We Happy Few | Band of Brothers

Chapter 64: Part of the Family

With two cups of warm coffee in her small hands, Annie moved from the kitchen to the dining table and placed one of the cups in front of a shivering Margot. "Thanks." Margot smiled up at her friend, her teeth chattering at the same time.

"It's not a problem." Annie sat down in the seat next to Margot and placed her own mug down in front of herself. "It's probably not the best coffee but it's definitely better than the stuff we've been drinking for the past four years."

"I don't doubt that for a second." Margot placed her cold hands on the side of the steaming mug and sighed happily as the warmth flowed through her palms and up into her arms. 

Hearing a pair of soft footsteps coming down the staircase, Annie turned in her chair to see her mother arriving with a pile of clothes in her hands. "Will you two go back to bed?" Elaine shooed Tim and Julia away, who were sitting on the steps watching Margot intently. The two younger children moved like they were going to go back upstairs, but as soon as their mother wasn't looking, they sat right back down where they were.

"Here you go, dear." Elaine handed the dry change of clothes to Margot. "I sure hope they fit. Since Annie's clothes would all be much too small I scrounged together an old pair of my pants and a sweater from Philip."

Taking the offering in her arms, Margot gave a curt nod of acceptance. "They should do just fine, thank you. And again, I'm so sorry for intruding so late at night. I had no idea what time I was going to arrive."

"Not to worry." Elaine waved it off. "You must be exhausted after taking buses all the way here from North Carolina. I'll grab some sheets and make up the couch for you."

"Don't bother," Annie told her mother after exchanging a knowing look with Margot. "She can stay in my room with me. We're used to sharing tight quarters."

With a sleepy smile, Elaine tucked her arms tightly against her stomach and sighed. "Well, okay then. You two don't stay up too late, you hear me? You both look pretty tired."

"We won't, Mom." Annie took a sip of her coffee and enjoyed the feeling of the warm liquid rushing down her throat. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Elaine placed a hand on Margot's shoulder. "It was lovely to meet you, Margot. I will see you both in the morning."

Turning towards the steps, Elaine made her way back upstairs, her hands grabbing the shirts of Tim and Julia along the way and pulling them with her. "Back to bed," she huffed before she and the kids disappeared from sight. 

Once they were alone, Annie reached out and wrapped her hand around Margot's wrist and gave a comforting squeeze. "I'm really sorry to hear about your father," she gave her condolences. "I can't even imagine what it must have been like to get home and ..."

"It didn't really sink in right away," Margot admitted, her eyes trained on the slowly swirling brown liquid in front of her. Then, as if she suddenly remembered she had it with her, Margot reached into her jacket pocket, pulled out the photo of her and her parents, and showed it to Annie. "I think I sat out on my porch all night long looking at that. Then, before I knew it, it was morning and I had to sort my shit out. The real estate agent asked if I wanted to keep the house but I knew I couldn't handle that entire property by myself."

Annie scoffed. "I thought you used to do all the work anyway?"

"I did." Margot nodded. "It's just not the same, you know? I couldn't stay. It didn't feel like home anymore."

"I understand."

"I knew you would." Margot sipped at her coffee. "So, I left—and I knew I wasn't ready to see Joe yet—so I came here. I went to the cemetery first though and I gotta tell you, it was so weird seeing a new gravestone with my father's name on it next to my mother's. Then in town, I stopped for some supplies and I ran into Mr. Coulbert and Andrew; you remember me telling you about them?"