All I Want Is Everything

Holiday

So many people rise and fall
Who's lookin' after you at all?
Nobody knows anybody at all
Strangers in paradise down at the mall

Iggy Pop, Home

Ella got off the phone with Gamora and called Thomas with the details of his flight over. She'd booked first class for him but didn't tell him, wanting to delight him with the surprise. Ireland to LA was a long trip and he should be comfortable. She had a return ticket for him as well, but the date was open because neither of them knew how long he'd be staying. Ella was grateful that he was willing to drop everything to help. He said he had time off accrued, that there wasn't much going on in the factory at present due to the holidays. She put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and sat down to make some lists. Her conscience had pricked her, and she'd come clean to Thomas about the abortion. She was sure that Steve would bring it up and she didn't want Thomas to be shocked. She wasn't sure how strict a Catholic he really was and wanted to be up front.

She'd waited, barely breathing, after telling him.

"Was it safely done?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes, I went to a clinic," she said cautiously.

"Good." Thomas went silent for a bit. "When I was a boy, there was a girl, Maeve, a few streets over, Ella. She chose another fella, and he seemed to treat her well. Her ma was waiting for wedding bells. But the man left unexpectedly. And a month or so later, Maeve died. She'd had a back-alley abortion. The priest refused to bury her in the churchyard. Her family ended up moving away. I think of her now and again." Ella could tell from his tone that this Maeve had been something important to her cousin. "Did you have anyone to help you through it?"

"I did," she said. "Two people on the tour, they helped me cover it up, it helped a lot that I had a legitimate knee problem at the time too."

"Good. I'm glad you weren't alone, Ella." And he asked more questions about the therapy that she and Steve had tried together, everything that Ella could think of to help him understand the dimensions of the Steve problem.

"I really appreciate that you're willing to come help out your dumbass cousins," she said softly. "It's not much of a Christmas vacation for you."

"I'm looking forward to seeing your home," Thomas said, brightening his tone some. "The fan magazines that Kieran's boy brings to the pub for me to look at had an interview with the woman who oversaw your renovation. It sounds glamorous." He hesitated. "And it will be nice to spend the holiday with family."

Ella felt better after they hung up. She made a couple more lists and ordered a nice seasonal arrangement for her cousin's room. In the end, she decided to make up a room in the main house as well as the one in the guest house, so that he could choose, and she didn't want him to feel restricted. She'd been planning to use the fridge down at the guest house for overflow from her kitchen anyway. She wouldn't have Steve in her home until/unless he shaped up, but she also didn't want to interfere with Thomas seeing him and would make the guest house available to him if he wanted to meet somewhere that wasn't Steve's home. Wherever that was. And that was depressing, that she didn't even know where her twin lived. She allowed herself time to feel the melancholy but didn't dwell on it. Sure, she wasn't perfect, but Steve was more responsible for their estrangement and he'd said things that were bordering on unforgivable. Dick.

She started assembling the ingredients for her next treat, trusting in the power of lists to keep her on the right track.

And coffee. That was important as well.

Ella was present to meet Thomas when his plane landed in the afternoon. They hugged, and she took him out to the Corvette. He was impressed. "Joseph would have loved this," he said. Ella nodded.