Staying Grounded [BXB]

Rabbit Hole

CRAIG:

I feel kind of like I'm sitting a test I haven't prepared for, and it's as unnerving as it is unprecedented.

For the past four days, I've been nowhere but college, spent time with no one but Christopher, and as much as I've come to understand my punishment, no word of it has actually been spoken.

I am not explicitly grounded.

I haven't been expressly restricted.

I can't quite grasp how much of my freedom I owe, or for how long.

So, today, I've decided I'm done. At least for a short while.

The farmhouse's door opens on me to reveal a stout black woman, wrapped in a red satin dressing gown, a thicket of unruly braids hanging loose around her shoulders. I know who she is — most of the town knows who she is — but I startle when she greets me by name. "Good afternoon, Craig."

And I don't hide it well. "Um..."

"Oh, now, don't you be worrying yourself," she chuckles. "We've never met. I'm Judy." Her voice is mellow, soothing like a lullaby, and when she holds out a long-fingered hand toward me, I don't even think before taking it. She clasps tight, stroking her thumb across my knuckles. "Momma bear. And, please, pay no mind to my attire. It's my day off, and I'm under strict orders to relax. Come on in, why don't you."

I feel like I need to retreat a little (or all the way home) and give my head a firm shake, but as she takes a step back into the dim hall, I find myself obediently moving in past her.

"Don't want to be losing all the warm air, now, do we?" She smiles, shutting us in, and my eyes drop to her bare feet, and gold painted toenails peeking out beneath her gown. Slipping off my shoes, I line them neatly to the side of the welcome mat. "So, which of my fine young cubs is it you're here to see?"

Before I can formulate an answer, a call comes from a room several paces further down the hall on my right: "Who's—?" And I look up as a towel-turbaned head pokes out. "Craig!" Then Ashleigh's bounding over to join us, as excitable as a puppy dog. "Finally! Thought for sure you'd show your pretty face back here way before now. How have you even coped so long without your social lifeline?"

Her lithe body covered in nothing but her YCS track shorts, a black sports bra, and the towel, I'm mighty abrupt in lurching away from her threatening embrace. And finding nowhere comfortable to settle my gaze, I stupidly fix on the orange school logo embroidered at the hip of her blue shorts. Once upon a happier time, I was in the Athletics Club with her, dominating the hundred metres. "I'm not staying."

Judy tsks admonishingly, and my head whips up, but it's not me she's eyeballing.

"What?" Ashleigh grins, seeming completely unfazed. "There's nothing private on display."

"Girl!"

"Okay, okay!" As she leans forward, I arch back, but she's only reaching past me to unhook a thick blue duffel from the coat rack. "There." The thing drowns her, so I can only assume it's Sebastian's. "Better?"

"Very much."

There's no disagreement from me. "So, um...?"

"So, yes." Grin holding firm, Ashleigh immediately returns it to me. She makes a show of fastening up the coat all the way to her chin, which she then lifts haughtily. "If we're all good here, I'll take him now, Jude. Thanking you kindly."

Judy huffs out a soft sigh of feigned exasperation, complete with eye-roll. "Very good, Miss. Then I shall take my leave." Touching my elbow while skirting her way past, she murmurs close, "You're more than welcome to stay awhile, honey."