Life, Love & A Little Coffee

Chapter Thirty- Breaking Images

Ada slept through some of the day, able to put her mind at rest enough. Her mother had called in sick for her, something Crystal had no problem with once she was told the whole story, a story that even Ada herself didn't know.

It was late in the afternoon when a blue SUV pulled onto the road and Ada watched from the porch as it grew closer to the house. It was pathetic that it took her forever to recognize her sister's vehicle, and it was downright sad that she'd forgotten her sister's change of plan to spend two weeks home instead of one.

Her sister's grin took over her face and her green eyes glimmered behind her glasses. She shut the door behind her and speed walked toward the house. "Hey there, future graduate!"

As soon as Stevie stepped onto the porch, the two wrapped their arms around each other in an embrace. She gave her a light squeeze before pushing away enough to give Ada a once-over. "You cut your hair!" Her sister began running her fingers through the strands. "And did you dye it? It looks lighter. And highlighted." She didn't wait for her answer. "It looks incredible, Ada, and so do you."

Ada blushed from her sister's compliment.

Stevie was always the beautiful one in the family. She was the social butterfly. The talent. The creativity and imagination. She was also honest to a fault, so when she gave a compliment, you knew she meant it.

"God, I feel like I've been gone a lifetime. What have I missed?"

The straightforward answer was 'everything', but what she missed was far from easy to explain.

Her parents didn't want to tell Stevie about what happened over the phone, and Stevie was already planning to come home for graduation, so she still didn't know her mother's news.

Because she didn't know about that news, she also didn't know about everything that followed. She didn't know about Ada's decision to not go to college, her striking a friendship with Tom, the rumor, and she did not know about Ada's growing feelings for Tom or their kiss.

Their dad came out just as Ada opened her mouth to respond with an answer she hadn't yet thought up. He pulled Stevie into a bear hug, picked her up and spun her around.

"Welcome home, baby girl. How was your drive?" Though Ada knew her dad had also forgotten, he didn't show it.

"Good," Stevie said with a smile as her dad let her go. "I did half the trip last night and stayed at a hotel, so it wasn't too bad. Is mom inside?"

Her father nodded and waited for Stevie to make a move for the door before shooting Ada a knowing look. "You go on in. I'll get your bags."

As soon as the door shut behind Stevie, her dad let out a breath like he'd been holding it in forever. "I ain't ready for this."

Ada didn't need her dad to explain to know what he meant. She could see it in his slacked shoulders and hanging head. In that moment, her father looked so small. And only one thing could do that.

Ada frowned with a somber understanding. Like her sister, she hadn't been ready. She'd been hit out of nowhere by this life altering news that was still sinking in, that she still hadn't fully faced.

How can a person face something like that?

How do they accept they will watch a loved one, a mother, slip away so soon before her time?

How do they ask whether they will have to go through the same thing?

How do they go out to find the answer?

How was she supposed to deal with all of that and not completely break?

Now that her sister was home, Ada knew that reality would be unavoidable and there was nowhere left to hide from the truth. It was at their front door.