Distractions by J. L. Brooks

and
    invested early, keeping a keen eye on the
    decisions the board made.
    My arrival created an upswing of
    revenue; no doubt to Gladstone touting
    that he now employed Doc’s protégé –
    another reason I was forced to play my
    part. The speech was straightforward
    and brief, thankfully not requiring any
    impromptu lines. Alessa magically had a
    fancy shot waiting for me on my dessert
    plate when I was done, much to the
    chagrin of those seated next to us.
    “Love you!” I mouthed before
    swallowing the sweet liquid.
    I felt my clutch vibrate in my lap as
    it had been for most of the evening. I had
    ignored it up until now, but excused
    myself to the ladies room. Heading out
    into the hallway, I checked to see what
    was so urgent. I had five missed calls
    from my sister.
    “That’s weird,” I thought to myself.
    She normally would call and wait
    for me to get back to her, rarely leaving
    a message. I called her back, not
    bothering to hear what she said.
    She picked up instantly. “Vy, you
    need to get to Colorado, now!”
    There was no hi or hello. I could
    tell she was crying. “What’s wrong,
    Vivienne?”
    “Grandma’s gone. She passed a
    few hours ago and I can’t leave until
    tomorrow. Can you get there sooner?” I
    leaned my back against the wall and slid
    down the cold tile to the floor.
    I knew this was coming. She was in
    her late eighties, which was surprising
    for a woman who smoked over a pack of
    cigarettes a day. My sister had been
    made executor of her estate and knew I
    was the only person who would be able
    to help her figure everything out and
    settle our grandmother’s affairs.
    “I am leaving now. Have you
    started taking care of things?”
    Her voice cracked with her
    response. “Yeah, the money has been
    moved, everyone has been called; we
    just need to meet with the bank and the
    lawyers.”
    I breathed out deeply as my chin
    started to tremble. My eyes burned and I
    squeezed them tightly shut, trying to hold
    the tears at bay. “I’ll call you from the
    airport, okay, sis?”
    She seemed to calm a little bit,
    knowing she was not alone. “See you in
    the morning, Violet. Thank you – I love
    you.”
    My heart started to sink as I hung up
    the phone. I sent a text to Alessa, asking
    her to meet me in the bathroom. A short
    while later, she burst in frantically to see
    what could possibly be wrong. Rushing
    over to me still curled on the floor, her
    arms wrapped around me tightly.
    “What’s wrong? What the hell
    happened?”
    I looked up, mascara now running
    down my face. “My grandma died. I
    need to go home now.”
    She used her fingers to wipe my
    cheeks. “Go, I will take care of
    everything here. The car is still outside;
    just tell him to come back for me, okay?”
    I stood up and tried my best to gain
    composure. “You sure you don’t need
    me to come with you, Violet?”
    “No, no, I will be okay. You know
    the code to my place and have a key. I
    will leave the dress and stuff.”
    An annoyed expression crossed her
    face. “V, I am not worried about the
    dress. I am worried about you. Do what
    you need to; let me know how I can
    help.”
    I looked to the side, still holding
    back tears. “Gladstone is going to be so
    pissed. The initial launch is this week.” I
    started
    to
    chew
    my
    thumbnail,
    deliberating how I could possibly take
    care of everything, knowing it was
    impossible.
    Alessa placed one hand on my
    shoulder and used the other to move my
    chin to face her. “You do not need to be
    here. You did your part. Now go to your
    family.” I slumped under her hands; she
    was right. Pulling me into a tight
    embrace, she whispered in my ear, “You
    so could have gotten laid tonight.”
    I couldn’t help but laugh at her way
    of lightening the mood. “Damn, maybe
    next time.”
    She left me for a moment to get the
    car ready, allowing me a few moments
    to straighten up in case I ran into
    someone in the hall. Thankfully, I was
    able to escape unnoticed