On an Edge of Glass

Hamilton—”
                  “Lisa,” she corrects me.
                  “Lisa,” I say.  “This is ridiculous.  Honestly, I don’t mind using the couch downstairs instead.  Ben should sleep in his own room.”  I take a breath.  “He didn’t even have to bring me along, and now his visit home is going to be ruined.”
                  Keeping her eyes on me, Lisa crosses to the door.  “Sweetie, if you think that sleeping on a pull-out for a few nights so that a pretty girl can be more comfortable is going to ruin Ben’s weekend, then you don’t know my son as well as I thought you did.”
                  I flush.  “Are you sure?”
                  “Yes, I’m sure.”  She allows me a few seconds to digest that then continues in a very business-like tone. “The bathroom is just down the hall.  It’s the first door past the stairs.  Towels are in the linen closet.  Now, try to keep in mind that it takes a few minutes for the water to heat up this time of year.  You know how old houses are.  Convenience takes a backseat to character and charm.”
                  I nod.
                  “Good, then we’ll get acquainted more in the morning.”  She dips her hands into the deep pockets of her robe and lifts her shoulders. “Get some rest.  There’s another blanket in that trunk over there if you get chilly.”
                  “Okay.”  It’s late, or early depending on how you look at things, and the day and the drive are finally catching up to me.  I yawn and place both hands flat on the bed.  “Goodnight Lisa.  And thank you.”
                  Just as the door is about to close, she pops her head back in and smiles at me.  “Ellie, I’m glad that Ben brought you home so that I finally get the chance to meet you.”
                  Awhile later, lying in bed and looking at the night sky through the window, I let thoughts of Ben swirl around in my head.  In this room, he’s everywhere.  In the music pasted on the walls and tacked to the bulletin board, and in the book choices left next to his bed.  The smell of him lingers on the handful of shirts hanging in the closet, and in the sheets of this bed.  I roll over, relishing the tiny thrill of the fabric sliding against my bare legs.
                  I lay my palm against the skin of my stomach.  Disappointment over my rejection from Columbia, and confusion over Ben are gradually burning away to something else.  Something new that tastes a little like hope.  I let the feeling tease me to sleep.
     
     
    If it weren’t for bacon, I’ d still be dreaming.  Even buried under the quilt and the extra blanket, with my head stuffed into the pillow, I can smell it.
                  My stomach rumbles, protesting that I only fed it a meager dinner of gas station snacks topped off with some red and purple Skittles last night.   
                  Groggy, keeping my eyes half-shut, I grope around my open suitcase for a sweatshirt and a pair of socks.  I stumble into the hall and listen to the murmured conversation that drifts up the stairwell.  The volume of voices increases as I trip down the stairs, using my nose to follow the heavenly scent of bacon.
                  In a kitchen lit by morning sun, Lisa is standing at the stove.  I can tell by the way that she moves with surety, that this is her domain.  She adjusts the control knob on the stovetop and turns in my direction.  Her hair is up in a messy ponytail.  Loose brown strands fall haphazardly in front of her eyes.  The robe is gone—traded in for a simple blouse and a pair of worn jeans held up by a brown corded leather belt. 
    Ben is standing at the counter next to her, pouring a cup of coffee into an oversized mug. He smiles when he sees me walk into the room.  That small gesture warms me all the way from my head to my socked feet.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect this morning.  I half-wondered if Ben would regret his decision to bring me home. 
    On the far side of a blue-tiled kitchen island, is a set of large bay of windows that overlooks the backyard.  In front of the windows, there is an oblong table topped with a basket of fake flowers in an array of autumnal colors—red, wine, and deep purple.  All four of Ben’s younger brothers are around the table, eating and