Chaotic (Imperfect Perfection) (4 page)

A crash woke me up from my restless
sleep and I immediately sat up, pushing at Chris’s limbs that were tangled
around my body. I looked up just in time to see my mother storming towards my
bed with a look of fury that I didn’t know she had in her.

“Get out of that bed this instant,
Adelaide McGregor. I have had it up to here,” she screamed, her face turning
beet-red, I was sure her head was about to explode any second like one of those
cartoon characters. I casually made my way out of my bed, scooping my discarded
bra off the floor and hooking it into place.

“And you, Mr. Zander.” Mother poked
Chris in the chest who had yet to even flinch and was still passed out. I
watched as she stomped to the bathroom in her heels and returned with a tall
glass of water, promptly throwing it straight in his face. “What the hell was
that for, Addy?” He sputtered as he sat up and opened his eyes through the stream
of water. “Oh, excuse me, Mrs. Conklin. I, uh, didn’t…we weren’t doing. We just
fell asleep.”

“Yeah, we just fell asleep…naked,”
I added sarcastically. Geez, Chris be a freaking man about it. We are twenty
years old. “What are you doing home so early, Mother? I thought you were gone
through Monday.”

“Well, that’s what the plan was,”
she seethed, “until I got a phone call from Mrs. Weathersby about the noise
coming from our house and the stream of teenagers coming in and out. So thanks
for ruining our time away. What were you thinking Adelaide? That I wouldn’t
find out? A mother always finds out.”

Mrs. Weathersby, of course. Nosey
old bitch with nothing better to do. “I’m an adult now, Mother. If I feel like
having a few friends over, I don’t see what the issue would be.” I put a hand
on my hip to challenge her. Poor Chris looked like a bobble head the way he
kept looking back and forth between the two of us.

“The issue is that you’re out of
control and apparently not acting like an adult.” She jabbed Chris in the chest
with her manicured finger. “Point in case being him. You can leave now, Chris.
I believe you left your clothes in the kitchen.” I watched as Chris fumbled
around awkwardly with my bed sheet until it was wrapped around him like a toga,
and I couldn’t help but smirk. “Oh, and I’ll be making sure your mother hears
about this at the club. I know she’ll be so disappointed.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Conklin,” he muttered without
looking back at me, practically running out of the room.

I walked over to my dresser drawer
and began to pull out clothes for the day. I really needed a shower. I could
feel my mother’s eyes boring into my back and eventually turned around, knowing
that she wasn’t leaving anytime soon, and I would just have to deal with her.

She shook her head at me as soon as
I whipped around and crossed her arms over her chest tightly. “I didn’t think
it would have to come to this, Adelaide, but this was the final straw. I cannot
believe I would catch you with him of all people. Did you not learn your lesson
the first time?”

“Oh, please, Mother. Do you think
he has some kind of super sperm or something? I wasn’t being stupid about it,
we were completely safe.”

“That’s not the point and the fact
that you can’t see it that way, only helps me know that I’m doing this for the
best. As of tomorrow you no longer live here.” My mouth dropped open, and I
gaped at her when I didn’t see any kind of humor in her face. “Excuse me?”

“You’ve not made any attempt to
change your ways, no plans for a job or to finish up school at a four year
college when most semesters start next week. You’re on a downward spiral, and
while I know I haven’t done the best job at parenting you, I think this will be
for the best.” I thought I almost saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes but I was
probably seeing things. My mother had turned all of her emotions off years ago.

“Fine, I’ll pack my things and stay
with a friend until you change your mind then.” I walked over to my closet and
began to pull out my luggage. I would most likely only need one bag before she
changed her mind and gave in. It always happened.

“Oh, really? And who will you be
staying with? Aren’t all of your friends heading off to school?”

I froze as I unzipped my suitcase.
Of course, I hadn’t factored that in at all. “That’s all right, I’m sure I can
stay at a hotel or I could always rent an apartment. As long as I’m out of your
hair, right mother?”

