“No, Auntie Liv, you can edit and filter your photos on your phone,” Olivia’s niece, Molly, said in exasperation.
“I realize that, but my phone can only do so much. I want to do more to my photos.”
Molly rolled her eyes at her and took her phone. She was eleven going on fifty, and Olivia swore she’d come out of the womb that way.
“You just need an app,” Molly said, elbows propped on the dark red tablecloth, thumbs attacking the cell phone screen. “I’ll download three awesome ones for you. They’re what I use.”
Olivia smiled and looked at her brother, Aaron, who was busy winding spaghetti around his fork. He was fresh from work as a mechanic, wearing his standard uniform shirt with his name on one side and the dealership on the other. Though he often wore latex gloves and he’d recently scrubbed his hands, his fingernail beds were still stained black. It was from years of working on engines of all kinds. Aaron had been as into working with his hands and fixing things as she had been into reading and learning. They were polar opposites in nearly every way, yet they’d always gotten along. And now, as adults, they remained close, able to understand each other unlike anyone else.
He caught her stare and grinned as he chewed. They were eating at Streets of New York, a popular chain of small Italian restaurants located throughout the greater Phoenix area. This particular one, closest to the dealership where Aaron worked, was Molly’s favorite place to eat. They’d talk and munch on garlic bread nestled at a back table, surrounded by classic black-and-white images of New York on the walls and flat screen televisions silently playing the latest ball game in every corner.
When she was younger, Molly used to beg to eat there because, according to her, it was dark and cool and smelled good. But that was Molly. Always noticing and appreciating things others didn’t. She reminded Olivia so much of herself at that age.
Olivia took a bite of her turkey sandwich and sipped from the second Diet Coke she’d allowed for the day. Technically, in agreement with Eve, she was supposed to only have one, which she usually had in the morning. And that allowance of one was supposed to come to an end today. But she was dreading tomorrow and every day thereafter when she couldn’t have any. With that in mind, she’d been unable to resist another when ordering and she’d told herself it was okay because they were eating out. She wondered, however, what Eve would say, if she ever dared to tell her.
It probably wouldn’t go over very well.
“So, you’re working with a trainer now?” Aaron asked, sipping from his mug of beer. “How’s that going?” He absently brushed back a lock of hair from his forehead. He was a handsome guy with thick brown hair like Olivia’s which he wore combed back away from his face. Loose strands often fell forward by the end of the day, despite his heavy use of hair gel. His eyes were also like Olivia’s, only a shade lighter. And they, in combination with his hair and square jaw he inherited from their father, got him a lot of attention from the ladies.
“We’re just getting started, so I really can’t say yet. I’m meeting with her tomorrow for weightlifting. Kind of nervous.”
“Weightlifting? You? What’s the world coming to.” He laughed and cut into a large meatball.
“She’s making changes, Dad,” Molly said, setting down the phone. She forked some of her pasta. “Don’t give her a hard time.”
“I’ll say,” he said, directing his comment to Olivia. “You’re making so many changes, I’m having a hard time keeping up. Do you know something we don’t? Is the world going to end?”
She gave him her best “ha ha very funny” look. “I just got sick and tired of the rut I was living in. And I realized I didn’t want to waste another second wallowing in it.”
They hadn’t spoken a lot about the changes she’d made in the past year or so, and she was surprised he was bringing it up now. He’d been supportive, of course, with each decision she’d made, but he hadn’t pushed her for her reasons why. But that was how they’d always been. In her family, you didn’t talk about your feelings or anything very deep. So she and Aaron had grown up side by side this way, just always supporting the other with a quiet presence. The only thing they ever discussed in depth was their relationship with their parents. That was a topic they both had a lot to say about.
“I understand,” he said. “You weren’t happy. I know being married to Kenny wasn’t easy. I’m not, as you now know, a big fan as far as he is concerned. So, I totally get you needing to leave. Even if Mom and Dad don’t.”
She’d always suspected that he didn’t like Kenny. She could tell by the way he behaved around him. Now, she wished she’d asked him why. Maybe if they’d talked about it, she wouldn’t have married him. Maybe if they’d talked about the way she felt toward his ex-wife he never would’ve married her. But then they wouldn’t have Molly. And she knew no matter what Aaron had experienced with Gina, he’d go through it all again in a heartbeat for Molly.
