Annihilate Me: Holiday Edition (7 page)

CHAPTER SIX

It
was on a Monday that we left for Maine—just two days before Christmas,
but plenty of time to buy food at Hannaford in Ellsworth, chop down a tree on
Alex’s land, decorate it with whatever he had in the house to decorate it with,
and get settled in.
 

We
all agreed to meet in the lobby at Wenn before leaving.
 
And that’s where we met Blackwell’s
daughters.

I
thought they were beautiful and verging on the exotic.
 
I knew from Alex that Charles’ family
came to the States from India two generations ago, and what I saw in Alexa and
Daniella underscored that.
 
They
looked as if they could be fraternal twins.
 
Each was young and lovely, with long,
thick black hair that shimmered in the light.
 
They had nice figures, clear
complexions, and dark brown eyes laced with the sort of thick brown lashes I’d
kill for.
 

“It’s
nice to meet you,” I said to each of them.

Alexa
came over to me first.
 
“And
you.
 
Mom has said so much about
you, Jennifer.”

“I
hope good things.”

“She
totes gave you props.”

“And
Daniella,” I said as I approached her.
 
“Welcome.
 
I’m glad that
you’re here.”

“You’re
ass really is something,” she said.
 
“Just like Mom said.”

I
blushed at that.

“Daniella,”
Blackwell said.

“Well,
it’s true.
 
I want that butt.
 
How did you even get that butt.”

“French
Canadian genes.”

“Is
that all?”

“Maybe
some fries.”

“That
explains it,” she said with a smile and a nod.
 
“Good for you.
 
You’re super hot.”
 
She looked at her mother.
 
“You stole away the butt genes, so I
need a bucket of fries.
 
And
whatever else Jennifer eats.
 
I want
to look like that.”

“You
are perfectly fine the way you are.”

“Oh,
mother, please.
 
The really
good-looking boys at school don’t even look at me.
 
I’ve told you that.
 
I either need implants up here or down
there.
 
Choose, or I’ll live with
Dad, who will give me what I want.”

“I
doubt that he’ll give you that.”

“You
never know.
 
Children of divorced
parents tend to get what they want.
 
Dad’s got as much money as you do.
 
And I want her ass.”

“Daniella,”
Alexa said.

“I’m
just sayin’.”

And
she was saying plenty about herself—I couldn’t believe she just played
the divorce card with her mother.
 
That girl was going to be a handful, but hopefully, since we were close
enough in age, I’d be able to help Blackwell manage her during our stay in
Maine.

“Is
everyone ready to go?” Alex asked.

“I’m
ready,” Lisa said.

“I’m
more than ready,” Tank said.

“I’m
with them,” Alexa said.

“I
could stay in New York,” Daniella said.
 
“Except that I need some drama, and I think I’m going to find some of
that in Maine.
 
Everyone looks so
tense.
 
Why do you all look so
tense?
 
Look at Tank and Lisa—all
tense.
 
Are they a couple or aren’t
they?
 
My mother keeps questioning
that at home.
 
But looking at them
now, I don’t think they even know at this point, when really, they obvi should
be screwing each other and having some fun.
 
Am I the only one who feels their sexual
tension?
 
No?
 
Fine.
 
Just you wait.
 
Tank’s Christmas balls will be banging
in the middle of the night while the rest of us try to sleep.”

“Daniella!”
Blackwell said.

“Mom,
please.”

“Mom,
please, nothing.
 
Get in line.”

“Whatevs.”

Oh,
dear,
I thought, glancing
at Tank and Lisa, who looked mortified.
 
They are monsters, especially Daniella.
 
This might not go well at all…

“You’ll
find five packed SUVs just outside,” Tank said.
 
“It’ll be a miracle if everything fits
into one plane.”

“If
we need to take another plane with us, that’s not an issue,” Alex said, trying
to keep the peace.

“What
about the greenhouse gasses?” Alexa said.

“What
about the what?” Blackwell said.

“The
greenhouse gasses.
 
We should try to
get everything into one plane.
 
We’ll help to save the world that way.”

“You’re
so full of shit, Alexa,” Daniella said.

“No,
I’m not.
 
I’m just aware of what’s
happening to our world, while you’re more interested in getting laid and
causing trouble.
 
You’re so fucking
shallow, Daniella.”

“Some
boys say I’m deep.”

“Enough,”
Blackwell said.
 

“Well,
it’s true,” Daniella said.

“It
probably is,” Alexa said.
 
“You’re
such a slut.
 
It’s disgusting.”

“What’s
disgusting is that you haven’t even been laid yet.”

“My
choice.”

“Is
it?
 
Or are you just unlucky in
loooooove?”

“Please.”

“Whatevs.”

Blackwell
took a breath, she looked at me, and her eyes widened in such a way that I knew
what she was thinking.
 
She was telling
me that she told me so.
 
“Will
everything fit in one plane?” she asked.

I
looked at Tank.

“It
should, ma’am.”

“Perfect.
 
All right everyone, let’s go.
 
Into the SUVs.
 
Maine in two hours.
 
I’ll need to do some shopping for
Christmas dinner when we land, somebody will go after a tree joined by whoever
wants to go, and we’ll decorate it on Christmas Eve.”

