Truth is the answer.
I CARRY BOTH Megdalyn's and my bags into the house.
"Another trip, huh?" Maria says leaning up against her truck.
"Yeah," I say glancing at my car. Meg has her arms crossed and looks upset. "She doesn't want to get out of the car."
Donnavan and Georgia carry their things into the house before me. I get out of their way. Adrian, carrying the baby and her diaper bag along with his stuff, into the house but Maria takes Daisy, the baby, and her diaper bag in her arms, "Just worry about yourself, okay?"
He looked at her with emptiness in her eyes for a minute and then goes inside.
"Wow, I think he gave you the sink eye," I say taking the cigarette from her.
"Beer?"
I shake my head, "Rehab. Nice wheels, though."
She laughs, "Thanks."
"No, just aware. Gram doesn't know. Where'd you get it from?"
"Wow, so responsible," she says drinking the sweet sensation of cold beer. "I got this from David, my boyfriend, he gave this to me for my birthday."
"Wow. You have a keeper."
"I know."
I go inside before I can have a sip.
"Hey, ware you goin'?"
"Inside. It's about to rain."
Maria's our cousin. She gave up her twenties to take care of us. Our grandparents, seventies. They gave up their lives to help us. So, to thank them, I make sure that everyone's in line, while they pay the bills, get us ready for school, and even have free nights for poker and family board game night. Georgia, aka Gei, is older than me but she's immature and doesn't care about anyone or anything unless it benefits her, but sometimes, she can be a really good sister. Like when we went camping, a week before we got ripped away from our dead-beat father, she read Donnie and Ade a bedtime story. I was nine when that happened way before Maria and our grandparents came into the mix.
I go to the boys' room. There's a bunk bed and a spear bed. Donnie's unpacking his things on the top bunk and the spear bed has Adrian's book on the spare queen-sized bed. That means I get the bottom bunk. I pull out my sleeping bag just in case. Maria walks in, "Are you guys okay?"
I pop up from my bed after getting everything out and about, "Yeah, where's Meg?"
"I told Adrian to get her."
"Shit!" I run outside as the wind pushes my shirt against my chest. "Hey, Ade!" I call from the porch, "Is she okay?!"
I blackout; silence. That's what I hear. Silence.