise muttered, “Great! What’s she gonna be wearing now, a Jedi robe or something? Do you see what she’s done to me? I just said Jedi. I thought she was Cousin It when they visited last time; I couldn’t see her face for all the hair. And those baggy jeans and hooded tops.” When she checked her mom’s reaction, she was still grinning. “What are you laughing at? I’m the one who has to hang out with her. I expect a bit of sympathy here.”

“You’ll get on fine with her, I promise. Sara tells me she’s really looking forward to seeing you. Please be nice to her, for me?” The serious look vanished. Her mom chuckled to herself but tried to stop. “I’m sorry! I’ve got the giggles, I don’t know why.”

Elise folded her arms, thinking something was going on. The way her mom said about taking a photo of her when they got out of the car made alarm bells ring. Plus, the grinning. “Yeah, you’re acting weird. Must be all the driving. It’s driving you mad. Get it?”

“You got that out of a fortune cookie, didn’t you?” Her mom tutted. “I expect better of you than that, honey. Another sign. Twenty miles to go.”

“What’s the nearest big town or city to Ridgmont, Mom? In case I want to drive somewhere with people. I can imagine somewhere as small as Ridgmont getting quite claustrophobic.”

“I get that. You’ve got Toledo to the east and Cleveland to the west. Please tell me if you’re taking a drive out of Ridgmont, though.”

“I’m hardly going to run off, am I? Even from Rachel. I’m not a bad person, Mom.” Sometimes she wondered if her mom actually liked her. It was clear she thought badly of her at times. “Lots of farms around here. As far as the eye can see.”

While her mom drove, Elise reached behind her and rifled through her bag for a bottle of water. Car journeys made her thirsty. She took a big swallow before pulling out some moisturising cream out and applying some to her hands. “Why do car journeys dry your skin out so much? I don’t get it.”

“It’s the regurgitated air in the A/C that does it.”

The rest of the journey to Ridgmont Elise remained quiet. It was so pretty. She enjoyed watching the sporadic houses whizz past. When she managed to catch a glimpse of a house for longer than a second, she imagined the type of family who lived there. It was fun. Her imagination knew no bounds.

“Here we are. You are now entering Ridgmont.” Her mom made an excited noise, a kind of ‘Oooh!’ sound, which was put on. “I’ll slow down when we drive along Main Street. There’s some old haunts I want to show you.”

“Great! A history lesson.” Pretending to yawn, Elise chuckled after, to show her mom she was joking. Actually, finding out more about her mom growing up would be interesting. They’d never really talked about it, which was probably why Elise could never imagine her mom being her age. There was something wrong with it, something unnatural. “It’s almost as bad as watching you and dad kiss.” She mimicked shuddering.

“Oi! That’s rude!” Her mom smiled, too. “Now, here we are, the first place on Main Street. Sally’s Ice Cream Parlour. It’s an eat-in restaurant and only serves ice cream, desserts and soda. A really popular hangout for the teenagers.” Her mom pulled over at the curb.

“Is this it? One road?” Elise looked behind her and ahead. On both sides of the street there were stores, restaurants and two bars that she could see.

“This is pretty much it, yeah. Main Street. Oh, I almost forgot, there’s a racetrack nearby. That’s where the kids your age hang out. In fact, they’ll be getting ready for a big night right now. You never know, Rachel might take you there, if you ask nicely.”

“Ha ha! You’re funny!” If only, she thought, watching a group of teens strolling along the sidewalk. “Are there many kids my age here?”

“Ridgmont has grown a lot since I was here last. They’ve got two middle schools and two elementary schools now.” Her mom pointed across the street. “Over there, that’s the local diner; everyone goes there. A really original name, don’t you think? The Local. Anyone and everyone hangs out there to catch up on the gossip. It’s even more popular than the bars.”

Elise noticed an air of calm about her mom. The frown marks seemed to have disappeared. “Do you miss this place when you’re not here? You spent quite a few summers here, didn’t you? Or at least you said you did.”

With a nod, her mom confirmed it. “I missed it dreadfully after that summer with Scott. I came back for summer vacations for years after, hoping he might put in an appearance and whisk me off somewhere.” Her eyes were sad again. “Life never goes the way you want it to.”

“But you’re happy with the way your life went, aren’t you?” She didn’t like the sadness in her mom’s eyes. “Mom? Aren’t you? You met Daddy!”

As though she’d just snapped herself out of it, her mom stared at her, her mouth upturning. “Course I’m happy with my life, honey. I was just thinking out loud; don’t mind me.”

“Good! You were starting to worry me there.” Elise saw the youngsters head for a*****e. She couldn’t read the sign because a tree obscured her view. “Where are they going?”

Her mom sat forward, squinting. “Oh my! Is that still going? I thought that would have gone bust by now. Who’d have thought?”

“Mom? Well? What is it?”

“Pam’s Place. It’s a pottery-decorating store. You go in, pick out the plates, cups, or whatever you want to decorate. Then, you sit around a table with your friends, paint the pieces however you want, and the owner puts them in the kiln. The next day you go back to pick them up. Pam had just opened the summer I met Scott. I never thought it would still be here. I’m so pleased for her.”

Her mom seemed at ease in Ridgmont, almost a home away from home. “I like it. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s no Memphis, but I can imagine it must be nice to live in a smaller community, a place where you know everyone.” She pointed at the dash clock. “We’re supposed to be there now, aren’t we?”

Starting the engine, her mom pulled out from the curb, crawling along Main Street. “This place has a weird effect on you, Elise. You start off thinking, ‘Meh! It’s alright’. Trust me, by the time we come to leave, you’ll love it here. Happens to me every time. Before I met your dad, I used to look forward to my vacations in Ridgmont so bad.”

The drive to the farm took another ten minutes along country roads. For a small town, it sure was big, or at least Elise thought so. They passed a number of houses along the country road. She imagined the residents, in her own weird way.

“Sara and Charlie welcome you to Oakley Ridge Wine Estates.” Her mom read out the sign at the foot of the drive. “That is so Sara. Not satisfied with just the name of the vineyard, she has to add that extra special touch.”

“I think it’s sweet.” Elise was nervous, her leg bobbing up and down. What was she nervous about? It was only Aunt Sara and Uncle Charlie. It had to be seeing Rachel.

Elise wouldn’t think there was a vineyard on the grounds from the short drive along the stony driveway. The first thing she noticed about the farm was a lack of fields, or anything remotely farm-like. “Are you sure this is the right place?”

“It doesn’t look like much from here, but it opens up out back.” Her mom drove them up to what Elise assumed was the farmhouse, a huge, white-painted wooden building with enough space for a family of twelve at least. “This is Grandma and Grandpa’s old house. That window, second from the left, is my old room.”

It was weird thinking that her mom used to stay here. Elise unbuckled her belt as the front door of the farmhouse opened. Elise saw her mom, or rather her Aunt Sara, first. “Different hairstyle, but identical in every other way. I always forget how weird it is.”

Elise got out of the car and stretched, waiting for her aunt and uncle to meet them. Her skin felt dry. She needed a shower so bad.

Before her aunt and uncle met them, a girl in a cheerleader’s uniform stood in the doorway, her arms folded. She untied her hair and covered her face. “Is that? No! Rachel?”