“So, family trouble?” She just couldn't let it go. Allie knew about my family, just as I knew about hers. It was the one thing we'd always had in common: shitty bloodlines.
“I don't know if you know this, but my father recently remarried. His new wife has two kids of her own.”
“You mentioned staying with your father, but I didn't know he had a new wife and family”, she said, eyeing me with a wary look.
“Yeah...family functions aren't really my thing. But you know that. I was supposed to stay over Christmas—with my father and his new family. I only agreed because my mother insisted that I at least make an effort to get along with them. Needless to say, it didn't work out.”
She looked at me with that certain look of pity in her eyes which, if I saw it on anyone else, it would surely push me over the edge. But Allie was different. I knew she didn't just look at me with pity because she was imagining my life as an episode of some dramatic soap opera on the telly.
Allie actually knew what I was feeling and pitied me because she'd gone through similar things and knew what it meant.
“I got into a little argument with my dad, and he kicked me out.” I didn't know why I was even telling her this. It felt good, though, telling someone.
“I probably deserved it, to be honest”, I admitted.
“What'd you do?”
“Well, we were sitting down to eat, and my father made some stupid comment about family and marriage and being thankful for what he had and shit, and I just snapped. Told his new wife to watch out, cause my father is on the hunt for a new secretary. Said she better make sure he hires either a guy or an old spinster. Cause, you know, he's been known to have trouble keeping his crown jewels in check in front of attractive twenty-somethings. After that, the visit was over for me.”
“Fuck, Darce, that's a bit harsh, don't you think? You could have at least waited until after dinner.”
For some reason, that cracked me up. “Yeah, it looked bloody delicious, too. They'd made this great pot roast, and mini potatoes and three types of gravy.”
By this point, Allie was giggling, too. But her expression turned serious again when she looked up to my face.
She stood, walked over to me, and before I knew what was happening, Al had wrapped her arms tightly around me, and her cheek was resting against my drumming heart.
“Sorry your dad's an arse.” She said it as if she meant it.
For a few seconds I didn't do anything. I just stood there. But then I slowly put my arms around her, too.
I couldn't describe the feeling right if I tried. It just felt as if everything that had made me so raging mad just a moment ago, suddenly didn't matter at all any more.
We held each other like this for what felt like hours, but at the same time was over way too quickly.
Allie cleared her throat. “How about some ice cream for dessert? I think I saw some in the freezer earlier.” She turned to me and smiled. “Or is that Sam's? In that case we probably shouldn't risk it. I think the guy even keeps tabs on the contents of everything in the kitchen that has his name on it.”
“Oh no, you didn't attempt to eat any of his precious chocolate,did you?”
Allie rolled her eyes. “There wasn't a label on it. I thought it was fair game. I learned my lesson.”
I smiled. “The ice cream is Ian's. I think he owes us some for having a great Christmas while we're stuck here.”
At the mention of Ian's name, I saw a shadow pass over Allies face.
“I'll get the bowls, you can get the ice cream”, she said, walking back into the kitchen.
“Do you still like chocolate sauce on yours?” I remembered Allie always used to do that when we were kids.
She paused midway through lifting two bowls out of the cupboard.