Breaking The Ice

Flooded

Babs and Teej were so alike in some ways. They were both difficult in the sense that they just couldn't see how amazing they were, always being so much harder on themselves than necessary, but at the same time they were both strong and independent, pushing through things that most people would never have had the strength to. They were both smart, and beautiful, and cared about other people. But above all, they both knew how to talk to me, to get through to me when I needed it.

"It's kind of nice, having her around." Dad said, thinking out loud. "Not that anyone could ever replace your sister, but it's nice to have someone else around that you bicker with. It's nice to see the way Lulu looks up to her, the way your mother has someone to talk to about those little things she used to with Abby."

I hadn't really thought much about what kind of impact having Teej around could have on my family. I knew my little sister had taken a shine to her, but I had just been so happy to see the two of them together and getting along that it never occurred to me that Teej might be filling some void for her. Babs had been extremely close to my mother and my sister, the three of them always doing things together and sharing a special bond. I knew it had been hard on them to lose her, as it had on all of us, but I guess I'd been so caught up in my own shit that I never really thought about the things everyone else would have missed the most.

Those little things, like doing a face mask with Lulu or asking my Mum her opinion on what to do with her hair, seemed to be the tiny gestures that made everyone feel like there was another girl in the house, that maybe the space wasn't quite as empty as it had felt before Teej came along. I turned my head to look in through the kitchen window above us, seeing my Mum laughing and smiling with Teej and Lulu, the three of them making Christmas dinner with nothing but joy on their faces. It warmed my heart to see it, obviously glad that the girl I loved was accepted and adored by my family, but also that we all seemed to be healing, and that Teej seemed to be a part of it.

"I haven't seen your mother smile like that in a while." Dad sighed as he came to stand beside me, looking up at them the same way I was. "I think spending Christmas here was the best thing we could have done."

He threw his arm around me and pulled me into him, kissing my head and ruffling my hair before he tapped his beer against mine, smiling over at me. I looked at him, almost studying his face, realizing how long it had been since I actually looked at him. My whole life, my dad had been one of my best friends, and I'd been too busy pushing him away to realize how much I missed him.

"I love you, Dad." I said, tapping my beer against his. "Thanks for coming."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be, my boy." He said as he clapped me on the shoulder. "Now get to chopping or we won't be having any fire later."

I rolled my eyes at him, chuckling to myself as he sat back down in his chair, amused by his sudden need to make me his personal labor slave. Uncle Mike came out and joined us a few minutes later, the three of us sitting and laughing while I chopped up all the wood and they moved it over into the pile so we could use it later.

After it was all finished, we headed inside so I could shower and get ready for lunch, finding the girls exactly where I'd left them, giggling over some joke Lulu had told about a sheep and a duck.

"How are my girls?" I smiled as I walked into the kitchen, sweaty and dirty as I pulled off my jacket and kissed my mother on the cheek.

"We're just fine." Mum chuckled as she stirred something in a bowl and I threw my jacket over the back of the chair.

"We're making the whipped cream!" Lulu said excitedly.

"I suppose that would be the portion of this meal you would be the most excited about." I laughed as I made my way over to Teej. "And you?"