In the center of the room was a small grey couch, which nicely matched the blue sky ceiling. Most people who visited her apartment thought it was just good color coordination, but her friends knew that Alex had picked it because grey was simply the closest color to white that wouldn’t show every speck of dirt. The couch faced a home entertainment center with a t.v., VCR, and a stereo. As she headed for the kitchen, Appleby in her arms, Alex detoured toward the stereo, pushing a button for music. Sarah had obviously been playing with the station, as it was tuned to classical music. Switching it back to her normal oldies rock, Alex circled the couch and entered the kitchen.
The kitchen was the smallest room in the apartment, hardly big enough for two people to stand in, much less work comfortably. It was fine for just her, though. The fridge was old, and the stove took forever to heat up, but there was adequate cabinet space if you didn’t have too many dishes, and a pull out cutting board that she loved using.
Alex dropped Appleby and reached into a tiny cabinet next to the door. She used to keep the cat treats on the shelf under the cutting board, but the monster that paraded as her cat had become adept at opening the door to said shelf, so she’d moved the treats. Now, even if he could open the door to the cabinet, he couldn’t squeeze himself into the small cubby hole. It was in this place that Alex hid anything she didn’t want Appleby to get into; this included the mail Sarah had gathered for her. Alex gave Appleby his treat, then picked up her mail. By the time she’d closed the cabinet and turned around, Appleby was looking for more.
“No, big guy, not until tomorrow. You only get one at a time, you know that.”
The look on his face never wavered. It reminded Alex of the stern way her father had always looked at her when she was in trouble. She sighed. Appleby seemed to be reminding her that she’d been gone a very long time, and he’d been very patient. After a minute, she sighed again and reached back in the cabinet.
After two more treats, Appleby seemed somewhat mollified, and Alex felt safe leaving the kitchen. She snagged an almost empty bottle of wine from the fridge and headed back into her bedroom. Appleby settled near the foot of the bed, and started washing his face with his paws. Alex gave him a fond look and a scratch on the head before climbing onto the bed herself, crackers and wine in hand.
Alex’s bedroom was a study in organized chaos. Across from the door, and directly under the window, a short bookcase was crammed to overflowing. On top of the bookcase, even more books and magazines threatened to block out any light that might try to come in the window. To the left of the bookcase, there was a similarly disorganized and crowded nightstand, which was pushed up against a neatly made bed. To the right of the bookcase, a Macintosh G4 computer covered half the surface of a nearly clean desk. While her dirty clothes from her trip had been tossed into a pile at the foot of the bed, her laptop and papers had been neatly placed, with her briefcase sitting on the floor between the desk and the printer stand.
Placing the bottle on the bedside table, Alex reached to the bottom shelf of her nightstand and hit the button for her phone messages. She propped up her pillows and leaned back, closing her eyes as the long day began to catch up to her.
The first message was from her mother, reminding her that she had promised to go home for Passover in April. Alex’s family was Jewish, and while they knew she no longer practiced the faith, they did expect her to join them for such important celebrations. For a long time, Alex hadn’t minded, but since her father had passed away two years ago, visits home hadn’t been the same.
Even though her father had never understood Alex’s love of women, he had always accepted her as she was. His own childhood, which had been filled with the terror of the Holocaust, had made Aaron Reis understand how important family was. His parents had died at the hands of the Nazi’s, and Aaron’s uncle had taken his seven year old nephew with him when he escaped Prague. From there they had wound a criss-cross path through Europe, finally finding their way to Greece. From Greece they, and a few hundred others, immigrated to the United States. The journey through a war torn Europe had never been discussed between Aaron and his daughter. For him, it was something he never wanted to burden her with. For Alex’s part, she never wanted to make him remember the horrors of that time.
After his daughter had been born, Aaron had made a deal with the Maker of the Universe, and he was quick to remind Alex of it.The agreement was that if the Creator would keep Alex safe, Aaron would work to fight discrimination in all its forms. He had been a member of many activist groups, faithfully paying dues even if it meant going without a few luxury items. His wife, Errita, had never completely understood her husband’s insistence on this point; then again, her family had lived in Greece, and had escaped the worst parts of the Holocaust. They, too, had immigrated to the U.S., coming over on the same ship as Aaron’s family, but their move had been more from choice, than from fear. Errita’s family had settled in Chicago, not far from Aaron and his uncle. Despite the six year difference in their ages, Aaron and Errita had fallen in love, and they had married when Errita was twenty. Ten years and two miscarriages later, Alexia Edrea Reis had been born.
Errita had always thought her husband was spoiling Alex, and when she came out to them as a lesbian at fifteen, she was certain that Aaron was to blame. It had caused a split in the home that Alex regretted to this day. When Alex came home with her first broken heart, her mother had patted her and told her she’d live. It had been Aaron who held her while she cried on his shoulder.She had always been closer to her father, but her love for her mother was still very strong. It had been painful for Alex. While the two women still lived in the same house, they acted more like roommates, than mother and daughter.
Aaron died of a stroke in 1998. Alex had already been living in Washington, but she had been a steady visitor home, always making time to be with her parents. After her father died, however, the battles with her mother became more frequent. They couldn’t find a way to bridge their differences, and finally, the two had just stopped trying. While Alex still loved Chicago, and her mother, it was harder and harder to get through family occasions without fights erupting over her lack of religion, her job, or her sexual orientation.
She sighed. Still, the Passover had always been a special time for her and her father, and he would want her there. She knew he’d be there, even if it was just in spirit. Alex also realized that her mother had cared enough to make the invitation. She cared too, and she’d be in Chicago in April.
The second message on the machine was from Sarah Mahoney.
“Hi, Alex. Listen, I didn’t think you’d get home early enough to have a decent meal, so there’s a plate of lasagna in the fridge for you. No going to bed without food.” Alex smiled. She’d eaten with David on the way home from the airport, but the lasagna would make a good enough breakfast. “I should tell you that spaz cat managed to lose his collar again. He hates that bell, you know.” Damn, she hadn’t even noticed. “And yes, he’s still jumping from the bookcase as people come in the door. Maggie had to feed him for me last week, and he pulled that surprise on her. She said she’ll never go into your place without an umbrella again.” Alex had to smile at that. The phrase ‘it’s raining cats’ drifted through her mind, forcing a chuckle out of her. “Oh, yeah, before I forget. You’re having dinner at our place on Thursday night. No, this is not an invitation; I know better than to give you a chance to say no. So, be there, seven o’clock. And yes, there will be four of us. Sorry, sweetheart, I know you don’t like it when I try to set you up, but as the best friend, not to mention ex-girlfriend, it is my prerogative. Love you, Alexia.”