The flight was far too early. She had packed the day before, her afternoon filled with rushing around town making appointments to meet with various lessors for the upcoming week. Her mom was more than thrilled to hear she was coming into town and had promised to send a limo to pick her up from the airport. She grabbed her bags from her room and walked into the kitchen, stopping to fill up her mug before hugging Kari and Sicily.
"Did you text Marc?" Kari asked, moving to hold the front door open.
"No. I'm not sure I can see him, Kari. I'm just starting to feel like maybe this Michael guy might be good for me. Maybe he can help me push past this."
"Maybe you're not supposed to push past it." Kari reached out and pulled Lisa into another tight hug.
"I'm with Kari. I think you owe Marc a visit." Sicily moved beside Kari, reaching over and tugging at a long strand of Lisa's hair.
"I'll think about it on the flight."
"Need one of us to take you to the airport?" Kari motioned toward the cars.
"No, I'll take mine and just leave it there." Lisa picked up her bags again and moved out into the cool summer morning, the sun rising high in the sky.
"Be safe and let us know when you get there." Sicily moved out on the porch, Kari beside her.
"I will. Hold the fort down and no spilling pasta sauce in the kitchen. I'll not be here to blame it on when Jake comes unglued." She winked and moved to the car, throwing her bags in the back. Her friends laughed, the sound warming her. Her boy troubles would work themselves out eventually. It was just nice to know that when they did, Kari and Sicily would support her no matter the outcome.
She got into the car and pulled out, her phone buzzing on the seat beside her. She picked up the phone and checked it, a short text from Marc popping up.
Marc: When do you arrive?
Lisa: Today.
Marc: Can I see you?
Lisa: Of course. I have lunch with my folks. Dinner?
Marc: Perfect. Have a safe flight. Can't wait til you’re here.
She dropped the phone in the seat beside her and let out a long breath. The truth was that she couldn't wait to see him either, but a friendship with him would never work. It was his name she moaned every time she masturbated. His face she imagined on every date she went on. His hands and deep thrusts yesterday as Michael gave her release.
"Fuck..." she grumbled and turned the radio up.
The flight was fast and before she could finish her gin and tonic they were landing at JFK airport. Lisa moved off the plane with the rest of the anxious crowd, most of her companions wearing business attire. With such a short flight it was no wonder that people would work where the money was and live where there was more space and some semblance of serenity to be offered.
The thought of seeing her mother sent shivers down her spine. The woman was a perfectionist and nothing Lisa ever did measured up. Her dad was a coward and let the monster of a woman run all over him. There hadn't been a day in Lisa's younger life that she wasn't left feeling inadequate. The path to destruction had been laid young, Lisa giving up on trying just before entering high school. Acceptance would be found in the arms of the next boy. Simple, really.
She pulled her arms around herself as she walked from the airport, the air comfortable, but approaching warm. A line of limos sat to her left, Fredrick, her mother's butler, waving at her. She waved back and walked toward him, the older man moving to give her a quick hug.
"Miss Lisa. How are you, kiddo?"
"I'm great, Fred. Thanks for coming to get me."
"Of course." He moved back and opened the door as Lisa got in, the familiar smell of leather and peppermint rushing up to greet her. She buckled up and sat back, the ride nothing more than thirty minutes or so. Fred got into the front seat and started the car. He adjusted the rear view mirror so that they could see one another.
"What's new in your wild and exciting world?"
She laughed and set her purse to the side. "Nothing really. Maine is quaint and quiet. The real estate market is booming out there, but for a piece of paradise, most people are willing to spend a fortune."
"I would be somewhere with less people and more space if I could too." He smiled and turned to curse at a cab that cut them off.
Lisa chuckled and pulled her phone out. "Good to be home."
The house was filled with people by the time she got there, her mother well known from her thriving law firm and years of being one of the top defense attorney's in the state of New York. Lisa moved through the crowd, most of them twice her age. They smiled and nodded kindly, most likely wondering what a young woman like herself was doing in the midst of old money.
"Mother?" Lisa moved up to her parents and stopped.
"Oh, Lisa. Good to see that you made it. It would have been nice if you would have taken the earlier flight." Her mother's sad excuse for a smile faded quickly. She reached out and patted Lisa's arm as if she were a silly child.
"Hi baby." Her dad moved up and hugged her. Lisa returned the gesture as she began to make her get-away plans. She could handle a few hours at best and then she would have to find a reason to leave or consider jumping from the roof.
"Hi Dad. I'm going to the kitchen to grab something to eat. Good to see you both." She turned and walked back through the crowd, pulling out her phone and texting Marc with her address and a plea to come and get her.
Slipping into the kitchen she spotted her first boyfriend. His mother was a maid in their house and Johnny was always more than a handful. They had spent the summer before their freshman year playing 'do you trust me'. She touched his back and smiled as he turned, surprise spreading across his face. He wasn't as regal as Michael or nearly as sexy as Marc, but he was familiar and kind.
"Lisa!" He pulled her into a tight hug, his lips touching the side of her neck. "I didn't know you were coming home."
"Just for the weekend." She pushed at his chest softly, his embrace a little too intimate. "Mom's birthday and all."
Johnny moved back and chuckled. "Yes well, she's been in rare form. You're lucky you got here when others were around. She seems to behave a little better when the world is watching, but only slightly."
"Where's your mother?"
"Oh, she fell ill about a month ago. The doctor has her on bed rest to gain her strength back. I'm taking her place so that your mother doesn't hire someone else." He shrugged, the emotion on him heavy.
Lisa reached out and touched his arm, the navy jacket he wore rough to the touch. "She said she would replace Maria?"
"Not those exact words, but something close to it. It's all good though. I took a leave of absence from my construction job and this is a vacation compared to that." He laughed.
Lisa's lips lifted in a smile, old memories assaulting her. The sweet man in front of her had been her first kiss, the first guy she let grope her. He smiled shyly, his thoughts obviously slipping to where hers were.
"Well, good to see you. I'm in search of food that hasn't been fingered by a thousand people." She winked and moved past him, saying her hellos and picking up a plate and various bits of food.