“It’s
New Year’s Eve that I’m talking about,” Daniella said.

“But
right now, we’re going to have a proper Christmas,” Blackwell said.

“Proper?’
Daniella said.
 
“Without father and
with so many strangers?
 
How is that
proper?”

And
finally, an exasperated Blackwell had had enough.
 
She went over to Daniella and towered
over her.
 
“Listen to me, girl,” she
said in a low, cold voice.
 
“If you
want to go and be with your father, then do it.
 
You can leave right now—the door
is behind me and you can walk through it.
 
You can go and enjoy all of the great times you know your loving father will
offer you.
 
Your choice.
 
But if you want to be with the rest of us,
I will not tolerate your moods or any kind of disrespect toward others on this
trip.
 
Either you be polite and
appreciate what’s being offered to you, or you’re not going.
 
I mean it, whether you hate me for it or
not.
 
You want to be a diva?
 
Be it elsewhere.
 
Respect your mother, and especially
respect those around you.
 
It’s
you’re choice.”

“Fine,”
she said flippantly.
 
“Sorry,
everyone.”

“You
better say it like you mean it, or you’re staying here.
 
I’m not joking.
 
One more chance.
 
Don’t you dare press me.”

I
watched Daniella look at her mother, saw that she seemed to assess whether
Blackwell meant what she said, and when it appeared that she came to the
conclusion that her mother did mean it, her shoulders dropped a bit.
 
She looked at each of us.
 
“I apologize.
 
I was rude, especially to Tank and
Lisa.
 
I’m sorry about that.
 
I didn’t mean any of it.
 
It’s just difficult being a child of
divorce—”

“You’re
not a child.
 
You’re an adult.
 
And this has nothing to do with me
divorcing your father.
 
In fact, I
believe you and your sister are the ones who asked for it.”

“Well,
it’s still hard.”

“Then
we’ll talk about it in private.
 
What happened between your father and me has nothing to do with my
friends.
 
Now, if you want, you may
come with us.
 
But if you do come,
you need to understand that at this point, given your behavior, that coming
with us is a privilege.
 
Otherwise,
I’ll call your father now, he’ll pick you up, and you can stay with him and his
new girlfriend, Rita, which should be a fantastic time.”

“Rita?
 
No, she’s horrible.
 
I want to go with you.”

“Then
shape up and lose the attitude.
 
I
didn’t raise you to be like this.”

“I’m
sorry.”

“You
should be,” Alexa said.

“Shut
up, Alexa.”

“Get
in the SUVs,” Blackwell said.
 
“Separate ones.
 
And don’t
you dare tell your sister to shut up again, Daniella.
 
I’d like to be with you both over the
holidays, but I will not tolerate bad behavior from either of you.
 
I’m too old for it, and so are you.
 
Frankly, if it’s going to go like this,
I’d rather be with my friends.”

“Seriously?”
Daniella said.
 
She sounded hurt.

“Seriously.
 
My children are now adults and I
don’t do tantrums.
 
I don’t want to
hear one negative word from either of you on that plane or on this trip.
 
If I do, I’ll ship you back to your
father.
 
And Rita.
 
Don’t forget Rita.
 
We’re going to Maine to have fun, not to
tolerate a couple of spoiled brats.
 
Do you hear me?”

“All
right, Mom.”

“Jeez.”

“I
was only kidding about Tank and Lisa.”

“I
don’t care.
 
Say your apologies
again.
 
Now.
 
Or you’re not coming.”

They
each did.

And
with that, our holiday vacation began.

CHAPTER SEVEN

When
we were on the plane and in the air, I asked Barbara to come back into the
Lear’s master bedroom suite to see if she liked a dress I chose.

“I
need your opinion,” I said.
 
“I
don’t know if the color is right, but you’ll know.
 
I want to wear it on Christmas Eve, but
I don’t think it’s red enough.
 
I
have another one that might be better.
 
It’s super red.”

“Of
course,” she said, getting out of her seat.

We
went into the bedroom, and I closed the door behind us.
 

“This
isn’t about a dress.”

“I
didn’t think it was.”

“Are
you all right?”

“I’m
sorry about that.”

“That’s
not what I asked.
 
I asked if you’re
all right?
 
I know that you want to
be with your daughters, and that you want it to be perfect.”

“Well,
of course I do.
 
But here’s what you
need to know, Jennifer—I never raised them that way.
 
They’re starting to take advantage of my
divorce from Charles, which I won’t have.
 
When they start to pour on the guilt because Charles and I broke off the
marriage, I need to nip it in the bud, especially if they start to feel
entitled because of it.
 
They’re
not.
 
They aren’t children
anymore.
 
They’re adults.
 
I expect them to behave as adults, or
they can go their own separate ways.
 
Do I want to make my daughters happy and show them that I can cook a
good holiday dinner?
 
Of course,
even if it was a challenge.
 
But I
won’t do it if they continue to act up and take advantage of me.
 
I will put them back on this plane if I
have to. They will treat me and those around me with respect.
 
I feel terrible for what Daniella said to
Lisa and to Tank.”