Tripping and falling... in love

12 Dawn of a new Day

Vani woke up Saturday morning to her phone ringing. She had not gotten back to her room until a little after four am and she had taken a while to fall asleep. RC had indeed had a few steamier ideas than a PG family style movie night. They had made out a lot and Vani had set her hard limit boundaries and he had been respectful even if he toed the line a number of times. 

"Evangeline, Honey, is there any way you could make a last minute trip home this weekend? I know it is quite far but Nany had a fall and she is in hospital and your mom and GG are there now. I have to head out to be there soon and we have the White Lily Tea this afternoon. I could stay and host but I fear that the family needs a level head among them before they drive the whole hospital crazy, you know how they get!" G-ma filled her in with out so much as a proper greeting, and Vani wondered if it was where she had learned the practice. 

"What time is it? Is Nany ok? Is she hurt?" Vani asked from her position under her pillow. 

"It is now a little after seven, Tea is at three, Nany will be fine but they are going to give her a proper assessment to make sure. She has a bit of a bruise on her head and a sore wrist but I don't know any more as of yet. Will you come?" G-ma sound desperate and Vani understood why. 

"Yes, of course. I will leave here as soon as I can and be there before noon if possible. The tea will be perfect as always. I promise to be the best hostess possible." She said dragging her head up off the bed, feeling like a sack of garbage left on the curb too long. 

"You my dear are the sunshine in our darkest of days." She could hear the relief in her G-ma's voice. "If Maureen or the girls were here I would have asked them, but they are all out in BC again with the newest baby. Dalia is a precious little thing for sure though." She rambled much like Vani was prone to doing. 

"G-ma, it isn't an issue I promise you." Vani stretched and felt like she had slept on a cold brick wall rather than in her bed. "Ok I have to go shower so I can get on the road. I will text you when I get in."

"I love you dear!" G-ma said with relief in her voice. 

"I love you too."  She said before hanging up and groaning loudly. 

Vani had not planned to drive for four hours and then host a sacred social event on almost no sleep that day, but alas she was going to do just that. She decided against the shower and voted in favour of coffee. She had slept in the soft leggings and tank top She had concluded her date in so she just added a hoodie and her winter gear. Vani wrote a quick note and left it on Briar's mirror where she was sure to see it when she woke up in five or eight hours. Vani stuck her tongue out at her peacefully sleeping friend before blowing her a kiss and leaving the room. 

The drive was uneventful if anything, but it was long and Vani was tired. Her phone was dinging with messages but she had turned on drive mode so she would have to wait until she wasn't in the car to answer them. She pulled into a drive through service station and ordered two coffees and some breakfast. She needed some caffeine to get through the day.

She parked her car in her parents car park and walked briskly across the driveway to the school house and let herself in. She knew that with in thirty minutes the house would be a flury of activity. Being a member of a disgraced family but still one highly regarded in social circles was a tight path to navigate. She knew how important these people thought these events were. She had never felt the draw to them herself and she used to giggle with her mom about the over the top outfits worn to the events. 

That afternoon, however she was going to have to host the event and do it solo. She raced up the stairs to her G-ma and G-pa's room when she knew she would find what she needed. She showered quickly and styled her hair in a french twist with curls cascading down one side. She borrowed her grandmother's make-up and painted her face as best she could before finding the dress she knew her grandmother would have for her. She found it. It was in the closet where she looked first because she knew all to well how these things worked, including how to prepare for the unexpected. The dress was a fitted cranberry coloured dress with intricate lace sleeves and a flared skirt. She slipped on a pair of her grandmother's black pumps and went down to answer the door bell that was now ringing.