(more) work in progress

An excerpt from my second novel, still in revisions, which hopefully I will be able to put the finishing touches on AFTER my museum opens on 9.23. Enjoy! And if you don't, just lie to me and say you did.
*******

"Brr! It's freezing!" Christina laughed as she snuggled under the beige chenille blanket that she and her husband Brian always kept on their couch. It's real purpose was to cover up the stains that were frequently appearing (either at the hand of their 13-month-old twins, Naomi and Nadia, or else from the family dog Maggie). But on exceptionally cool Fall nights such as this one she was happy to have something at the ready to warm her up.

"I don't know what happened to Fall this year," her husband Brian agreed as he entered the room with a cup of peppermint tea that he handed to his appreciative wife. "We seem to have gone straight into Winter." He sat down on the old couch with her, and grabbed a piece of the blanket to cover himself.

"Hmm. I don't mind. I'm one of those freaks that love the cold," Christina laughed. "Besides," she continued, "what's there to complain about? The kids are sleeping and I have you to help keep me warm." She leaned closer to Brian and met his lips in a lingering kiss. They had been together nearly twenty years, ever since he surprised her and asked her to the 8th grade Harvest Dance. And even after all the time they had been together, he still managed to make her heart do backflips whenever he was near.

"You are definitely a freak," he agreed. "But you're my freak." And he leaned in for another kiss. As they broke apart, Christina placed her teacup on the coffee table and placed her head against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on top of her head. She was in her happy place.

"The kids go down easily?" he asked.

"They did," Christina said with wonder. "That's two nights in a row now. Maybe the sleepless nights are a thing of the past?"

Brian chuckled. "You're such an optimist."

"I'm not an optimist. Our children are gifted. I knew that from the moment they started crawling early and showed up that Portia Worthington during their Gymboree class."

"While I do approve of them outshining any child who has the misfortune to be named Portia, I must ask-- have I missed some new study? Since when is crawling a future indicator of brilliance?" he asked.

"When it's our children," she answered, and they both laughed.

Suddenly her bliss was interrupted by the piercing ring of the telephone. She couldn't imagine who would be calling so late. The babies awoke at the sound and begna to cry, almost as though they were echoing their mother's displeasure at the unwelcome interruption. Or else they heard her earlier pronouncements of their brilliance and wanted to make her pay for jinxing things.

Christina grabbed the phone, looked at the caller ID number and noticed, with annoyance, that it was her sister Emily on the other end. "Figures," she grumbled.

"You get it, I'll get the girls," Brian said, and he rose from the couch quickly. So quickly, in fact, that he knocked the tea all over the cofee table. "Hello?" Christina answered sharply, as she grabbed some paper towels to start blotting at the mess.

"Hey Chris? It's Em." Her big sister's voice seemed muffled and far away.

"Do you have any idea how late it is?" Christina demanded. "The girls were asleep, and Brian and I weren't too far behind them."

"I'm sorry," she replied, in a tone that made Christina think she wasn't really sorry at all. "But I have to get out of here."

It was always the same. Emily had fled to Chicago years ago and never could be bothered to come back, despite Christina's hints that she needed help taking care of their parents. It was hard enough being a new mom and taking care of her growing family. She didn't have time for full-time parent care as well. She needed Emily to help step up and shoulder some of the responsibility. She had reluctantly arrived in Willow Glen the previous day, having left her own baby back in Chicago with her husband. The unspoken signal by such a move was I am not planning on staying long, so don't expect much from me.

"What happened this time?" Christina asked warily.

"I just don't want to be here," Emily whimpered.

"Yes, we are all very clear on how this town doesn't meet to your lofty expectations," Christina replied.

"Don't be like that. I'm sorry. I just-- can't. I can't. I miss my husband. I miss my baby. I miss my life. I need to leave."

"Then leave. What's stopping you?"

"The fact that I don't have a car," Emily replied sheepishly. "I was hoping...hoping that you could come get me and I could stay with you for the night. I've already checked online. There's a flight back to O'Hare in the morning. I just don't want to be in this house another moment."

