What Becomes of a Tragedy?, chapter 10
"Why cake?" Our party was ending. Billie, Adie, the boys, and Mike were heading home.
"I don't know, Mikey. I just thought it would be different." I look over at Tre who is putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
"He really does love you, ya know?" Billie still was full of knowledge, even though he was drunk.
"Yeah, Billie, I know."
"Well, it's about damn time you did. Because if I had to go on another tour with him - 'Holly this . . . ' 'Holly that . . . ' - I was going to kill him. No offense, sweetie, but you are all he ever talks about." Billie pauses and thinks to himself for a moment. "Damn, now he's gonna be worse!!" With that Billie walks out to the car. Mike, Adie, and the boys say their good-byes and head home, too.
I turn to go into the kitchen to help Tre, but my sister comes up to me. "Congratulations. Now that it is official. I really am happy for you." She pauses uncomfortably.
"You know, all these years, nobody has known where you were, what you were doing, or if you were even still alive. I had always hoped that you would pay for the way you behaved all those years ago, but now that I'm here and I see how you live; I wish I could take all of it back."
She pauses again to wipe her eyes. "We have never seen eye-to-eye, but I just want to say that I know Mom and Dad would have been very proud of you. You have become more than anybody in the family thought you could have been. You have proved us all wrong. And Luke said it brilliantly, you have a college degree, you have an amazing job, friendships that have lasted through many years, and a love that has stood the test of time." She pauses again, but I noticed that Tre has entered in the hall from the kitchen.
Becca turns around to speak to him, too. "You're a good man. You have taken care of my little sister. You have loved my sister when she had nothing else in this world. You two truely are meant to be. Years ago, I never would have thought my sister to ever be able to find a love like she has in you. You truely love her."
She pauses and takes a step towards him. Tre looks at me with a frightened look in his eye. I shrug my shoulders in response - I didn't know what she's doing. "Tre, thank you for looking after her. You are an angel in disguise." She puts her arms out. "How about a hug, future brother-in-law??" Tre lets out a sigh of relief and gives her a hug. He looks at me and smiles. Becca turns back to me and smiles. "I'm going to bed now, have a nice night, kids." She heads upstairs to her room.
Tre turns to me with his sly smile and a gleam in his eye. "So, blue eyes, what shall we do now?"
"Well, I'd say go to sleep because we - well, I - have to take my brother and sister to the airport in the morning. But for some reason, I have this crazy feeling that I'm going to go up to my room, but not much sleeping is going to happen."
"Damn, girl. You know me all too well."
"I know." I give him a smile and a wink and head up to my room. He follows - very closely - with his hand at the small of my back. And like that night, all those years ago, I get lost in my thoughts. "I love this man. I am going to spend the rest of my life with him." We make it to my room and quietly shut the door - so as not to wake my siblings. And in an instant we give into our passions and emotions that have been caged for years. We slowly make our way to the bed, but I open my mouth to speak, "Tre . . . "
"Yes, blue eyes . . . "
"I have a confession." He simply smiles. "I haven't done this since the last time I was with you." I turn slightly pink - out of embarrassment - and look away from his face. He gently pulls my gaze back to him.
"Holly, you don't have to be ashamed of anything with me. I love you for who you are and you know that. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you. And if anything, what you just said, makes me love you more - if that's possible."
- The Next Morning On The Way To The Airport -
Luke and Tre were sleeping in the backseat, while Becca and I were chatting in the front. She was obviously very curious about what went on last night. "So, how much sleep did you get last night?"
"Hardly any."
"Geez, Holly, how many times?"
"It's not the how many, it's the how long does it last?" I look over at her and she has her mouth hanging wide open. I look back at Tre's sleeping form. "Well, let's just say that he knows how to control himself." We both start laughing.
"Was it as good as you remember it being?"
"Better. He's learned some new tricks since the last time." Becca burst out laughing, waking up both Luke and Tre.
Tre wakes up yelling at somebody or something, "I swear I didn't. Those aren't my drumsticks." He opens his eyes and realizes where he is and trys to play it off. He looks at my sister and me. "How's it hanging, ladies?" All four of us start laughing and we finally make it to the airport.
After we get through security, the first thing we do is, head for the bathrooms. My brother is also curious about me and Tre. "Tre, I have a question for you."
"Sure, go ahead man, what's up?"
"Did you have sex with my sister last night?"
Tre tries to supress a laugh and it comes out as a cough. "What?"
"You heard me. Did you have sex with my sister?"
"Yes, what's the big deal?"
"You promise you won't tell either of them?" Tre nods. "Well, I have a girlfriend at home, it's getting serious and I wanted to get some pointers."
Tre takes a deep breath. "Well, do you love her?"
"I think I do."
"Well, all I'm going to say, is when the time is right in your heart and you feel like you need to be with that person, be with them. Just make sure you can accept the consequences of your actions if things don't go as planned. You know what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. How old were you two when you first did it?"
"Probably about your age, but our situation was different. Just remember what I said, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks, man."
We all sat there for a while talking about anything. And when Luke was on his plane, ready to go, Tre and I left.
- In The Car On The Way Home -
Tre was the first to bring up our serious topic, "We have a lot to talk about don't we?"
"Yes, I believe we do."
"When would you like to start this talk?"
"It seems to me like it's already started . . ."
