GRANDMA's HOUSE

After a quick goodbye, Callie made her way to the parking lot. Before she knew it, she was on the road and headed to her grandmother’s house - the default venue for all parties. Her hands were clutching the wheels a little too tightly as she weaved her way through downtown traffic. The neighborhood wasn’t that far from her office, considering that most of her grandmother’s neighbors owned the businesses in the area where Callie worked.

Their homes were lined up perfectly on either side of the street, huge sprawling mansions that couldn’t possibly be occupied even if all their children and grandchildren lived with them. You could barely see the houses because of the towering gates and the long driveway that led up to the actual front door. Most of the properties had security at the front gates or dogs guarding the grounds. Even though Callie had grown up there, she often felt like an intruder when the guard inspected her identification at the gates.

She was always relieved when they waved her in without discovering a bomb or drugs in her trunk - even though she was a hundred percent certain she wasn’t carrying either of those. It just felt like something that would happen to her, given her rotten luck. Besides, a part of her did want to burn the house down.

With its gothic facade and black, empty windows, the house looked like it stepped right out of a Stephen King novel. The only thing that made it slightly bearable was the live music and the open foyer where guests were inside. Callie parked her car next to a long line of sports and luxury cars, rolling her eyes at the ostentatious choices of her other relatives.

She didn’t step out of the vehicle. She was tempted to switch on the engine and drive back the way she came.

However, she knew it would be far worse if she missed the event. For one, her relatives would be talking about her behind her back rather than directing their rude and invasive questions directly at her. Second, her grandmother would give her hell on the next occasion that she did attend.

Shaking her head, Calli grabbed her bag and the gift she’d brought and went to enter the devil’s lair.

She supposed, if there were a hell, it would look somewhat like this.

Beautiful, Bright. Crystals and gold dripped around the room as though they belonged in a royal palace. People mingled about, clustered into small groups that she had learned to categorize over the years. They were all dressed to the nines in cocktail gowns and gold jewelry while Callie was in her usual pantsuit ensemble.

Eyes followed her as she entered, everyone greeting her with cheery smiles and high-pitched hellos. Yes, to an unsuspecting victim, everything would have been mesmerizing and awe-inspiring.

They would have no idea of the sneers that hid beneath the shiny veneers. Or the hurtful comments that were surely on the tip of their tongue, just waiting to be let out.

With a sigh, Callie approached the closest group - the ones she had dubbed as the Pearce Housewives, or more specifically, her mother’s aunties. All were widowed or divorced at this point - both situations that Callie understood with perfect clarity. She approached them all with a smile that didn’t feel right on her face, but thankfully, no one seemed to notice. “Tias,” she greeted each of them with a kiss on the cheek.

She wasn’t even done when one of them spoke up. “Callie! It’s so nice you made time in your busy schedule to join us this evening,” her Tia Elena spoke up, waving the champagne flute in her hand. She had been divorced twice and was currently husband number three.

Callie didn’t know if there was any shade in there - she hoped not, considering Miranda’s son couldn’t even keep any job and relied on money from the family business for his splurging. Still, Callie replied with as much respect as she could. “Of course, Tia. I wouldn’t dream of missing this amazing party.”

“You looked thinner in your photos on F******k, Callista,” Tia Miranda spoke up with a slight frown before Callie could even recover or breathe. “I thought you’d already lost weight.”

“Well, Tia, if I lose any more, I’m going to be a walking bag of bones,” Callie tried to joke, even though the words stung. She knew she was at a healthy weight, but that didn’t matter to her relatives - not when she didn’t fit into the image they had of what healthy should look like.

“Oh, have you tried going on a Keto diet? Isabella has only been on it for a month, and already, she lost twenty pounds!”

Her other aunts released intriguing oooh and ahhs. Wow, ten kilos in a month. That sounds healthy, aunty, Callie wanted to say. Instead, she used this moment to make her quiet escape, leaving her aunts to talk about the proper ways of doing a low-carb lifestyle.

Callie thought perhaps joining her uncles in conversation would be much better. She slowly walked over to their group, staying on the fringes and listening to their current topic. “I told mom that the conference would be great. We were able to meet some people who are interested in becoming a client or partnering with us,” she heard one of her uncles say.

“Oh! Where was the conference, uncle?” Callie piped up, interested in learning more about the event. She loved attending conferences and seminars - for her, it wasn’t just about networking. It was the opportunity to learn and converse with other experts.

“Callie, I didn’t see you there,” her uncle spoke up, arching an eyebrow. His voice dipped slightly, sounding less enthusiastic when Callie walked over to join them. “Are you by yourself?”

“Yes?” Callie answered unsurely, wondering what this question had to do with their current conversation.

“Oh, I thought you were dating that lawyer from one of the big firms,” her other uncle commented.

“Oh, Caleb? He’s just my friend, uncle,” Callie said, almost breaking into laughter. If they only knew that she wasn’t exactly Caleb’s type.

Her uncle pursed his lips, looking thoughtful. Except his next words didn’t sound like he thought about them very well. “Too bad. You know, maybe you work too hard, Callie. Men want to date a woman who can make time for them.”

“Well, if I meet a man worth my time, uncle, I’ll let you know,” Callie replied, not bothering to keep her voice light or respectful. Silence fell all around them.

Thankfully, Callie’s phone beeped, breaking the awkward silence. “Excuse me. I need to take this,” Callie spoke up.

Not bothering to wait for a reply, Callie walked off to check the messages she received. She had no idea that her salvation that evening would come in the form of another party.

Hey Cal! If you want to attend a real party, drop by Lux. I invited a few people to the launch of my new product.

Callie shook her head at her best friend’s text. She glanced over her shoulder, where her family was chatting away. They didn’t seem to notice her on the sidelines, hunched over her phone. With a grin, Callie typed out her reply.

I’m on my way.

She walked off, leaving the perfect life behind. The only sign that she had been there was the neatly wrapped present on top of the table with her handwriting scrawled on it.