Roommates

Chapter 17

She added that to the list of her grievances with Chloe. She was going to leave one hell of a voice mail later.

Before she knew it, Evangeline had burned through an entire cigarette, anxiously flicking the dead butt between her fingers. Jeff quickly provided her with an unopened package of Marlboros. "Thank you," she said softly, tucking the package in her jacket pocket.

Jeff patted her on the shoulder and leaned into her. "Do me a favor and help me and the mrs. quit smoking. Take the pack off my hands." He pulled away from her and looked at his family. "I think we ought to get going. It's getting late, we've got to get back to the grandkids in time for Santa to land on the roof."

"It's been really nice talking with you guys," Evangeline said. She swelled with pride as she began to recognize the vast similarities Jeff sees between her and his daughter. If she was half the person Renée was, she was set for life.

"And, hey, I'll be moving back up here in just a few weeks," Renée said, opening the truck door behind her, "if you want to get together for lunch or something."

Evangeline smiled. "That would be nice, Renée."

Putting out her cigarette, Renée climbed into the truck. There was something poetic to be said about a grown woman happily following in her parents' footsteps, following their lead.

Renée was exactly like Jeff, and from what Evangeline had gathered, she had her mother's soft words and level head. In contrast, Evangeline prayed she could learn more from Jeff in his time before retirement; she had a long way to go to become like him, but she had come so far since she met him in her teenage years. She was one day closer to being an admirable person.

Evangeline sat on the curb in front of the store, too weak to support her weight on her jelly legs. Her emotions began to get the best of her, turning her stomach sour. She took a long draw of a fresh cigarette, hoping for a longer lasting numbness to consume her body as the smoke traded the oxygen in her lungs. She hadn't had a cigarette in months, and just like the old days, she craved the taste of it. It was beyond a physical craving. It was like her soul cried out for it.

The doors of the grocery store opened behind her and her coworkers walked past, heading to their cars to get home to their families for Christmas Eve.

How nice would that be?

She pulled out her phone and tapped number after number into the dial pad. She put the phone to her ear and waited. With each ring, she took a drag of the cigarette. She flicked the ashes away from her and stuck it back in her mouth to stop the quivering of her lip. "Hey, you've reached Chloe. If you need to leave a message, I won't tell you what to do. Kisses! Bye."

A voice called out from behind her. "Evangeline?"

Ending the call without a message, she put her phone in her lap. She lowered her head and covered her skull with her hands. "Aurora, I am so sorry."

Aurora sat on the curb next to her. "I didn't know that would upset you so much. I am sorry for bringing all of that up."

"It's just been a shitty week," she said. She looked up to avoid the stinging in her eyes, and she couldn't bring herself to look at Aurora. Another puff of her cigarette calmed her racing mind. "Look, I lost it back there and that was very wrong of me." She shook her head. "Something about Chloe just makes me crazy."

"I won't say it is the same, because we were kids, but I went through the ups and downs with her too." Aurora reached out her hand, hoping to take the cigarette from Evangeline. Reluctantly, she handed it over. "She was everything that I could have wished for at the time, and no matter what she did, she was perfect to me." Aurora squished the cigarette into the asphalt and tossed the butt into a puddle. "I understand that bringing her up can be difficult. It's hard for me to think about her too. I can't imagine what that must be like for you."