Train Wreck

sixty

Lissy tilted her head and looked at me closely, her green eyes staring into mine like she was a cop and I was being interrogated. "You did?  Beep, wanna fill me in?"

"Of course. I've felt cramped here, especially when we have people over. If we have more space then we could really settle in and put down roots. Maybe we can take our time redoing stuff over the winter then plan on moving next summer or something when our lease is up here? Oh! Is there a basement or cellar? I want a man cave."  I started talking and then couldn't stop, my mind sparking with ideas when I remembered stories Remi told of secret passages and the huge kitchen in that old farmhouse.

It may hold sad memories, but I know we can fill the space with new joy.  One PBJ party would give us enough laughter to drown out a lot of that sorrow, so imagine how it would be if we moved in and actually lived there permanently.  Every single day rebuilding memories and changing the narrative of a house so it can be a place where all three of us get to start fresh?

Now I was beaming and saw my sister grinning back.  In one swift motion she wrapped me into a tight hug. "I love you, Benji. This is not what I expected, but I'm glad we're on the same page.  I know we can change the future so it's better than the past all of us had."

"What about Remington?" I asked, but heard a low chuckle behind me and turned, noticing he was behind me this whole time.

He grinned while crossing the deck and laid a hand on my shoulder.  "I have felt the same way. That property was like an anchor dragging me under for years. Now... now I feel like a boat that can finally sail out into the sunset.  All of us deserve a second chance to flip the script.  I hate that Dad had to die, but we can't change that.  We can just move forward with what he gave us."

The look on his face was freer than I had ever seen so I knew he was telling the truth.

Remi couldn't lie to me, especially since we were both bad liars.

He ruffled my hair and I tried to duck away but wasn't fast enough.  He grabbed my neck and gave me a noogie but I protested, waving my arms and trying to get my sister to help.

She refused.

Bitch.

How dare she leave me hanging like this, flailing like one of those blow up things outside a car dealership in the wind while she's laughing her ass off while Remington is tickling and play punching me.

By the time I got away we were all laughing and I saw the joy on both of their faces.  Tears of laughter were streaming down my sisters face as she shook her head, "Maybe I need to keep this house for myself and you two can have the farmhouse."

"Nope.  You're stuck with us!"  Remi laughed, watching as she stood and wiped her eyes.

I like watching him watch her.

Remington appreciates Lissy.

He treasures her.

Remington chuckled as Liss wiped her eyes, standing while we got ready to go inside.  He let out a long sigh and kissed the top of her head, commenting, "So, since the three of us are in agreement, I say we do this. For now, we are going to keep hosting this party but maybe this week we can go to the house and just take a look at things. I'm sure it needs tons of work but we can get an idea of what needs to be done and then decide how to move forward?"

"Works for me," Lissy smiled up toward him then looked at me, "That way we can take some measurements and also get a better view of big stuff we may need to save for like the roof or appliances. Does it need a new water heater or are we knocking down walls to make an open concept main floor?"