Open your eyes, look up to the skies and see

 

Jory finally did it. He got up the nerve and came clean.

About what had been bothering him about his sister Lynsey. Casey needed to know. 

"But why?" Rachel wailed back when he came home to tell her what he'd said to Casey in his backyard while the leaves were falling on a cold windy day. Lynsey wasn't home at the time. Maybe that's why he did it. "You are so...so selfish, you stupid fool!"

This was not what he was expecting from Rachel nor Casey. After all, Casey didn't really say anything, but just looked at Jory as if he didn't understand English. 

"Well, he didn't say-"

"Who would say anything, after listening to somebody's brother say awful things about .." Rachel sighed as if she could have said it better but it was too late. "What if they break up?"

"I hope they do. They should." Jory was being stoic, although he felt he was doing Lynsey a favor, or was it, Casey? "Anyway, she had an abortion."

"You don't know for sure," Rachel winced. "And even if she did, she had her reasons." Rachel said if she'd only known who Lynsey was at the time, she would have never said anything. Honestly, she didn't even know Jory was listening when she'd spoken of it. 

Of course, she ended up burning the meatloaf in the oven and left him all on his own. He wanted to understand why she was mad, but he couldn't. It was just something he had to do. He had to. 

But there was no phone call from Lynsey. Nothing. He started to call her, but he couldn't think what to say. Maybe it was like talking to a tree when he spoke to Casey. And trees didn't really listen, did they?

Rachel found Alfie and Poppy's place soon enough. They only lived one floor above. Of course, they both looked at her as if they weren't used to a salesperson coming by this late in the evening. Alfie looked at her as if he'd forgotten who she was.

"I need to talk to you about Lynsey?" She told him he needed to know.

"Lynsey?" She knew by the look on his face he knew Lynsey. He hadn't forgotten her. "What happened?"

They settled down in their cozy livingroom. It smelled of pumpkin spice as if Thanksgiving was on its way.

"You don't remember me, do you?"

 He shrugged, but Poppy remembered Rachel from the University.

"You dated her," she said to Alfie who gave her a surprised look. Rachel wanted to laugh. It felt slightly funny to see him so settle with someone now. She sort of hated this about him, too. So relaxed and kind of clumsy. They were both in their Home Alone gear of gray sweatpants and fades graphic tees.

Rachel then filled in the blanks. Jory and Lynsey were siblings. And Jory found out his long-lost sister had an abortion.

"Huh?" Alfie winced as if he wasn't sure where this story was going.

Rachel sighed. "Jory went to Lynsey's um..I dunno what he is exactly..well, the father of her baby and told him that ..I'm pretty sure he didn't leave you out of it, because..well, we had kind of a blowout over you before..before we got married."

"You're the Rachel who married Jory?" Alfie pointed and then noticed that evidently, he knew why now. He stared at Rachel's baby bump.

"Don't you know, Lynsey was pregnant with your baby?" Rachel knew it sounded like a storyline from an ill-fated TV show. "It's just something Jory can't let go."

Alfie bit his bottom lip. He was mute. 

"I'm sorry," Rachel felt bad. "It's all my fault. But, but I'm worried about Lynsey now." She shook her head. "I can't believe Jory would want to ruin her life." She squinted tears as she hugged herself.