Where Do We Go From Here?

My father and I were waiting at the airport for my mother and Veronica to arrive. Jason drove in a few hours ago and decided to start on dinner, making his very famous spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread. It was Friday night and I could feel the warmth of the fluorescent lighting beaming down on my father and I. We were both silent from being caught up in our own thoughts. My entire Thursday night was spent with my father on the phone with my mother, making flight arrangements. I stood off to the side just so I would know what was going on rather than head to bed knowing nothing while worrying about everything. With my father nodding diligently, he scribbled some notes on a notepad before hanging up.

“Your mother and sister are coming home.” He smiled.

I smiled too because it sounded like great news but right now, in this moment, I just felt really nervous.

In the distant I could see my mother walking. She had a small smile on her heart shaped face while her rolling bag trailed directly behind her. It was then that Veronica came into view. She was walking next to my mother; a smile missing on her face. She looked so thin. Emaciated.

It was obvious to see that her eating disorder took a toll on her, especially from the loose looking jeans she wore which seemed to sag in weird places on her. She had on a black turtle neck that hung loose around her frail body—and to be honest, it seemed to weigh down on her shoulders, making her slump a little. Her eyes looked sunken in her face, and you could see all the tendons in her neck, moving like puppet strings whenever she turned her head. I just stared. Veronica used to have curves that Victoria Secret models would kill for, but now her body looked angular, jutting out from the fabric of her clothes like roots from a barren tree. I could see my father’s smile slip a little as she approached us. I was wary, but remained steady as I hugged my mother first and then Veronica, who felt much too fragile to hold.

“How was your flight?” I managed to ask as my father instinctively grabbed the suitcases of both my mother and Veronica. I even helped them since the luggage seemed to outweigh Veronica.

“It was smooth.” My mother answered.

Veronica remained silent even as we all walked to the car. My mother filled us in on the beauty that New York has to offer, but no one brought up Veronica’s stay at the hospital. We arrived at home before Jason had finished cooking. The house was filled with the scent of pasta sauce and garlic.

“Jason made dinner.” My father said as we walked through the threshold of the house.

Veronica stiffened, her eyes shifted and she couldn’t quite keep still. She’d tug at the hem of her shirt or shift from foot to foot. I could see the way that she tried to hold her breath to keep herself from inhaling the scent of food.

“I’m not hungry.” She said abruptly.

My mother’s eyes cut to Veronica and in a kind voice, dripping with her southern drawl she said “Now Veronica, remember what the doctor said.”

Veronica’s eyes hardened. I never knew Veronica to be moody, so this was new to me. “I’m not hungry.” She said once more.

My mother’s patience ran thin as she replied “Well that’s too bad darling, cause you will join us for dinner.”

My father and I stood to the side as we watched the two stare at each other. I always knew my mother took no bullshit, but I never actually seen such an occurrence take place.

“Hey little sis!” Jason’s voice boomed while entering the room.

Jason was a constant in our family. He’d always be in a good mood, no matter what. It’s what made him so lovable.

“Hi Jason.” Veronica said weakly, blinking slightly as she casted her stare towards our brother. I noticed the way her eyelids looked almost translucent that it broke my heart. All I wanted to do was wrap her in a hug.

“Dinner’s almost ready, so be prepared for a gut busting meal.” Jason said brightly.

I saw the way Veronica’s face dropped. She didn’t like how it sounded and I feared that without overbearing way, we just might ease her back into her harmful habits.

“Honestly, I could go for some gut busting food.” I joked, easing the tension in the room. Turning to my sister, I said “C’mon Ronnie, let’s get you unpacked.”

She smiled gratefully while following me upstairs as I hefted her bags with me. Veronica’s old room hadn’t been touched since she left. Everything was still in its place—granted my mother might have ran a vacuum through here and dusted, but other than that it hasn’t gone through renovation.

I sat on Veronica’s bed as she poked through her room. Her eyes were the only thing that were familiar to me, but other than that everything about her seemed foreign. She too seemed to have felt like a stranger in her old room. Her face peered down at old pictures of her and her high school friends only to grimace shortly after looking at it.

“I’ve missed you.” I blurted out. What I really wanted to say was why did you do this?

A smile tugged at her lips. “I’ve missed you too, V.”

I looked down at my lap and said nothing because I didn’t know what to say.

“This is so stupid.” I heard Veronica sigh.

“What’s stupid?” I asked.

“That I have to come back home. I could’ve done just fine back in New York.” She explained.

But you weren’t. I thought but said “Maybe some time home will be helpful.”

Veronica rolled her eyes. “You sound like mom.”

“Maybe it’s because we’re all worried, Ronnie.” I remarked.

“I was fine!” She snapped making me flinch. “Modeling is competitive in New York, I was just trying to keep up.”

There were flurries of words I wanted to unleash on her, but decided to keep them to myself in order to refrain from saying something I’d regret.

“We should head down before we upset mom.” I suggested while standing from Veronica’s bed.

She reluctantly followed behind, the entire time we were quiet. I didn’t have anything to say that would help her, and my guess is that she didn’t have anything worth saying that wouldn’t upset me. As we all sat down to eat, my father was the one to place the food on our plates. Veronica sat next to me while Jason sat across of me next to my mother while my father to his usual spot which was at the head of the table. It’s been a while since we sat down and ate as a family. It’s been even longer since I’ve felt tension at the dinner table.

I could see how Veronica’s eyes widened as my father placed her plate in front of her. It wasn’t a large serving, in fact I’d consider it to be a toddlers serving, but Veronica looked chary. My mother’s eyes stayed on Veronica as the rest of us ate quietly. Veronica sighed before she took a single noodle on her fork and tentatively brought it up to her lips. She glanced quickly at my mother, who had a stern stare in her eyes, before eating it. Veronica chewed slowly before swallowing. My father smiled timidly while Jason—being the jubilant person he is—complimented my sister for eating. Like my mother, I remained quiet as I continued eating. Halfway through our meal the doorbell sounded throughout the house.

“I’ll get it.” My father said while wiping his hands clean and excusing himself from the table.

While Jason filled the air about news of his brewery, my father came back with someone in tow. “Verity, I believe this young man is here to see you.”

My eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Tony?”

Notes

Oh gosh guys, your comments make me smile :3

Thanks for reading and I'm debating whether I wanna do another update or not...we'll see :)