MAY 3, 1991. SPRINGFIELD, VIRGINIA.
IT ISN'T UNTIL the plane touches down in Virginia that some nerves start to rise in Evie's stomach.
"God. I just got really nervous," she informs Dave, who grabs hold of her hand and rubs it gently while the plane circles the tarmac.
"I don't know that this will make you feel better, but you have nothing to worry about. You're seriously the dream girl to bring home to meet the family, especially compared to some of the crazy girlfriends I've had. Trust me, Ginny and Lisa have seen the worst of the worst. You're the best of the best," Dave informs Evie which makes her laugh slightly and it does ease her mind.
"Thanks, I needed that," she sighs.
"Let me just say again, my mother and sister are the most non-judgemental, open-minded people ever," he reassures her even more.
"Okay, I feel a bit better," Evie sighs as the plane comes to a stop and its finally time for them to make their way through the airport to meet Virginia and Lisa.
They collect their luggage from baggage claim which is an easy enough process and move smoothly through the busy building, hand in hand until Dave spots the two women he is unmistakably related to.
Virginia and Lisa both wave from afar with bright smiles on their faces and Dave and Evie wave back just as excitedly.
"Evie, it's so good to finally meet you my dear," Virginia immediately brings Evie in for a hug, putting her right at ease.
"Hi, it's great to meet you too!" Evie responds happily taking in Virginia's warm, motherly nature.
"Hey, I'm Lisa. I've heard so much about you," Dave's sister says, giving Evie a quick hug hello as well.
"Hi Lisa, nice to meet you. I can say the same," Evie smiles.
"Nice to see you guys too," Dave says to his mother and sister who are completely taken in by Evie's presence.
"Oh, sorry David, come here," Virginia says giving her son who towers over her a great hug hello.
"Sorry you're just not as exciting," Lisa says, giving her brother a very sibling-like greeting.
"Hey," Dave scorns.
"Come on, let's get you guys home and comfortable," Virginia says surely, leading the way to their car.
It's a short 30-minute drive from the airport to Dave's home in Springfield. Evie, never having visited Virginia takes in the suburbs and scenery on the way while Virginia and Lisa both ask questions about their trip over and about Evie's time growing up in Olympia which she talks about gladly.
They arrive at Dave's childhood home where he gives Evie the grand tour, the living room, kitchen, dining room, bathroom and of course his old bedroom which is coated in an arrangement of band posters and magazine cut-outs.
"Wow, a true teenage boy bedroom you've got yourself here," Evie notes, fondly imagining what Dave was like in his teen years.
"It's a blast from my past that's for sure," he states, putting their bags down on the floor and standing with his hands on his hips, examine the space which he spent so much time in that has somehow become unfamiliar to him in his years away from home.
"What was teenage Dave like?" Evie asks, sitting down on his single bed covered in navy blue bed sheets, making herself comfortable.
"Well let's see... little David was gangly, awkward, couldn't score with girls, only played my music and a complete stoner. Don't I sound like a dream?" He jokes, making Evie laugh. He smiles at the sound which fills him with warmth knowing that he said something to make her laugh the way she is.
"You're telling me that kid wasn't getting any girls?" Evie says, still smiling as she points to a picture of an obviously very awkward teenage Dave.
"Hey, leave me alone," Dave smiles, pulling the picture off the wall and placing onto the desk tucked into the corner on the other side of his room.
"I'm kidding. You were cute. Still are," Evie says, standing to bring Dave into a hug.
"Yeah I am pretty cute aren't I?" Dave agrees and Evie scoffs.
"Come on, let's go help your mum with lunch," she suggests and Dave nods, following Evie as she, strangely enough, leads him through his own house. He admires her confidence and ability to take lead in just about any given situation.
"Did you need help with getting lunch ready Virginia?" Evie asks.
"Oh, don't be silly sweetie, you two just relax for a while. I'll get this organised," Virginia assures them both.
"Hey mom, remember that Evie's a vegetarian," Dave says.
"Yes, I remember honey. We'll make sure there's no meat for you Evie, that's no problem," Virginia says kindly.
"Thank you," Evie says appreciatively, she can understand how annoying it can sometimes be to accommodate to her diet.
Dave and Evie decide to take a walk around the neighbourhood before the lunch is ready. The warm glow of the Virginia sun is so different to Olympia and Evie feels as though she's half a world away from home. She's in awe of the contrast between the places and wonders how different her and Dave's childhoods must have been.
Here in Virginia it's like you're watching the world through rose-tinted glasses. The D.C suburbs look straight out of a John Hughes movie and the kids are out on the streets soaking up the Spring weather. When Evie thinks of her own childhood, although there were glimpses of light, everything was quite grey. She wonders if this is due to those years being tainted by the bad memories or if it is just the apparent lack of sun in Washington.
Walking around the streets Dave grew up on is the first time she notices the stark differences between the two of them, the differences which run deeper than the towns they're from. Dave generally just has a more positive, joyous outlook on most things. Evie realises she has an ability to find the negatives and constantly be in a state of overthinking. She wonders if she is a product of the things that have happened to her, or if she was born this way. It saddens her to think that she can't remember a time before she was this way. She can't really remember much from before everything went bad.