“Why are Grandma and Grandpa so old-fashioned? Why would they want Auntie Liv to stay married to a grumpy jerk like Kenny? I don’t get it.” Molly didn’t bother to look up from her food. She just forked another bite.
Olivia laughed at her reference to Kenny. She’d heard her refer to him as such once before, on the day she moved out and Molly and Aaron had come to help.
“They don’t believe in divorce, Molls,” Aaron said. “It goes against their faith.”
“So, you’re just supposed to be unhappy?” She shook her head. “We have faith, Dad. So does Auntie Liv. Why don’t Grandma and Grandpa have any common sense like we do?”
“Their beliefs are a little different than ours. A little more intense.” He glanced at Olivia and sipped his beer.
“Yeah, I know that. You guys tell me stories all the time. I just want to know why. Why would anyone choose to live like that?”
“People just do. They choose to believe what they want. When you grow up, you may decide to believe something other than me.”
“I’ll never believe in staying married to someone who makes me miserable. That’s for sure.”
She was so smart and insightful. She amazed Olivia every time she saw her.
They ate in silence for a while before Aaron spoke again, directing his words to Olivia.
“Have you spoken to them lately?”
Olivia put down the remainder of her sandwich, suddenly unable to finish it.
“Mom called a week ago. She didn’t bring up the divorce or anything, just filled me in on the little church she and Dad found and proceeded to complain about it, but said they would keep going regardless.”
“I got the same,” Aaron said. “Only then I got grilled about your life.”
“Why doesn’t she just ask me?” Olivia said.
“Come on, Olivia, you’re the smart one. You know how Mom and Dad are. They don’t talk about anything personal and they insist they don’t want to know anything personal. But that’s total crap. Mom has an obsession with wanting to know. She’s just sneaky, or in her case, not so sneaky, in the way she tries to get information. Hence her never asking us anything about our lives directly.”
“Have you noticed that her questioning and curiosity skyrocket when she suspects we’re doing something she doesn’t approve of?” Olivia rubbed her forehead. “She must be absolutely riddling you with questions about me, then. Since I’m a divorced woman and all. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for what she does,” Aaron said.
“She’s just, she drives me nuts.”
Molly laughed and Olivia realized what she was doing in talking the way she was.
“I’m sorry, Molls, I shouldn’t say this stuff in front of you. You have a good relationship with your grandparents and I don’t want to taint that.”
Molly laughed again. “It’s okay, Auntie Liv. I pretty much already know they’re crazy.”
Olivia blinked at her in disbelief and then looked at Aaron.
Molly just shrugged. “I know I’m a kid, but come on, you guys. I have eyes and ears.”
Aaron cleared his throat. “That may be so, but you shouldn’t call them crazy. It isn’t nice.”
“What about nuts then? Like Auntie Liv said. Would that be nicer than crazy?”
Aaron laughed but tried to cover his mouth. Olivia tried too but was unable to hold it in.
“It’s okay, you guys are allowed to laugh,” Molly said. “Why do you still act like you’re going to get in trouble or something? They’re far away in Mexico; they can’t hear you. And you’re adults now so it shouldn’t matter anyway. My gosh, live a little.”
“Where is this coming from?” Olivia asked. “Has she ever talked about them like this in front of you?” she asked Aaron.
He shook his head, still trying to control his laughter.
“Really, you guys?” she asked. “I’ve always known they’re nuts. It’s kind of hard to miss how uptight they are. I just never said anything because I didn’t think I should. No one says anything in this family.” She took another bite and Olivia took her observation to heart. Things needed to change, especially for Molly. They should talk. The three of them. Like this, like now. And they should do it more often.
Molly took a drink and looked to Olivia.
“After the way they acted when you left Kenny, I really knew they were crazy, then. I mean, I’m only eleven and I could see that he was a mean jerk. You had to leave, Auntie Liv. If a kid can see that, then there’s no excuse for them not to.”
Olivia stared at her for a long moment. “I love you, Molls. So very much.”
Molly smiled at her and took a bite of garlic bread. “I love you, too, Auntie Liv. And I for one, think you should do whatever it takes to be happy.”
Olivia smiled as her words reached her in a place Molly couldn’t see.
“I’m getting there, sweetie. I’m getting there.”