Outside the Mirage

#11: The Morelands

Vanessa looked at the piles of clothes in her room. She grabbed one of her grey shirts and sniffed it before throwing it in the pile of smelly clothes. Grabbing a shirt from the top of a second pile of clothes that was supposed to be mostly clean, she tried it on, looking at herself in the mirror before deciding it didn't look right and throwing it in the pile of ugly clothes. The third shirt was much too small and the fourth was stained with mustard and the fifth shirt was a little too low-cut but if she squinted her eyes and sucked in her tummy a bit, the sixth shirt was perfect. So, she threw the Aerosmith t-shirt on and put on a black blazer over top of it, forced a pair of dress pants over her thighs and brushed her dark hair. Giving herself a final look in the mirror, she grumbled her displeasure but walked outside anyway.

Merlyn was, as always, dressed in a three-piece suit, today's color being a sandy color. He was wearing his bowler hat and pocket watch, sitting on the hood of a new bright red sports car. Upon seeing Vanessa walk out of the apartment building, he gave a smile and wave.

"New car?" Vanessa asked.

"Oh yes," Merlyn said. "I named her Carmelita. Pretty good, right?"

"I hate you. I really do hate you."

Merlyn chuckled at his own joke while getting inside the car. "I'm not overdressed am I?"

"Not really. My sister is bringing her boyfriend, and I'm pretty sure he's worn a suit and tie to everything he's ever been invited to."

"You have a sister?" Merlyn asked.

"And a brother. They'll both be there."

"How did I not know?"

"I don't know, you never asked?"

"Alright, true. So, what, are you older? Younger?"

"I'm the oldest, yeah," Vanessa said. "Then there's my brother, Gideon. He's a mechanic and he lives in Detroit. Him and his fiance just happened to be in town the same week we were getting together.

"My sister is Gracie. She is pretty cool, she just had a kid a couple months ago. A little girl."

"You're an aunt too?" Merlyn asked. "That's so special."

"It's pretty enjoyable," Vanessa admitted. "Are you an uncle?"

Merlyn frowned. "No. Nor will I ever be."

"No siblings?"

"I have a brother," Merlyn said. "I had a sister too."

Vanessa swallowed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--"

"Forget it," Merlyn said. "No worries."

The rest of the drive would have been silent if not for the most recent Taylor Swift songs playing through Merlyn's aux cord. Eventually, they arrived at the little house on Alba that was the home of the Morelands.

Getting out of the car, Merlyn picked out a small dish from his backseat while Vanessa fixed her hair. The two of them looked at the home of Vanessa's parents; it was slim and tall, with the white paint chipping off the walls. The porch was very tiny, with just enough space for the little wooden bench. There were a number of cars already parked on the street, and a large red van in the lone spot in the driveway.

" A modest house," Merlyn said. "I like it."

"Thanks, Sheffield. Let's go meet the Morelands."

Vanessa walked inside, where she was immediately hit with the aroma of strong vanilla. Turning to look in the living room, everyone erupted into joy at seeing her. Merlyn, who followed close behind her, got a good look at everyone. It didn't take long for everyone to get up to give her a hug.