The Nobodies

3: When Visitors Come Knocking

© Amber Kalkes 2015

Song: "Asinine Race"  By Fire On Fire

Chapter Three: When Visitors Come Knocking

I was handing Mr. Tangier a glass of cool lemonade when I heard the phone ringing from the kitchen. I didn't have a cell phone, no one would have called me on it and Gran always said they were waste of money. It wasn't something we openly discussed. The money situation was just something that hung in the air like an invisible cobweb until you saw the spider, bringing your attention to it. I didn't mind not having money but I did mind was Gran struggling because of that fact.

"Sylvie, phone!"

Rolling my eyes, I gave Mr. Tangier a smile before walking towards the kitchen. Gran was in the sitting room again, her atmosphere all ready set for today's appointments. Gran, as usual, was right about the farmers coming in. The drought was throwing them all into frenzy about their crops and since Thornton was a mostly farming community, it was swiftly becoming chaos.

"It's your mama!" Gran yelled from the sitting room and again I have to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," I muttered as I grab the phone off the hook and put it to my ear, "Mama?"

"Hello, darling," My mom greeted down the line, her accent watered down from her years away from our town, "How'd you know it was me?"

I shrugged with a smile despite knowing she couldn't see me, "I just knew."

"Here I thought I was going to surprise you."

"Better luck next time I guess. How are you doing Mama?"

"Oh I'm just fine, Darling. How are you doing?"

"Just fine," I told her, my smile stretching at just the sound of her voice, "I miss you."

It's been nearly six years since I had come back here to live with my Gran. My mom couldn't afford for us to live together anymore. She didn't want to tell me that though so instead I ended up suggesting my move, convincing her that I really did want to go. It was the truth for the most part but it was also a way to save her from heartbreak. She didn't want to part from me and I didn't want to part from her but though I was only thirteen, I knew it was for the best. Still, we kept in touch with our once a week phone calls and it was always something I looked forward to.

"I miss you too, Darling. What you doing today? I hear it's hot as the devil's armpits down there."

"Oh it is that's why it's busy today. Farmers are coming from three counties over just to see Gran."

I swore I could hear my mom rolling her eyes, "Leave it to my mama to be profiting while others are suffering."

A came on my face at that, "It's not like that."

"Sylvie, baby, you're young but as you get older things will become clearer to you. Things aren't always what they look like."

I opened my mouth to argue but quickly shut it again. I didn't waste my time arguing about Gran and my mom's opinion on our lifestyle. That wasn't what these phone calls were about. So, instead, I decided to change the subject into something she would always enjoy talking about, herself.

"Speaking of which, Gran said you were seeing a man."

"I am," Mom admitted with excitement clear in her voice, "His name is Richard. He works at the law office I work at. He's really nice."

I could already see the similarities between this description and the description of all her other ex-boyfriends. I loved my mom more than anyone else in the world but her choice in men up to this point never failed to leave something desired. It was an example that I never failed to remind myself of when it came to dating. I didn't want to be constantly broken hearted like my mama but I didn't want to constantly alone like my Gran neither.