The Peach Pits

Chapter 10

"I made you some tea," Mae crept into the attic, warm mug in hand. Her aunt turned around and smiled at her. When the light from the window hit her face, it made her look younger. But still, her eyes held exhaustion. Mae knew that all too well.

"Thank you, Mae." Aunt Lynn accepted the mug from her. She took a sip and then set it down next to her feet. Mae stood behind her, staring at the painting her aunt worked on.

"It's beautiful," Mae commented. "You're great at painting flowers." Watching her aunt paint made Mae a little sad too. How was it fair that someone so talented deserved to be stuck in a small town, poor and divorced, selling her work at a flea market? People never seemed to get the lives they deserved. Her eyes drifted to the shelf above their heads. She stared at the shoebox full of letters from her ex-uncle. It made her stomach churn, which might have been somewhat of a good thing since she faked a stomachache to get out of church with her mother and Trina.

"Thank you."

Mae bit her lip and stared at her aunt. She didn't want to leave just yet, but she also didn't know what to say. It's not like she had much practice having an open and honest relationship with her own mother. But she'd been feeling weird ever since she'd stolen that bracelet from the store. She didn't feel bad about it, and that made her feel awful.

"I was thinking Trina would like a chocolate cake this year," Mae said dumbly.

"That would be a beautiful idea," her aunt agreed. Mae watched as she worked on her painting. Aunt Lynn looked so calm and at peace. Mae wanted to know her secret. As far as her own nerves went, it always felt like she was going to unravel any second.

"And I also thought she deserved to wear a pretty dress to go to the dance. And some jewelry," Mae added. Subconsciously, she glanced down at her bracelet. "Everyone deserves to look nice on their first date."

"How thoughtful," her aunt agreed. "Trina's very excited for the dance. It seems like she mentions it every single day." Aunt Lynn laughed fondly. Mae tried not to notice when it turned into a cough.

"She does. It's like it's all she cared about right now."

Aunt Lynn nodded. "We all deserve to have things to look forward to."

Mae couldn't agree more. Getting to leave for college soon seemed like the only anchor that was keeping her sane. "We do."

"Do you know anything about this Ben boy?"

Mae nodded. "Only a little, he's not in my grade. But he has a good reputation. And it seems like he's really sweet on Trina. By the way, that's why she's always so eager to be the one who runs to the store."

Aunt Lynn laughed to herself. "I like to think I raised her better then to want to run around with someone crazy." Clearly Mae's mother hadn't gotten the memo. Mae wondered if Aunt Lynn was nervous about Trina dating. So far, the very few men in their lives hadn't done them any favors.

"Life would be easier if we could all be like Trina," Mae said.

"What do you mean?"

"Hopeful. Excited for things. Happy."

Aunt Lynn took a deep breath. Her fingers tensed on her brush. "Trina can be a little ray of sunshine even when it's hard. That's a real talent."

"It is," Mae agreed.

Her aunt turned to look at her. "Trina told me there's this new boy you've been seeing..."

Mae sat down on the creaky wooden floor next to her aunt's chair. Of course, Trina had said something. "It's not really like that," Mae said. "He's just a boy from work."