Is this the final stop? (Toni Shalifoe)

Chapter 8

Shelby runs up to the front steps of the house, and Toni pulls her arm before she gets to the door. Shelby turns to her, confused.

"Hey, relax. I've got this, okay?" Toni says, her attempt to make Shelby feel better.

Toni's always been a protector. Of herself. Of Martha. Especially Martha. This is a role she's comfortable in. One she likes. And she likes that she can do it for Shelby. Because Shelby needs it.

Toni takes the first step into the house and yells, "We're here! I'm so sorry—"

Shelby's mom rounds the corner from the kitchen.

"Oh, hi," Toni's surprised by seeing Shelby's mom. For the first time. And not her Dad waiting, perched at the stairs or something.

Toni closes the front door behind her, Shelby tiptoes inside the foyer. Jobeth Goodkind's eyes shift from Shelby over to Toni. A smile stretches across her face.

"Finally..." she sighs.

Shelby clenches her hands, "How bad is it." She barely asks as a question.

"Finally, I get to meet Toni! What a blessin' it is to have you here." Jobeth says and envelopes Toni into a big, and long hug. Toni goes to separate, but Jobeth holds her tighter for just an extra moment.

Jobeth turns to Shelby, "Your father had to make a house call," Jobeth reveals. Toni turns to Shelby, hopeful. "He left at 5:45. He has no idea. You're fine," she finishes.

Shelby hugs her mom, almost jumping into her arms, relieved. She whispers a small, "Thank you," into her ear.

"Thank you so much. Your house, it's extravagant, it's lovely," Toni stutters, a bit nervous, wanting to make a lasting impression. "I'll be sure to keep it just as clean as I leave it. Maybe I can do the dishes or something?"

Toni's eyes connect with Shelby's for a fleeting moment.

"Nonsense, that's something Shelby can do," she jokes. "You're our guest here, well... maybe, one day you'll be family."

Toni starts tapping her foot, letting her uneasiness have a release, but she tries to smile at the idea of becoming family. Her eyes connect with Shelby's again, for just a moment, and then return to Jobeth. Avoiding the family subject entirely, Toni apologizes again, "And I'm sorry we were so late, it was my fault. Not Shelby's."

If anyone is to take the blame it's Toni, but it seems like Shelby puts a lot of blame on herself, so Toni knows this feels like the right thing to do. Protect Shelby. Even if it's just with her mom right now.

"What were you girls doin', anyway?" Jobeth questions, curious. "I mean, Shelby, I'm sure there's a lot you have to show her around and all."

"I made the basketball team. The practices run a little late, Mrs. Goodkind—"

"You can call me Mom." She smiles.

Toni forces a smile, Shelby steals a quick look at her, checking in. Toni weighs a thought then responds, "I don't think I've deserved the title of daughter yet..." Toni stammers, the word daughter feeling foreign on her tongue. But so does Mom.

She's never really been anyone's daughter. More like a kid. A problem. An annoyance. But never truly a daughter.

She's never really had a mom, either. Family has never been a word in her vocabulary. Toni's been kept at an arm's distance away from people for a long time. So much so that she's learned to keep herself at arm's distance away from the people she knows.

"But once I've earned it, sure, Mrs. Goodkind." Toni offers. Not shutting her down, but surely not accepting, either.

"I like this one," Jobeth says to Shelby. "I'm excited to be goin' to some games, Toni."