Lovers

Ch. 46: Blood // Water

Blood // Water: grandson

"Look me in my eyes. Tell me everything's not find. Oh, the people ain't happy, and the river has run dry. You thought you could go free, but the system is done for. If you listen real closely, there's a knock at your front door. We'll never get free, lamb to the slaughter. What you gon' do when there's blood in the water? The price of your green is your son and your daughter. What you gon' do if there's blood in the water?

--

"We should stop by Alice's so she could see the dresses. She can help me decide on which one to wear."

"Sure."

Jake changes lanes and makes a U-turn toward the direction of Alice's neighborhood. Now that Alice and I are talking again, I want to see her as much as possible. I'm going to be her maid of honor, for crying out loud; she must have input on what type of dress she wants me to wear.

"I should check up on Andrew too. Ha! I should talk to my aunt. Maybe she knows something about my mom. That should have been the first stop to go to." Jake tightens his grip on the steering with annoyance.

"Well, it was good you could talk to Jeff, whether that accomplished anything or not. And in the letter, it said your mother didn't tell anyone."

"But they were sisters. She had to know something."

"What if they weren't close?"

"Come on, Dawn. You've never had a sibling. I'm going to know a little more than you."

"I know! I'm just trying to bring insight."

"It's just different when you have a brother or a sister going through the same things as you. It'd be different if, say, my brother and I didn't live together for most of our lives."

"You think Alice already asked her mom about it?"

"No, Alice is tight-lipped. She knows how to keep a secret." Jake side-eyes me.

"Ouch." I cover my chest, feigning distress. "I am getting a little better, right?"

"We shall see..."

Jake pulls up to Alice's driveway, putting the car in park.

Jake helps me with the bag of clothes as we make our way to the front door. I ring the doorbell. "Shit, I should have texted her first. What if she isn't home."

"Her car is here?" Jake suggests, pointing to her white BMW. I never understood why she had such a big car. It's just one person.

"True."

Mrs. Taliny opens the door, and a wide bewildered smile takes hold of her now ever-growing smile wrinkles. "Hey, you two."

"Hey, Aunt T. Alice, home?" Jake asks.

"Ah, you just missed her." She looks at her watch, checking the time. "She should be back in twenty. Her and Casper are getting some stuff from Target. Come in, please." She says, opening the door wider for us to enter.

We sit in the living room as Mrs. Taliny goes into the kitchen. She's either making a late lunch or an early dinner. Either way, she's chopping some tomatoes in a bowl.

"Andrew is in his room if you want to say hi," Mrs. Taliny says.

"I will in a minute. I know once I'm there, I will be stuck for a few hours."

Mrs. Taliny chuckles at Jake's brass joke.

"I wanted to talk to you for a moment."

"Yes." Mrs. Taliny stops chopping. Her expression is unreadable. I don't think I've ever seen her not smile.