My grandmother was a firm believer that fairy tales existed in real life, even though she’d never seen a truly healthy relationship in our family history. Not only was Mima raised by a cruel father, but my grandpa, Mima’s husband, was an abusive, angry man. I was only a child when he passed away, but I remembered not being too saddened by his death. If anything, I felt relieved by his passing because he couldn’t hurt Mima anymore. I wondered if I’d feel the same if my father died, too—relieved.
Even with all the awful men in our lives, Mima still believed in knights in shining armor, princesses, funny sidekicks, villains, and magical curses. She was convinced our family carried generations of one curse, a shadow that kept us from finding true love.
She also believed I would be the one to break those curses, but if anything, Mom’s devotion to my father dug us deeper into it. Their love didn’t free us; it sealed the curse tighter, making it harder and harder for me to believe in, well... love. With Dad around, it was starting to feel like love was nothing more than a fantasy. Something reserved solely for storybooks and tree carvings.
“Good morning.” Aunt Paige smiled as I walked into the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee. To my surprise, she had already brewed some. Normally in my house, I was the first one up and at it. I always had a cup of coffee before Mima rolled out of bed to join me, but it seemed Paige was an early riser just like me.
“Morning.” I grabbed a mug and poured myself a cup.
“You need creamer?”
“Nah, I drink it black like my dad.”
She shivered at the thought. “Not me. I like a splash of coffee in my cream,” she joked.
Aunt Paige was beautiful. She was an artist, and you’d always find a paintbrush sitting behind her ear. Her clothes were invariably covered in paint, and she had the kind of smile that could light up any room.
A bandanna always sat on her head, too, and when you looked at her, it was as if you were looking at a piece of artwork. Even with her being sick, she was still so beautiful.
Eleanor looked so much like her mother, it was unnerving. The same way I looked like Mom, I supposed. It seemed my uncle and father didn’t have strong enough genes to swallow their kids up. The women in our family seemed to do most of the work with the genetics.
Paige tightened the bandanna on her head and looked my way. “So how was your joyride last night?” My eyes widened as the words left her lips, and she just gave me the sweetest smile. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell your parents, but I want to make sure you’re not getting yourself into any trouble, Shay. I love you and care about you so much that I just worry about you getting hurt. So are you OK?”
I nodded. “I’m good.”
She gave me a lopsided smile. “You remind me of myselfwhen I was a kid, a little bit of a rebel spirit. Want some advice from an old fart?” she offered.
“Sure.”
“Make sure he’s worth it.”
“How do you know I was out with a boy?” I asked.
She snickered. “Because there’s always a boy with late-night escapes. Lead with your heart, but take your brain with you.” She moved over and kissed my forehead. “I’m going to go wake Eleanor. I’m sure she’ll sleep through her alarm again if I let her.”
“OK. Thanks, Aunt Paige.” Her words danced in my head and in my heart.
As she rounded the corner, she glanced back my way. “Oh, and Shay?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for taking Ellie to that party. Even though I know she’s sad with all that’s going on, it’s good to know she has something that’s also making her happy.” Her eyes watered over with so much emotion that it made me nervous.
“But you’re OK, right, Aunt Paige?” I asked softly.
She let out a small laugh, but it felt a little broken. “Yes. Even when things don’t look OK, the universe has a way of making it all work out in the end. Just promise me you’ll look after Eleanor?”
“I promise.”
A tear fell down her cheek, and she wiped it away, nodding. “Thank you.”
I didn’t push the conversation further because it was clear she didn’t want to dive any deeper into the subject. I knew I could keep that promise to my aunt. I’d look out for Eleanor the same way she’d always looked out for me.
* * *
When I got to school that morning, I opened my locker and gasped when I saw it was filled with peonies and dozens of banana Laffy Taffys. There was a sticky note sitting against the metal locker. I pulled it off and read it.
Here’s some flowers and candy to make up for your crappy night. I was going to get you penises but went with peonies instead.