The sun was just losing its harsh touch when Jane's flight landed in Abbey hills little airport and she dragged her tired body out to the waiting area. Her eyes frantically searched the crowd of families, friends and whoever with placards and cardboard sheets, searching for any of her siblings or even both with the added bonus of her mother. After a thirteen hour flight from Jericho town, including a connecting flight to Abbey hills, all she wanted was love and a lot of hugs from her loved ones so one could imaging the droopy lips she sported when she didn't see Jessica and Mike's brunette heads or even her favorite and only nephew or even her darling husband, Douglas. She was really hoping to see then right from the airport as she didn't get much chances to see them on video call or even have a normal call, her cheque book had a more solid relationship with her family than she would ever dream of but bless her, she had too much of a good heart, too much.
She wore a big smile when her mind convinced her that they are probably all too busy to remember that she was returning home today after four years. She zigzagged through the scarcely busy airport, her wild unkempt red hair sticking out in all directions over her big red shirt and white mom jeans that hugged her small frame, she looked like a walking and breathing tetracycline. Hailing down a taxi she gave him her home address and planted her face on the window, giving the outsiders the perfect utterly unpleasing sight of a squashed face and oogled the buildings which had not changed in the past four years but in her defence, four years is a long time.
"Hey, aren't ya that weird girl from high school? What's your name again?", The brown toothed cabman who looked way too old to have been Jane's schoolmate asked.
"It's Jane's Newman, I don't remember you though", as oblivious as always, she didn't pick on the condescending tone in his question and answered him cheekily, putting her face between the drivers and passenger seat to get a close look at him and if she saw the disgusted look on his face when he pulled away from her, she didn't acknowledge it.
"Heard you became a nurse in the big city. Wonder how they picked a weirdo like ya", he insulted her again and Jessica went into a story of how her life in the city was and it was all he could do not to send her out of his can but he needed his money.
"Thanks for the ride", she shouted after him when he dropped her off at the curb of her little house she bought seven years ago and her husband moved in.
Bounding up the stairs, she knocked on the door and excitedly waiting for Douglas to open the door and welcome her into his arms and their home or rather, her home but who's asking.
A baby's cry could be heard behind the door and she got even more excited at the prospect of seeing Douglas's sister, Carolyn's, baby who she was convinced made the noise, they had organized a welcome gathering for her after all, she thought. She was not left with her imagination for long before the door swung open to reveal Jessica with a baby of no less than a year old attached to her hips, pulling at her breast area.
"Oh my God Jessica! I'm so excited to see you", she threw herself at her repulsed sister and when the said sister strategically pushed her off her, she bent to coo at the child.
"Hello there little one, oh you're so cute", she ticked his tummy and the boy giggled.
"You didn't tell me you had another baby. Did you get married and didn't tell me?", She asked her sister, hurt taking over her expression at the thought of not knowing that her twin sister got married settled in.
Jessica just stared at her and sighed frustratedly.
"Yeah, come in Jane", she left her at the doorway and stalked back into the house. Jane trudged behind her, pulling her luggage along with her.
"But why Jessica, I thought we tell each other everything?", She asked timidly behind Jessica.
"That's what you thought Jane", she mumbled and latched the boy onto her nipple and at that moment, Douglas stalked out of the bedroom and stopped short when he saw her.
"Hey Jane", he mumbled nervously and looked between a scowling Jessica and an oblivious Jane who latched onto him the very next minute, much to Jessica's annoyance.
Jane peppered his face with kisses and latched her limbs around his frame while he stood there and looked stupid.
"I've missed you so much Dougy", she sighed dreamily while he chuckled awkwardly.
"Yeah. I kinda forgot you were coming home today"
"But I told you the last time I called, a week ago", she detached from him and her hurt expression came back.
"How could all of you forget?", She mumbled sadly.
"It just skipped my mind Janey and we sort of got busy", Douglas awkwardly rubbed her back and pulled her into an equally awkward hug.
"It's okay, I guess you were busy after all. What are you doing with this pouch Dougy?", She rubbed his protruding beer belly and only her had a laugh.
"Hey, where's everyone? Mom, Mike and Olly?", She looked around the house, Douglas scratching his greasy hair and Jessica breastfeeding but Jane was too slow to catch on to the fact that she was not welcome in her own home.
"Mom is at her house, as she should and Mike took Olly to see the game. How long are you staying for?", Jessica retorted.
"I think I will stay a while after dad's funeral, I miss my family", she answered less enthusiastically as memories of her loving father flooded her mind, truly that was one person that she made genuine memories with and most of them was lovely to say the least.
A sleepy little girl appeared in the hallway, sucking her thumb and trying to get her blond bed hair out of her face and latched into Douglas who tried unsuccessfully to shake her off.
Jane took her time to be shocked at the presence of the child, while she had Jessica's facial features, she saw Douglas's blond head and thin lips on the child and that's when it all came flooding back to her.
The lactating child on Jessica's breasts had a scanty brunette hair but Douglas's most features and Olly, oh Olly was the photocopy of Douglas, down to habits.
Back when she was still at Abbey hills, when a little Olly would display some characters and habits that had an awful resemblance to how Douglas would behave, she would laugh and think it as the influence of Douglas in his life but she wouldn't deny that there was a little, very little part of her that knew the truth but she chose to be none the wiser. Now acceptance of the truth is falling on her like a heap of heavy bricks, threatening to maim her if she doesn't attempt to catch them or get out of the way but in this particular case, there's no way out.
"What's going on here?", She questioned weakly, a noticeable tremble in her voice, her chetrochemic eyes of striking blue and stormy grey eyes glistening with unshed tears, a redness to the rim of her eyes.
"We need to talk", Douglas sighed and stalked to the couch to sit down and the same baby girl latched into him.
"Don't ya get a hint girl? Leave me the hell alone, go to your ma", he shouted at the child who flinched in reaction to his angry voice and ran to her mother, Jessica.
"Don't scream at my child you prick, she just wants her father. That too much to ask you insensitive bastard?!", She snapped at him and cuddled her child.
"Well I'm trying to have a conversation here, she's just too clingy", he retorted angrily and the wail of two children could now be heard in the whole house and at that moment, Mike and Olly decided to make their grand entrance.
"Aunt Jane!", Olly screamed and threw himself at a distorted Jane.
"I've missed you so much. No body mentioned your coming back, I'd have made you a welcome card and your favorite cookies", the young boy rambled on but Jane's attention was not on her beloved nephew, her eyes was set on her nervous brother.
"Oh good", Jessica groaned sarcastically.
"You knew?", She whispered at her younger brother who shuffled on his feet.
"I mean, everyone knew. You were just too clueless", he mumbled.
"Mom, dad? They knew too?", She kept up with the whisper.
"Why?", She asked no one in particular.
"Janey, I'm sorry", Douglas and Jessica had the decency of looking ashamed.
"We didn't mean for these to happen", Jessica waved at her three children.
Jane had shut down, she needed to process her feelings, not that she would do a good job at that but the space was still needed so she weakly pushed her luggage to the guest room and cried herself to a twelve hour long restless slumber.