Trixie's day- Second Chances

"Here you go! Have a good day.” I say with a smile while handing the customer his coffee.

“Thanks young lady.” The old man replies.

I sigh and start making another batch of drinks.

“HEY PEOPLES!” a voice calls out.

I turn.

“Lula? What are you doing here so early?” I ask, surprised.

“I took an early shift today.” answers Lula shrugging.

“Oh. Okay.”

Lula takes her usual spot at the cashier and logs in.

“Ah Lula! Whatcha doing here?” My friend, Araminta asks, popping up behind me.

“Why is everyone surprised? I can’t come a bit earlier?” replies Lula, a little annoyed.

“No! No…it’s just…we’re just used to you coming later…” says Araminta.

Lula gives her a side eye.

Araminta sighs. She opens her mouth to say more to Lula, but a customer comes up to the cashier.

Araminta looks at me.

“What Minty. She has a point…” I say, laughing in my head, while gently placing a lid on a cup of coffee.

Minty laughs then goes away to refill the napkins.

Lula has been working here for a month now and she's not that bad. She’s just… well…loud. She’s nice too but she can be annoying…really annoying. A lot of times she’s annoying…Ok now I see why people don’t like her. She’s 15 and I am 16. (My friend Minty is also 16)

“Linda!” I call, reading the name on a drink in my hand.

“Oh! That's me!” A middle aged woman replies, coming to the counter.

Something about her is familiar. But I can’t place my finger on it.

“Have a nice day!” I say, but before I move on to more drinks she stops me.

“Wait!”

I turn. “Do you need napkins? Here!” I interrupt.

“No I–”

“A straw? Here you go!” I interrupt again, handing her napkins and a straw.

“I don’t need anything! But I must ask you something. Is your mom…this is going to sound weird…but is your mom Helen?”

One hour later, I’m standing in front of my house. With a lady I don’t know standing next to me.

(Well not standing…BOUNCING on the balls of her feet.)

“Ah I can’t wait to see Helen! I haven't seen your mom in ages!” Ms. Linda says excitedly.

“Cool. But I don’t know who you are…” I mumble.

“Don’t you remember me?” Ms. Linda asks, shocked.

“Not a wink.” I reply then I yank open the door to my house.

“MOOMMM!” I yell while throwing my work bag on the floor.

“Coming!” I hear her voice reply from somewhere in the house.

“Wow. Look at this beautiful house!” Ms. Linda says, examining every little detail.

“Yip! YIP!” My dog barks from her room.

I start complaining as soon as I hear my mom come down the stairs.

“This woman is crazy. Mom, she really wanted to see you. When I say really. I mean REALLY. She waited until my shift was over! Then she followed me here! Like, stranger danger!”

But I don’t think my mom heard a word I said once she saw Ms. Linda.

Mom froze. “Linda? Is that you?”

“Helen?”

Mom raced down the stairs and Ms. Linda and Mom hugged for like 3 whole minutes!

Tears were streaming down my moms face when they stopped.

“Oh my BFF is back!”

“Excuse me?!” I spit.

My mom continued to ignore me.

“Hubby! Come down here! Remember Linda? She’s here!” Mom calls.

Dad comes down stairs.

“Hey Linda!”

“Ah, Jordan! Grew a silver beard huh?” laughs Ms. Linda.

Mom and Dad laugh with her and take her to the kitchen.

“Wait!” I scramble after them.

No one answered my question. And how does Dad know this lady too?

“YIP! YIP YAP YIP!”

“Trixie, let out the dog!” orders Mom.

Oh now she remembers I’m here.

I sigh but let our dog, Yams, out.

She speeds past me and runs to Ms. Linda.

“Aw! Who’s a cutie! You are! You are!” Ms. Linda coos.

Mom grins from ear to ear. I roll my eyes. Even Yams likes Ms. Linda!

“Linda, do you have plans for dinner? Maybe you can eat here?” asks my mom.

“I’d love to! Let me text my kids and husband to come over here.”

I moan. Very loudly. But no one hears me!

At least I won’t have to attend dinner. I already have plans. Surely my mom remembers me telling her this…ritght? Right. If she ruins this then she's really going crazy.

I go upstairs to my room then breathe in and out.

What am I going to wear? I can keep the same outfit on but…where’s the fun in that?

