Sissy sat contemplating the relationship she had with her sister. Certainly there was love, but the gap connecting their ages left a cool reserve between the two of them. Even though Sissy was the elder of the two, there was this sense within her that Grace was the more revered. From the moment she was born, Grace was the golden child. The preference was unintentional - but even began with her name. Grace meant favor, and that was exactly what she seemed to receive.
The better life, the fantastic husband, the great home, the great kids…Grace had it all. Not that her own life was anything to sneeze at - it just seemed that until the day of her death, Grace was the one with the seemingly charmed existence.
And the more she thought about it, the more Sissy continued to be annoyed by the fact that Maggie seemed to be taking up residence in her sister’s home. Taking up residence in a life she believed was her own by birthright.
Now Sissy felt protective of that life. Protective of it at all possible costs.
Maggie, no matter how close she claimed she was to Grace, was not family. She was an intrusion.
“Time for me to make some changes,” she said to herself as she began composing an email to Trevor Bailey-Simmons, VP of Artist and Repertoire for Star Records, Nashville.
Trev…
I’ve been mulling over that conversation I had with you and Lanie Hoyos last year at Virago after the CMA’s. With the transitions my late sister’s family is experiencing, I was thinking perhaps it was time for me to head back east. Is the offer to be on your team still open? Give me a call, any time. I’m two hours behind you, so don’t worry about it being too late. You’ve got my cell number.
Look forward to talking with you soon.
Gwen Hammond
As she hit “send,” a smile crossed her face.
Maggie placed the final items on a shelf in the storage facility. Bringing the heavy door down to the ground, Maggie felt something shut down within her heart as well. Between her fight with Richard and the emotional toll of putting Grace’s things away, she simply wanted to hide under the covers of her bed and not come out until she absolutely had to.
As she got behind the wheel of her car, she caught herself dialing Grace’s cell and grimaced at the irony. “Instinct,” she said, looking heavenward. “Sorry, hon.”
She dialed another number while putting her car in drive. “Hi Ma, it’s me. Did I wake you? No, I’m fine. I just wanted to talk.”
Several days later as another birthday passed, Maggie had friendly chats with her mother, Darla and Deana; but for the most part, solitude was far more compelling. A loneliness had settled on her like she’d never felt before.
The loss of Grace came with its own initial ache, but Maggie found that it was the day to day living without her best friend that hurt most of all.
Sitting in her favorite spot in her living room at the end of the day, Maggie absentmindedly stared out the window, an open journal in her lap. Her daze was broken by the sound of the phone ringing.
“Hey Mag, it’s Joe and the kids.”
A smile slowly spread across Maggie’s face. She figured the Buchanans would call eventually. But it was the obvious ruckus going on in the background from the kids that was truly funny.
“Shhh…stop…Matty, quit, I’m serious!” he said. “Sorry, Mags. Listen, whatever you’ve got planned tonight, cancel it. We’re taking you out to dinner for your birthday - Matty, M&M - I mean it…stop! Okay, it’s partly for your birthday, but mostly because my children are driving me crazy. Gwen, take that out of your brother’s hand, please! Ugh! Alright Mag, We’re just leaving the house now. So get ready, because we’re not taking ‘no’ for an answer. Okay, I’ve got to go. It’s time to kill my son. Bye!”
Maggie giggled. “Yeah, I should probably keep that from happening,” she said aloud as she unfolded from the couch to change her clothes.
The activity at Shogun proved to be the one thing that could capture and hold Matty’s attention. Flying shrimp, short, quick bursts of flame and plenty of theatrics on the part of the chef kept the boy mesmerized.
“My only fear is that he’s gonna wanna break out the knives at home,” Joe whispered to Maggie.
Maggie frowned. “Yeah, he already knows how to set things on fire,” she said.
“What?!”
“Just kidding,” she said laughing.
Joe peered around to look at his son, and then back to Maggie, who had since stopped laughing. Exchanging fearful looks, they then shook their heads to reassure themselves.
“Nah, he wouldn’t,” Maggie said.
“Let’s hope not,” said Joe with a chuckle.
The whole evening lifted Maggie’s spirits, particularly when they brought out her birthday cake. Maggie raised an eyebrow at the solitary candle in the center. “Only one?” she asked.
Without missing a beat, Mary Margaret said in her typically grown-up way, “Well, it’s a really small cake. We figured it we put all the candles on, there would be too much fire.”
Everyone, including Maggie, burst into laughter as Joe put his hand over his eyes in embarrassment. Maggie gathered the girl into her arms, hugging her and kissing her. “Thank you, baby,” she said through laughter more jovial than she’d experienced in months. “You’re always my source for reality.”
“So what are we doing here, Daddy?” Gwen asked as Joe pulled into a space at the Kroger parking lot.
“You’ll see,” he said. “Stay put and I’ll be right back.”
Maggie turned and gave the kids a look that said, “I have no idea what he’s doing either.”
Just then, a song came on the radio that Gwen really liked. Staring out the window, she began to softly sing along. The purity and beauty of the girl’s tone caught Maggie by surprise. “You sound good, honey,” she said.
Gwen’s face took on an elated glow. “Really, Aunt Maggie?”
“Absolutely, sweetie.”
“Hey! Aunt Maggie,” Matty interrupted. “I can sing too. Listen!” He began a series of vocal gymnastics that were comical and irritating at the same time.
“That’s great honey. You’re ready for American Idol. Now hush up,” said Maggie. Returning her attention to Gwen, she removed her seatbelt to shift around behind her. “Seriously, is singing something you’d like to do?” she asked the child.
The question brought fresh excitement to Gwen’s countenance. “Yeah!” she said brightly. “More than anything!”
“Let’s talk about it later, okay? Here comes your dad.”
Joe returned with two shopping bags in his arms. Passing them over to Maggie, she saw that they were full of flowers. She realized where their next stop would be. She looked at Joe and gave him a sad smile of understanding.