Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda

Author:Kaira Rouda [Rouda, Kaira]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯), General, Fiction, Contemporary Women
ISBN: 9781608320912
Google: cmtdUuKbG5MC
Amazon: 160832091X
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group
Published: 2011-03-15T13:45:06+00:00

“LISTEN, MEL, I KNOW YOU’RE SORRY FOR THE PARTY AND all, but there’s more going on here. I hope the time you’re spending with Beth is valuable, and I hope you’re telling her the truth. It’s really important. It’s important for you and me, too.”

“I know, it’s just that …”

“It’s just that what?”

“I mess everything up. I’m a mess. Nobody loves me. They—my parents—put me with you like a dog at a kennel. I mean, that’s how it feels. I don’t even know where they are,” she sobbed.

“Yes you do.”

She looked over at me, but didn’t acknowledge the challenge.

“I just talked to your mom and she’s doing great. She said she’s talked to you, and that you knew she was in Wyoming, of all places. You know she loves you more than anything. I know you know that,” I said, looking intently at Melanie, who simply nodded. After a brief pause she said, “Montana.”

“What?”

“Mom’s in Montana.”

“Right. That’s me, being clueless again.” Melanie showed a flash of recognition, but she knew better than to say anything more.

We sat in silence for a moment. I’m not good at that, so I jumped back in.

“I told your mom, if it was okay with you, that I’d love to have you stick around until she gets back. That should give us some time to clean—I mean clear things up. Get better at yoga and stuff like that.”

“You didn’t tell Mom about last night?” she asked quietly.

I shook my head no.

“Did you ever screw up, Aunt Kelly? I mean, you know, get into trouble?” Melanie asked me after we’d sat in silence awhile longer.

“Oh my gosh, of course.”

“Really?”

Okay, so I’d read all of the studies that told me parents should lie to their kids about their own underage drinking and the like. It’s giving your kids permission to do the same the logic goes. Well, since she wasn’t my daughter, I figured I could go ahead and tell her a little bit of truth.

“My first time drinking was a peer pressure situation, like always. I hated the taste of beer, so my friends made me screwdrivers. Actually, Beth and I were the target of the party since neither of us had tried alcohol yet. We both ended up really drunk. I don’t remember much else. My boyfriend drove me home and propped me up at my door, rang the doorbell, and drove away before my mom opened the door. My parents were convinced I had done heavy drugs because I kept saying something about a white pill. Actually, I had a headache and wanted aspirin. I felt terrible. Probably about like how you feel right now?”

“I feel awful. It’s nice to know you aren’t perfect. It’s just hard to imagine you or Beth getting drunk together or being out of control. You seem like you have everything together, you know?”

“I’m far from perfect, my dear. The more you get to know me, the more imperfect I’ll be. The thing I’ve learned in life is that you grow more through the bad things that happen to you.

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