Dave's hand reaching out for hers pulls her out of her head and back to reality.
"You alright? You seem tense," Dave notices, tucking Evie's hair behind her ear gently. They really are getting to know each other so well, understanding when the other is feeling off or caught up in their thoughts.
"Yeah I'm alright. I think the flight took a lot out of me, I don't really like planes," Evie says, not wishing to divulge her state of mind to Dave.
"Okay. Can I do anything to help?" Dave asks.
"No, you're perfect. I'm just happy to be here with you. I feel like it's a little window into a part of your life that I never knew about," Evie explains.
"It feels strange being here with you. I feel like my life with you in it is just so far from my life in Virginia. I don't know, I can't wrap my head around it really. I just feel lucky," Dave tells her.
"This seems like a really nice place to grow up," she notes.
"Yeah, it really was," Dave smiles and Evie can sense how calm and comfortable being close to home has made him. She mentally adds his pure happiness when he visits home to the long list of reasons why she loves him.
The do a loop of the neighbourhood before ending up back at Dave's where Virginia had prepared a great lunch of roast vegetables and some salad. The four of them sit down in the dining room and Virginia and Lisa try to get to know Evie better.
"Evie, David tells us your family has a record store. That is so cool," Lisa says and Evie smiles, she's more than happy to talk about the shop and John.
"Yeah, my dad has run it since I was a kid and I've been working in there for years. My brother and sister too."
"And what are their names?" Virginia asks.
"My dad is John, then my older brother is Oliver who's 22 and my younger sister Mia, she'll be 18 in September," Evie explains.
"And are you close with your siblings?" Virginia continues.
"Yeah, super close. My brother and I have always hung out together because we have the same circle of friends. And Mia and I are really close too, especially since Ollie moved to Seattle and it's just us two at home with dad," she tells.
On the topic of her family she worries that conversation might steer towards her mother, but it doesn't. She assumes Dave would have already filled Virginia and Lisa in on this aspect of her life and for this, she is thankful. It certainly saved any awkward moments which may have risen.
"I wish I had that. I wasn't cool enough to hang out with Dave and his friends apparently," Lisa says, clearly recalling memories from their childhood.
"Is that right?" Evie looks to Dave for an answer while laughing at the Lisa's playful grudge holding.
"I just didn't think she'd want to hang out with us. It wouldn't have been any fun for her because she wasn't into the same stuff we were," Dave jumps to his own defences.
"Lies. You just didn't want me to cramp your style," Lisa retorts.
"Okay Lisa," Dave puts it to rest.
"Goodness it's like your teenagers again the way you two bicker," Virginia sighs.
"It's our job as siblings to fight mom," Lisa states plainly, leaving the sibling banter there.
Evie asks Virginia about her work as a teacher, saying she'd love to go into teaching if all other creative pursuits don't succeed. This is something new that Dave is learning about Evie. They'd never really spoken about the what ifs. What if they don't make it in their chosen career paths? They both just support each other in everything they're doing right now, without any thought about what might happen in the far-off future.
That night after clearing the table they move back to play a few rounds of scrabble, which Evie loves. She's always thought of herself as quite a literate person and usually does quite well when it comes to scrabble. It's amusing for her to see Dave get absolutely crushed by the three of them.
"Maybe if you had of gotten your high school diploma..." Lisa teases when he makes a complaint about his low score.
"Sorry, I was touring Europe with my band and you were stuck in Virginia," Dave teases back, his competitive streak showing.
When it finally comes time to fall asleep, Evie finds great comfort in Dave's arms. It's been one day and she already completely adores his family. They're everything you could wish for in a family, the perfect balance of loving and playful.
Over the next couple of days, things are similar. They all hang out together, Dave takes Evie and shows him places around his home town. All the bars he played, the cinema where he'd take girls on dates, the diner where they'd go after the date. It was an opportunity for Dave to share a part of himself that Evie is unfamiliar with.
On the last afternoon of their short stay, Virginia sends Lisa and Dave out to get groceries and Evie happily stays at the house, helping Virginia dry and stack away some dishes.
"Evie I have to say I've really loved having you and David here together. You're a beautiful, bright young girl and I can see how happy you make my son," Virginia says to Evie, which means the world and more. A mother's stamp of approval is the greatest honour when dating someone, and considering this is Dave's mom, it means a great deal to Evie.
"Thank you so much for having me, it's been an amazing time. And he makes me happy too. You raised such a beautiful boy, Virginia," Evie says.
"Oh, thank you. It obviously wasn't always easy raising him, especially as a single mother. You know what he's like, high-energy, bouncing off the walls," Virginia explains and Evie smiles.
"It's all worth it but, isn't it? Seeing the great people they grow up to become and knowing that it is a direct reflection of the way you raised them must be incredible," Evie asks.
"You're right. That's the joy of parenting, the good always outweighs the bad. You forget the rough periods at a certain point and you just have these adults who don't really need you anymore," Virginia smiles solemnly at the thought that her children are out of home and don't need their mothers care as much as they once did.