"I don't know, Mikey. I just thought it would be different." I look over at Tre who is putting the dishes into the dishwasher.
"He really does love you, ya know?" Billie still was full of knowledge, even though he was drunk.
"Yeah, Billie, I know."
"Well, it's about damn time you did. Because if I had to go on another tour with him - 'Holly this . . . ' 'Holly that . . . ' - I was going to kill him. No offense, sweetie, but you are all he ever talks about." Billie pauses and thinks to himself for a moment. "Damn, now he's gonna be worse!!" With that Billie walks out to the car. Mike, Adie, and the boys say their good-byes and head home, too.
I turn to go into the kitchen to help Tre, but my sister comes up to me. "Congratulations. Now that it is official. I really am happy for you." She pauses uncomfortably.
"You know, all these years, nobody has known where you were, what you were doing, or if you were even still alive. I had always hoped that you would pay for the way you behaved all those years ago, but now that I'm here and I see how you live; I wish I could take all of it back."
She pauses again to wipe her eyes. "We have never seen eye-to-eye, but I just want to say that I know Mom and Dad would have been very proud of you. You have become more than anybody in the family thought you could have been. You have proved us all wrong. And Luke said it brilliantly, you have a college degree, you have an amazing job, friendships that have lasted through many years, and a love that has stood the test of time." She pauses again, but I noticed that Tre has entered in the hall from the kitchen.
Becca turns around to speak to him, too. "You're a good man. You have taken care of my little sister. You have loved my sister when she had nothing else in this world. You two truely are meant to be. Years ago, I never would have thought my sister to ever be able to find a love like she has in you. You truely love her."
She pauses and takes a step towards him. Tre looks at me with a frightened look in his eye. I shrug my shoulders in response - I didn't know what she's doing. "Tre, thank you for looking after her. You are an angel in disguise." She puts her arms out. "How about a hug, future brother-in-law??" Tre lets out a sigh of relief and gives her a hug. He looks at me and smiles. Becca turns back to me and smiles. "I'm going to bed now, have a nice night, kids." She heads upstairs to her room.
Tre turns to me with his sly smile and a gleam in his eye. "So, blue eyes, what shall we do now?"
"Well, I'd say go to sleep because we - well, I - have to take my brother and sister to the airport in the morning. But for some reason, I have this crazy feeling that I'm going to go up to my room, but not much sleeping is going to happen."
"Damn, girl. You know me all too well."
"I know." I give him a smile and a wink and head up to my room. He follows - very closely - with his hand at the small of my back. And like that night, all those years ago, I get lost in my thoughts. "I love this man. I am going to spend the rest of my life with him." We make it to my room and quietly shut the door - so as not to wake my siblings. And in an instant we give into our passions and emotions that have been caged for years. We slowly make our way to the bed, but I open my mouth to speak, "Tre . . . "
"Yes, blue eyes . . . "
"I have a confession." He simply smiles. "I haven't done this since the last time I was with you." I turn slightly pink - out of embarrassment - and look away from his face. He gently pulls my gaze back to him.
"Holly, you don't have to be ashamed of anything with me. I love you for who you are and you know that. Nothing is going to change how I feel about you. And if anything, what you just said, makes me love you more - if that's possible."
- The Next Morning On The Way To The Airport -
Luke and Tre were sleeping in the backseat, while Becca and I were chatting in the front. She was obviously very curious about what went on last night. "So, how much sleep did you get last night?"
"Hardly any."
"Geez, Holly, how many times?"
"It's not the how many, it's the how long does it last?" I look over at her and she has her mouth hanging wide open. I look back at Tre's sleeping form. "Well, let's just say that he knows how to control himself." We both start laughing.
"Was it as good as you remember it being?"
"Better. He's learned some new tricks since the last time." Becca burst out laughing, waking up both Luke and Tre.
Tre wakes up yelling at somebody or something, "I swear I didn't. Those aren't my drumsticks." He opens his eyes and realizes where he is and trys to play it off. He looks at my sister and me. "How's it hanging, ladies?" All four of us start laughing and we finally make it to the airport.
After we get through security, the first thing we do is, head for the bathrooms. My brother is also curious about me and Tre. "Tre, I have a question for you."
"Sure, go ahead man, what's up?"
"Did you have sex with my sister last night?"
Tre tries to supress a laugh and it comes out as a cough. "What?"
"You heard me. Did you have sex with my sister?"
"Yes, what's the big deal?"
"You promise you won't tell either of them?" Tre nods. "Well, I have a girlfriend at home, it's getting serious and I wanted to get some pointers."
Tre takes a deep breath. "Well, do you love her?"
"I think I do."
"Well, all I'm going to say, is when the time is right in your heart and you feel like you need to be with that person, be with them. Just make sure you can accept the consequences of your actions if things don't go as planned. You know what I'm saying?"
"Yeah. How old were you two when you first did it?"
"Probably about your age, but our situation was different. Just remember what I said, okay?"
"Yeah, thanks, man."
We all sat there for a while talking about anything. And when Luke was on his plane, ready to go, Tre and I left.
- In The Car On The Way Home -
Tre was the first to bring up our serious topic, "We have a lot to talk about don't we?"
"Yes, I believe we do."
"When would you like to start this talk?"
"It seems to me like it's already started . . ."