Christina sighed in exasperation. "It's late. The girls are asleep. Or at least they were until you decided to wake them up in the name of your own selfishness. And it's cold out. I really don't feel like going out to get you. Can't you get a cab or borrow mom's car or something?"

"This is Willow Glen," Emily reminded her. "The cabs stop coming at 6:30."

"Exaggerate much?"

"Fine then. 7:30," Emily replied, and in spite of herself, Christina laughed. Her sister was infuriating at times, but she loved her deeply. Their childhood had been challenging, in the way that only childhoods could be, and they were forever bonded because of it.

"And I don't want mom to know I'm leaving, so taking her car is out of the question," Emily continued.

"You're sneaking out? How old are you anyway?" Christina demanded.

"Old enough to know I have to get out of here. Will you help me? Please?"

Christina glanced at the clock on the wall. She was helpless whenever Emily started begging. "Fine. I'll be there in 10 minutes. Wait outside. If I have to be cold, so do you." She hung up and saw Brian on the landing with their two girls. he looked at her with amusement.

"And where are you going exactly?" he asked.

"One guess. And her name starts with an 'Em' and ends with an 'ily.' She needs me to pick her up at mom and dad's."

"Right now?"

"Don't waste your breath. I've already been through this with her. Besides, you know her. If I don't come soon she'll hitchike back to Chicago."

"Well, you're not going alone. We'll bundle up the girls and all go together."

"No, you don't have to do that," she protested. I don't want to take the girls out at this hour."

"They're up now. And you know the only thing that is the surefire cure to get them back asleep once they've awoken is a ride in the car. Come on. We'll all pick up your wayward sister together."

Christina looked at her daughters, who looked as though they were ready for endless rounds of "I'm a little teapot" before they slept. Brian did have a point. The girls would be out before they reached Emily, which would make it a much more pleasant night once they returned.

"Fine, you win."

He kissed her on the nose. "We both do. Now let's go. The sooner we head out, the sooner I have you back under that blanket," he grinned.

"Hold that thought," Christina laughed.

The roads of Willow Glen were practically deserted at this late hour. Brian hummed The Wiggles classic "Fruit Salad" under his breath as he turned their minivan onto the main road that linked their home to her parents' house. The distance wasn't far-- only a little over two miles-- but Christina understood why Emily wouldn't want to walk it in the dark. No one ever seemed to walk anywhere in their small town. Emily used to joke that people drove their cars to the end of the driveway to get their newspaper in the morning. And, of course, use it as a launching off point for her latest diatribe about how Chicago was infinitely superior to Willow Glen.

"Stop singing that song or else I'll have it in my head all night," she protested. Brian grinned at her sheepishly.

What happened next seemed to ufurl in slow motion, and yet all Christina would ever recall during the years that followed were moments frozen in time. There was no soundtrack to the slideshow in her memory, and everything was muddled, almost like she was viewing it from underwater.

The headlights from the oncoming car that was travelling to fast, in the wrong lane.

Brian's face as he realized what was happening, and him swerving to get out of the way, just a moment too late.

The car flipping. Rolling. Making it's way down the hillside. Finally coming to a stop and bursting into flames.

The face of a stranger, pulling her out to safety before she was consumed by the flames.

Her screaming, begging the stranger to help save her family.

Until finally, the car explodes, taking her heart, her life along with it.

And then her world turns completely black.

I knew I was an adult when...

...I bought my first piece of furniture that didn't require me to assemble it myself

...when I heard a child say "mom" and I didn't look over my shoulder to see who they're talking to

...I realized that if I wanted a pet I could just buy one and didn't need anyone's permission

...I could eat frozen waffles for dinner if I wanted to

...the CEO of a Fortune 500 company asked for my opinion on an potential ad campaign

...the idea of taking a nap sounded like heaven on earth

..."because I said so" became a perfectly rational and reasonable argument

...I got excited by the idea of re-landscaping my yard