"Trust me, no matter how independent they are or how much time passes without seeing them, your children will always need their mother," Evie states, her words coming from a deeply personal place. She swallows the lump in her throat to push down the emotion daring to rise when she thinks about her incessant yearning for her own mother.
"You're a wise young girl," Virginia tells Evie who smiles at the kindness of her words.
"I think I might take a quick walk if that's alright, I want to soak in the warm sun over here one last time before going back home," Evie says.
"Of course sweetheart," she says understandingly.
As Evie begins to aimlessly walk by all the unfamiliar houses the thoughts from her and Dave's walk on that first day come back. These, along with her conversation with Virginia overwhelm her with emotion. Spending these few days with Virginia has made her realise how much she severely lacked any maternal figure all her life.
The love and warmth that she has felt over the course of three days has somehow filled a hole that has been left empty for so many years. Tears silently fall down Evie's face as she becomes wracked with the grief that she doesn't have a mother. She lets herself rest in this emotional place and let it out. Walking and crying feels good, it feels good to not shut away her feelings.
After what feels like 30 minutes, the sun is saying it's final goodbyes behind the picture perfect houses and Evie wipes her tears and returns to the home to discover Dave and Lisa are back and Virginia is getting a start on dinner.
"Hi, you two," Evie greets them as she walks into the living room where they're sat.
"Hey," they say in unison.
"How was your walk?" Lisa asks.
Dave however, eyes Evie quizzically, noticing straight away that something is off.
"It was nice. It feels good to walk around this neighbourhood, it's so different to home," she explains.
"I'm sure it does," Lisa agrees.
Dave stands to come closer to Evie.
"Hey, what's up?" He asks in a hushed voice. It's almost soul crushing to see how much he cares and feels for her. She doesn't feel like she deserves it, but someone she has learnt to accept it.
"It's okay, I'm alright," Evie assures him in barely a whisper.
"Come on, let's go talk," Dave says, habitually tucking Evie's hair behind her ears and taking a good look into her sad eyes, wondering what got her to this point.
"We're just going to pack up our stuff now," Dave tells his mother and sister, excusing he and Evie from the room.
Dave gently closes his bedroom door as Evie moves to the bed, sitting down on the edge.
"What's going on? You've been crying," Dave notes.
"You've just got a such an amazing mom," Evie begins before her emotions get the better of her again and a couple of tears fall.
"Oh Eves," he says, crouching to hold her tightly.
"I was just thinking about my mother, I have been the whole time we've been here. I just... I don't have a mom Dave. I just feel empty all the damn time and I hate it. Why did she have to leave me here Dave? Didn't she know how much children need their mothers?" Evie begins to spill out her innermost thoughts without filter, letting out her emotions without any fear of judgement from Dave.
Dave squats in front of her now, wiping away her tears while his own eyes glaze over. Though he knows he can't cry right now, he's never seen Evie in a state like this and it's breaking his heart. Around him, she has always managed to keep her composure, sure she gets anxious here and there, but she's always held a strong front. He has gotten glimpses into Evie's inner self, the place where she holds her pain and vulnerability, but she usually closes it right back up not letting him any further. This is different, the walls are down and she has let him in. Although his heart is aching, Dave feels closer to Evie than he ever has before, and he loves her for it.
"Evie your mother loved you so much, you can't forget that. And you will always have a mom even if she's not here physically, she'll be watching over you until you get to meet again on the other side. She'd be so proud of you Evie. I'm sorry I don't have answers for you, but I'll always be here to listen and do anything I can to help you," Dave tells her as Evie tries to gain control over her emotions.
Through unsteady breaths she manages to speak again.
"I just miss her, you're so lucky to have your mother Dave. She's such an incredible woman," Evie says, much more stable than she was before.
"My mother is amazing, but remember you've got the world's greatest dad and siblings and so many friends who love you so much. We're always going to love you. Shit, Evie, you're the greatest thing to ever happen to me. No matter what happens I'm going to love you forever," Dave says.
"What did I do to deserve you?" Evie asks, able to smile just a little bit now at Dave's kind words.
"You deserve much better than me Evie," Dave laughs but Evie shakes her head.
"It doesn't get better than you," she protests, leaning in to kiss him, to thank him and to show him how much she loves him.
"Now how are you feeling?" Dave asks.
"Better. Thank you. I'm sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me," Evie apologises.
"That is something you do not have to apologise to me for Evie. I'm glad you're feeling better. Now what do you say, we wipe those tears away and go out and eat some dinner?" Dave says.
"Sounds amazing."
They go out and join Lisa and Virginia in the dining room for the last amazing home cooked meal. Reflecting on the last few days, they really have been incredible and Evie feels lucky to have these two amazing women becoming a part of her life.
Although it's been emotional, it was much needed. Evie feels like she hasn't really let herself accept the fact that she's not going to have a mother there to witness all the special moments in her life. She just pushed the thought away into the back of her mind, but she feels that she is in a point in her life now where she is strong enough to process this.
She just feels so incredibly blessed that she has Dave by her side through everything. She truly couldn't imagine a better person to be experiencing all the good moments, and the not-so good moment with.