She chuckled lightly and strode
across my room, pulling dresser drawers open to empty them into a pile on the
floor. “Well, I don’t know how that would be possible. All of your credit cards
have been deactivated, and your car has been taken away.”

“What the hell?” I screeched as I
jumped up and literally stomped my foot on the ground. Yeah, I know I was
acting like a spoiled brat but it wasn’t my fault. It was my mothers. “Why
would you do that? Would you like to have your own daughter living on a park
bench or something?”

“Oh, please. Don’t be so dramatic. Your
father and I talked.” This made me pause from ripping all of my clothes off
their hangers. She and my dad never talked. Like, ever.

“We decided that you’re out of
control and certainly aren’t acting like an adult. Drinking, doing drugs, and
hopping from bed to bed. You barely made it through community college, and you
and I both know you don’t have any plans as of right now for continuing on with
your education.” She took a deep breath while I remained silent. I really had no
idea what to say. I was fuming inside, feeling like I was a ticking time bomb,
about to explode any second.

“It’s time for you to get your life
together, Adelaide. As of tomorrow, you will no longer live here. You will be
boarding a plane at six a.m., so make sure you have all of your things
together, I’m not sure when you’ll be returning.”

“Are you serious? You think you can
just make these kinds of decisions without even including me when it’s my life?”
She just stood there, silently, while I was pretty sure I was going insane. My
life was being practically ripped out from underneath my feet and she just
stood there, still as a statue, not one emotion crossing her face.

“And where will I be going, Mother?
Am I at least privy to that information or is that a surprise as well?”

“North Carolina,” she answered
simply before turning on her heel and shutting the door behind her.

“Oh my, Della McGregor. Is that
you?” I smiled when I heard the soft twang as soon I began to grab my luggage
off of the rack and turned to see my Grams. She looked almost exactly the same
as when I had last seen her, besides a few extra wrinkles.

 Her snow-white hair reached just
the bottom of her chin, and her deep-green eyes glistened with a youthfulness
that I’m sure made others her age jealous. She reminded me a lot of Betty
White. A little flighty sometimes but she always managed to make me laugh.

“Hi, Grams.” I hesitantly stepped
towards her and she made up for the distance and wrapped her tiny arms around
me, smashing me into a tight hug. I had felt guilty for not seeing them since I
had left. We had talked on the phone plenty, but I knew that wasn’t the same.

“Well, darling, you just grew up
into a beautiful woman since the last time we saw you. And look at how tall
you’ve gotten,” she peered up at me and I had to stifle a giggle. She was
almost a foot shorter than I was, and today I only had ballet flats on.
Normally, I had a pair of heeled boots on or something that added even more to
my height.

“Now, I know you at least got that
from that son of mine. Everything else seems to come from Lillian.” She pursed
her lips together as she studied my face for just a second longer and then
began to help me with my luggage.

“Let’s just hope her personality
hasn’t rubbed off too,” she muttered ahead of me as she led the way out of the
airport. She probably thought that I hadn’t heard her. Even the last time I had
seen her, she had been a little hard of hearing and tended to talk loudly
because of it.

I began to worry that had happened
as we inched closer to the familiar pickup truck that was parked alongside the
curb, and my grandpa slowly made his way out of it when he saw us coming. My
grandpa was a stern man but also had a soft side to him. And most of the time,
that soft side only came out for my grandma and I. I’m sure my behavior as of
late had probably disappointed him, and I wasn’t sure how warm his welcome
would be.

“Hello Adelaide,” he said in a
gruff tone before relieving my grandma of the two bags she had helped bring
out. Two words, that was all he said to me in the almost hour drive back to
their house from the airport.

It felt a little surreal, and kind
of like I was dreaming, being in North Carolina. After my mother had informed
me of where I would be going, I had a bit of a breakdown. My room literally
looked like a tornado had gone through it by everything I had thrown at the
door.

By the time I finally calmed down
almost two hours later, I had started to warm up to the idea a bit, even though
my mother would never find out about it. This was the fresh start I was looking
for. For whatever reason, I couldn’t figure that out on my own, but I knew
leaving Connecticut would be for the best.

