KRISTIE LOOKED at the sky as she pulled up in front of the casino. The air was chilly and the clouds were dark and threatening snow, which was the last thing Kristie felt like dealing with. She had been in her car for over ten hours, driving home from college for the holidays. Her back was sore and her legs needed to be stretched out. She wanted a hot bath in a Jacuzzi tub. She’d settle for a hot tub. But who was she kidding? There was no hot tub to be found at her parents’ house and trying to have a hot bath without being interrupted was almost impossible.
Kristie had approached the holidays with an ever-growing sense of dread. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see her mother, but every time she came home, it was like being suffocated. Her hometown had held more appeal for her when she was younger, back when her father was alive. Since he’d died and her mother had gotten remarried last year, Kristie had delayed going home at all. She had only met her step-father in passing and hadn’t met his nephew, who he tried to raise on his own.
Kristie had saved up to stay at a hotel the entire break. It had made the most sense to her. It would cause the least amount of stress during her stay and give her space when she needed it. But when she had mentioned this to her mother, there was no way to mistake the sadness in her mother’s voice for anything else. Knowing she was upsetting her mother by refusing to stay at home with her new family, Kristie had cancelled the reservation and agreed to stay at her mother’s house instead.
She looked up at the casino where her mother had worked the last five years. Her mother worked in the back offices, far away from the lights from the slot machines and the sounds of people winning money. The casino was a little run down but brought in a steady stream of people who could afford the middle-level slots and risks it provided in a town that was mostly quiet.
The stale smell of cigarettes and alcohol hit Kristie in the face as she stepped inside. She looked around, seeing if anything had changed since the last time she had been here. Nothing jumped out of her. A few of the slots seemed to have been upgraded, but the carpet was still worn down and dirty and the place had an air of despair that made Kristie’s skin crawl. She had never been to Las Vegas, but she imagined that the casinos there weren’t as depressing.
Kristie made her way to the back and asked for her mother through the grate where an attendant was standing, looking at her cellphone. The woman went off to find her mother, and Kristie was soon ushered into the back offices. The casino décor quickly ended back here. Her mother’s small office was near the back, shoved in a corner. The door was ajar, and Kristie peeked her head in.
Her mother was looking at the computer, squinting through her glasses to whatever was on the screen. When Kristie knocked on the door gently, her mother looked up and smiled. Kristie was startled to see she was going gray. The last time she had seen her mother, she had been a brunette. It was odd to see age creeping up on her. She came over to her and hugged her tightly.
“It’s so nice to see you again.”
“You, too, Mom.”
Her mom urged her to sit down as she sat across from her at her desk. It made Kristie feel odd, as if she was interviewing to be her mother’s daughter. Her mom didn’t seem to notice, however, and smiled again. They made small talk for a while, mostly talking about Kristie’s experiences at college. Kristie felt tired. She knew her mom meant well, but she really wanted to go home and nap. She was only here to get the address to her mom’s new place.
“How are things with Lionel?” Kristie finally asked, feeling as if she didn’t bring up her mom’s new husband, she would never get out of the tiny office.
Her mom seemed to relax now that Kristie had brought him up, “He’s great. Really, we’re just wonderful. There are some issues, though…”
“Like what?”
“Well, it’s actually one of the reasons that we wanted you to stay with us instead of a hotel. See, Lionel’s nephew, Gray, is a bit of a handful. Lionel still feels responsible for him since he became his legal guardian when Gray was just a little boy.”
Kristie wasn’t following, “Okay…”
“He tends to run on the wrong side of the law, and we thought it’d be so great if you two could meet and maybe hang out.”
The words hung in the air. Kristie felt a twinge of annoyance. She had thought her mother wanted her at the house because she had missed her, not because she wanted her to play nice with her new step-father’s nephew. They weren’t in grade school anymore. Trying to change someone set in their ways by sticking them with a goody-goody was a useless attempt.
Kristie took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds, letting the air out slowly. Her mother watched, a worried expression on her face.
“What do you want me to do with him?” Kristie finally asked.
Her mom, taking the fact that Kristie hadn’t said no as a good sign, started to ramble. “Well, maybe just hang out with him. Show him what you do for fun. Maybe you two can go to the movies or something.”
Kristie raised an eyebrow, “Go to the movies? What does this guy do for fun anyway that has you two so stressed out?”
Her mom avoided her stare and sighed, looking tired. “He runs with a bad crowd and doesn’t like to listen. He’s a good kid though. He’s just lost.”
“And you think I can fix him?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to try, would it, Kristie? For me?”
Kristie sighed and nodded in agreement. How could she say no to her mother? She would always wish that her mother hadn’t gotten remarried, but she didn’t want her mom to be unhappy either. Her mom got up and walked over to her, hugging her tightly. Her mother’s hugs had always reminded Kristie of being a little kid, outside playing till the sun set and running back inside for dinner. Back when her father was alive. Kristie shut her eyes tightly, willing the memories to leave her. She didn’t want to think about her father right now.
Her mom finally pulled away and looked at her, smiling, “We’ll have to really talk, you know, all about college and everything.”
“Yeah, of course.”
Her mom’s eyes swept down her quickly, so fast that if Kristie wasn’t used to it, she never would have picked up on it. She steeled herself.
“Maybe you and Gray can go to the gym. It’d get him out of the house and you could lose a few pounds at the same time,” her mom said cheerfully.
Kristie mumbled in agreement and gave her mother one last hug before leaving the office. She should have known that there wasn’t going to be any way in hell that her mother would have let an entire conversation go without making some sort of remark to her about her weight.
As she trudged through the casino, her mood lowered with every step. She regretted coming here for the holidays. Before her, they spread out in a bleak landscape. Dealing with her mother’s ‘helpful advice’ in regards to her weight, and trying to show her loser relative by marriage around town. At the very least, she should have kept the hotel reservation.
Kristie dragged out the drive toward Lionel’s house. Her mother had given her the address and it was close to the casino. A ten-minute drive didn’t seem like enough time to prepare for whatever she was going to walk into. As she turned down the street where her mom’s new house was, she found herself taking a deep breath. The first time, she just drove past the house. It was non-descript and had nothing of worth showing that made Kristie even notice it. Her mom had stopped gardening after her father died, and the front yard of this house was plain and dull.
Kristie pulled into the driveway. The garage door was open and a man was underneath a truck, working on it. She could only see his feet. Kristie got out of her car, grabbing her bags, and looked inside the garage. The man didn’t look up when she shut the door of her car.
“Hello?” Kristie called out toward the man under the truck.
He didn’t answer. Heavy metal was blasting out of a stereo nearby, but it was such an old stereo that the music sounded tinny. Kristie called out again, but the man still didn’t answer. She knew that he heard her because he stopped working at one point and went still before resuming. She hoped this wasn’t Lionel, because the guy was an asshole. Probably his fantastic nephew. Kristie trudged toward the front door, leaving the other guy behind. What a fantastic trip this was going to be.