And yet, she had honored her promise to go with him to the party the next night. Allen had been drinking at the party a little more than usual. Uncomfortable about riding in the car with him, she had offered to drive. He had enough alcohol in his veins to believe he could drive, and too much pride to leave the party in the passenger seat. There was no reasoning with him, so she accepted a ride with her best friend, Connie. Howard had insisted on picking up his little sister that night for safety reasons. It was uncanny the way he could anticipate trouble.
The minute Howard had arrived; Allen was in his face, accusing him of stealing his girl. It was as ridiculous as it was embarrassing. Howard was a good ten years older and had far more important things on his mind - like his new position as partner at the law firm. Arguing with Allen was futile, so she simply hopped in the back seat and locked the door. Howard had to pull out slowly and gradually increase his speed before Allen let go of the car. It would have been humiliating if anyone had noticed, but no one seemed to pay much attention - probably because so many others were also drinking. Maybe friends didn't let friends drive drunk, but how did they stop them when there were so many?
In the week before his arrest, her attention had shifted to her siblings, Nick and Angela. They spent hours together after school at the mall and the park. For a full week she enjoyed the benefits of being big sister. They would all get together and wash her old car, winding up in a gleeful water fight. That car didn't look like much even when it was clean, but it was reliable.
Then came the arrest, and with it the fear of being questioned by the police. No one in her family ever questioned her innocence. They knew about the break up and maybe they thought she knew about the drugs. Maybe they thought she never knew. Whatever the case, their unquestioning loyalty was comforting.
She sighed and wandered absently into the kitchen. Outside, the rain drummed wildly on the roof. Each boom of thunder was loud enough to rattle the window panes. Even the ambulance siren was hard to hear.
An iced cake sat on the counter, decorating icing and tips beside it. Jarred from her thoughts, she began filling a tube with blue icing. Apparently time had caught up with Mom before she could finish. It was like Mom not to ask for help. Lisa began with a rope border on the top. Lately she had been so wrapped up in her own problems that she had been a burden on her family. Mom always said lost time couldn't be replaced. You simply had to make better use of what was left. Starting tonight, she would.