I had crammed almost every piece of
clothing that I owned into my bags and lined them up that morning, looking
around my room one last time. I didn’t have any plans for returning here, so it
would probably be the last time I saw it.

Of course, my mother hadn’t been
there to say goodbye to her only child before shipping me off. And she wondered
why my grandparents disliked her so much. They never said anything in front of
me since she was my mother, but I was a pretty good people-reader.

I hadn’t seen them since I had
moved away, so that would probably be a little awkward. I think I sort of
blamed them for their son not wanting me. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my
grandparents. They lived about two hours away from my old hometown and I had
spent almost every summer with them, and those were best I had ever had.

I glanced out the window, looking
at the scenic drive that was so different than Connecticut. I really didn’t
even feel any kind of sadness for leaving the place that I had called home for
almost the past five years. All I felt when I thought of it was guilt. Guilt
for turning into the person that I had become and guilt for my actions. Now was
the time to forget my past and just move forward.

“Oh my, you look worn out.” Grams
voice interrupted my thoughts. “I’m just so excited you’re here. I’ll zip my
lips for the rest of the trip home so you can get some shut-eye.”

“Thanks, Grams,” I managed to
mumble before my eyelids drooped shut and I partially listened to my
grandparents hushed conversation before drifting off.

I was jolted awake when we pulled onto
the gravel driveway, and I looked up at the log cabin that had always felt like
home to me. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand and rubbed my neck.
Sleeping in the truck did not equal a very comfortable nap.

“C’mon now, Della. Let’s get out of
this truck and stretch our legs. I’m sure you’ve missed this place.”

 I looked up at the house again,
and it was like Grams had read my mind. My grandpa had built it when he and my
Grams had first gotten married, and it was simply stunning. The backdrop of the
lake, that about a dozen houses were situated around, made it even more
spectacular. They were always making some kind of renovations, never letting it
get stuck in the past and always making it look modern with a rustic feel. My
mom had hated this place.

I quickly breathed in the fresh
air, my lungs feeling relieved by it. Sure, Connecticut was great, but it
always felt so suffocating to me. Here, I felt like I could breathe freely for
the first time in awhile.

I glanced over at the neighbor’s
house that probably sat about a half a mile away, but my grandparents were
friendly with all of them. The house seemed to be still with no movement, and I
peeled my eyes away when Grams tugged lightly on my hand.

“Right this way, Della. I can’t
wait to show you your new room. I know you’ll only be staying with us for a
week or so before you move into the dorms, but I figured you might need a place
to get away sometimes. Hopefully, you come back and visit us old people on the
weekends every once in awhile.

I’ve been watching that HGTV channel
lately, it’s like an addiction. I think your Grandpa’s tried to block it a time
or two. He wouldn’t if he knows what’s best for him. Now your coming was a
little short notice, but I hope you like what I fixed up for you, darlin’.”

I followed her through the open
living room and kitchen that still had the same furniture, for the most part, with
a few added things here and there. The winding staircase led to an open hallway
that overlooked the downstairs and three rooms that were normally set up as
guest rooms and a sewing room.

“Here we are. This used to be your
fathers room, you know?” she called out over her shoulder before I followed her
into the room. She had transformed it since the last time I had been there.

The walls were painted in a pale
pink with wide vertical white stripes placed around the bottom half. A full-size
bed was pushed into one corner and a fluffy comforter that matched the pink
paint covered it, along with a homemade quilt I recognized as one my Grams had
made for me when I was a baby. A small antique looking desk was against the
other wall and an overstuffed white chair that I recognized, sat underneath the
wide window that overlooked the lake.

I immediately went and sat down in
the chair that had brought back so many memories. It used to sit in the living
room, and it was my favorite spot to sit when I stayed here. My grandpa would
bring me breakfast almost every morning while I sat there watching cartoons,
and Grams and I would snuggle up when I was younger and watch her afternoon
soaps.