Just Traveling Through

The air was so thick I couldn’t have even cut it with a steak knife. The five of us sat at the dinning room table, not touching the plates in front of us. I sat with my hands in my lap, staring directly into Eric’s eyes. He hadn’t explained what he was doing at my house yet, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to push the subject to find out. It was shocking to face my ex-boyfriend so soon into my return. I heard silverware start to clatter and my eyes quickly scanned the table; my father had finally given up on the silence and had started on his dinner.

“So, Amelia,” my mother started slowly, picking up her fork.

“What are you doing here?” Missie snapped impatiently, which caused our mother to sigh heavily.

“I have some news,” I said loudly.

“Where have you been?” Eric interrupted. I knew he was going to do anything to stop me from getting the news out to my family.

“Australia,” I answered kindly.

“Oh, honey. I’m so proud of you,” my mother gushed. “You’ve always said you’d be living there.”

“So you’ve been there this whole time?” my father asked, an interest sparked. He rarely found interest in anything that wasn’t fishing, work, or sports.

I sighed. I would hold off on letting them know about getting married. For now I would settle with telling them as little about what my life consists of in Australia as I could get away with. “I work at a flower shop in the local market. I have so many friends there. I brought you gifts. I have a friend who makes boomerangs and he wanted me to bring them to you, even though I told him you guys probably wouldn’t like it.”

“Nonsense,” my father scoffed. “Anything from my baby girl is welcome.”

“I only have three. I didn’t think Eric would be here,” I said.

“Your father and I will share one,” my mother chimed. “That way Eric can have one.”

I looked over at him. He was awkwardly sitting next to my mother on the other side of the table. It still baffled me that he was even there in the first place. Why had my parents kept him for dinner? They were the traditional types, the ones who absolutely hated having anyone outside of family sitting at the dinner table, messing up the seating arrangements.

Our eyes locked. He looked so different from the day I left. He had grown out of his chubby baby face and was now quite good looking for his age. I loved what he had done with his hair.

“Amelia, why don’t you go with Eric tonight? He was saying he was going to go see John and his band somewhere in town,” my mother suggested lightly, cutting her piece of chicken into pieces before eating a bite. She had never grown out of her childhood habit of eating one food at a time; she had already finished her peas and mashed potatoes.

“No,” Missie nearly growled. “He’s taking me.”

“Missie, your sister just flew in from Australia,” my mother reasoned. “I’m sure she’s going to be returning there soon, she has a life to resume.”

“Yeah, and I’m sure she won’t tell us before she leaves, either. Just like the last time,” she snapped.

I lowered my gaze away from Eric and down to my hands, twisted neatly together in my lap. It sure hadn’t taken long for things to go back to normal. Missie was 23 and it was a mystery to me why she had supposedly taken a liking to my friends after I left.

I shook my head, “I’m all turned around with jetlag, anyway. Missie can go.”

“Amelia,” Eric said softly, speaking for the first time since I broke the news to him hours ago. “The guys will want to see you. They see Missie all the time, she lives here.”

Missie looked horrified but ultimately defeated. She didn’t say anything as I sighed and shrugged a shoulder, giving in. I saw my mother smile and I knew I was doing the right thing by taking Missie’s spot in tonight’s events.

The rest of dinner went without another word. I barely touched my food, too jetlagged to have any kind of appetite just yet. After everything was cleaned up from dinner, Eric suggested I just wear jeans and a shirt tonight, saying that we’d be either standing at the back by the bar or at the side of the stage if we were lucky enough. I had no choice but to follow his suggestion, so I threw on a pair of jeans, an old band shirt I hadn’t taken with me when I left, and a pair of tennis shoes.

Eric drove us into Phoenix. The car ride was silent, but fortunately this silence was comfortable. The music was soft and something I’d never heard before, but he was known for that kind of thing.

“Who’s this?” I asked casually.

“Uhh.. It’s a song called ‘Evening Kitchen’ by Band of Horses,” he answered.

I nodded slightly. It was nice being home. It was even nice being in a car with my ex. He was one of the things in the con list I had created that had the potential to keep me from leaving. He was number one, actually.

Pro: finally being in Australia after a lifetime of saying I’d be there.

Con: leaving Eric behind.

Following close behind Eric came the rest of the people I called second family. Eric’s phone rang as he made a right turn onto a street I didn’t fully recognize. He held the phone with his shoulder as he drove.

“You’ll never guess who I brought,” he said into the phone.

I hadn’t put much thought into how anyone would feel once I was gone. I had hoped they wouldn’t hurt too much, but in a way I knew it would run deep. I hadn’t told anyone where I was going, when I was going, or why. I hadn’t returned any calls once I set foot in beautiful Australia. I sent an e-mail to my parents explaining that I had to get away and that I was fine. I asked them to pass the word on to anyone that asked, and closed it by saying I’d like time to myself. Of course, that didn’t stop my mother from sending e-mails once a week with updates. I rarely read them, and I never replied.

“Okay,” Eric said suddenly, cutting the engine. We both got out of the car and stood outside for a moment. Normally, we would have rushed to get inside out of the heat. But the air was a stiff, December chill. “The show doesn’t start for another hour, but I figured you’d need some time to catch up with everyone.”

I then realized where we were. “Holy shit, my mom meant Johno? The Maine actually blew up?”

Eric just laughed, placing a very warm arm around my shoulders to guide me inside. It was actually a comforting feeling having his arm around me, his body so close to mine. In a way, it felt like he was saying he was okay that I left him stranded.

He led me through some back halls, passing by doors marked private, employees only, keep out. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the piece of paper with the type “Dressing room – The Maine” taped to the door at the end of the hall. I felt a smile creeping onto my lips as Eric opened the door.

“Guys,” he announced. “Amelia’s back.”

Everyone fell silent. A pin could have dropped and it would have sounded like a tornado ripping through the room. That wasn’t exactly the reaction I had hoped for. But what could I truly expect after dropping my best friends as if they meant nothing to me at all?

“For a few days,” I said lightly.