When I’m done changing I look in the mirror. Something’s missing…Ah. My favorite necklace.

It’s a golden heart with pink in the back.

I put on my necklace, then pick up my phone.

3:30 PM

My friends are picking me up at 3:45.

“Hey sis! Where ya going?” asks my little sis, Lolly, appearing behind me. She leans on my doorframe then smiles.

“Well for your information, I’m hanging out with Izzy and Minty.” I reply.

“Coolio!”

I laugh.

What are you girls laughing about?” asks my brother Ethan.

“Lolly just said coolio.”

Ethan raises his eyebrow.

“KIDS! COME DOWN!” Dad calls. Then I hear another man's voice laugh with my dad.

Probably at a corny joke my Dad said.

“What’s so funny?” I ask cooly, leaping down the steps with my siblings not too far behind me.

I was right. There was another man, about my dad’s age, but with golden brownish hair.

But he wasn't the only one who just came in.

“Ethan, Lolly, and Trixie, meet Andrew and Liam.” says Ms. Linda.

I think I saw Lolly’s jaw drop for a split second.

“You good sis?” I whisper.

“Yep!” she breathes.

I laugh.

Ding Dong!

“Who else could be coming?” asks Mom.

“I don’t know. This is all my fam.” replies Ms. Linda, shrugging.

“Uh. Mom. I’m going to hang out with my friends. They are picking me up. Remeber?” I finally speak up.

Mom blinks at me.

“Mom, I told you this yesterday!” I say while opening the front door.

“Trixie!” exclaims Izzy hugging me.

“Hey!” I reply.

She's wearing a cute bright green jumper with a jean jacket on top.

Araminta is also wearing a jumper but hers is pink.

“If you want you can put on a jumper too but I love your outfit!” says Minty.

“Yeah. Ohhh love your top!” adds Izzy, her black hair bouncing up and down when she talks.

“‘Well...let me change to match yall.” I say. I don’t mind wearing something different then them but we’re not in a rush so might as well…

“Ok. We’ll wait in the car.”

“It’s kinda hot outside! Come on in!” I gush.

They come in but before I shut the door mom stops them.

“Oh no. I’m sorry girls but Trixie can’t hang out with yall today…we have plans.” Mom says pretending to be sad for us.

“What? Mom, we never talked about this!” I say under my breath.

“Queit!” Mom shoots back.

“I’m sorry, but there's always next time.” Mom adds.

“Oh. Okay. Well…see you at work Trixie!” Minty says.

“We’ll miss ya!” pouts Izzy.

“Sorry! I didn't know you had plans. I can come another day…I’ll leave and you can go with your friends…” starts Ms. Linda.

Please do! I fight the urge to say.

“NO! Okay bye girls!” says my mom before slamming the door behind them.

Okay Mom just crossed the line. She said yes yesterday then changed her mind?

And I didn’t even do anything wrong! She's crazy. This is a nightmare! I wish I had another work shift…but she would’ve canceled that too! Steam was practically coming out of my ears. And I was the only one who didn’t like these people. No one even told me who they were!

Ethan is already talking to Andrew like he knew him forever. And Lolly?

I turn. She's talking to Liam.

“Oh but you can call me Lollipop if you want.” then she giggles.

I roll my eyes.

“Okay! Everyone at the dinner table!”

I don’t like this. Not one bit. I just want to understand what's happening! Like how does Mom know this family?

Mom pulls me aside before we sit down.

“Hey I need you to be a good sport about this…please? I know you’ve been having a bad day but please! I haven't seen my BFF in years! She and her husband moved away. Now they are back! And they’re not going to be here that long…Just please give them a chance?”

I sigh, then I smile.

“Okay Mom. For you. But if they drink all of my soda…they are not going to live very long.”

Mom laughs then joins the table. I sigh. Maybe I can do this just for her. After that they're not that bad. (And Andrew’s kinda cute.)

I join everyone at the table and we play a round of Right Center Left.

I check my phone.

8:41 PM

I yawn. I had a night. I’m kinda glad I gave that family a chance. And when we were eating Mom told me how she knows them. They are kinda nice. Mom said the last time she saw them Ethan was 4 and I was 2. Lolly wasn't even born yet!

I hope tomorrow is not as ‘action packed’ as today was.

I close my eyes and fall fast asleep. (Dreaming of me and Andrew.)