The Christmas Pic

34. Jo

CHAPTER 34

JO

My stomach turns at the sight of... whatever this is supposed to be. It definitely isn’t Chrissy. Sure, the side of this sleek monstrosity of a vehicle is emblazoned with ‘THE PHOTO TRUCK’ in giant rainbow letters, but that’s where the resemblance ends.

Ava’s face beams with excitement, anticipating my delight. “It’s your new truck!” she announces, sweeping her hand toward the gleaming hulk. “We rallied to get this ready for you. Isn’t it amazing?”

The word ‘amazing’ echoes mockingly in my ears. “How?” is all I can muster.

Aspen and the crew exchange uneasy glances.

Ava continues, oblivious to my shock.

“Remember the mock-ups I showed you that first night over dinner? I had my team start prototyping a new truck during Chrissy's last repairs, just in case. After last night’s breakdown, I pulled every favor to finish it. You won’t miss a single day of work!”

“Oh. Great.” I can’t mask the hollowness in my voice.

Ava frowns, her smile faltering. “Is something wrong? ”

I stare out at the cameramen, their lenses focused on the two of us. “I guess this is what you do.”

Ava is taken aback. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Bitterness rises in my chest. “You’ll wrap anything in a bow once it’s served its purpose. This is a happy enough ending for the camera crew, so it’ll be enough for Ava Garcia-Greene, too.”

Aspen signals to his crew to cut the cameras. My mom is inspecting the new truck, oblivious, while Lena and Matt huddle on the porch, pretending not to eavesdrop.

“I thought you would be happy. I thought this would make your life easier,” Ava says, her eyes searching mine.

“You replaced something irreplaceable, and it didn’t even cross your mind," I say, struggling to keep my emotions in check. "Chrissy wasn’t just a truck; she was my connection to my dad. You can't swap that out and call it an upgrade."

“Chrissy was kaput. Mikey said so. She wasn’t safe to drive, how would that be a nice legacy for your dad?” she shoots back, her voice rising.

“You’ve done a good job of acting like you understood what this business–what I– was about. But it’s just that: an act.” I snap.

Ava’s face hardens. “An act? I did all of this for you.”

“That’s rich,” I retort. “You’re doing this for your image, for your mission, for Aspen and the cameras, not for me. And once it’s all over, you’ll leave.”

“I thought you knew me better than that,” she says.

I shake my head, a cold hollow opening up inside me. “You can’t know someone in a couple weeks. You’d understand if you could keep anyone around.”

Ava’s eyes flash with hurt, then venom. “And you would be able to appreciate what I’m doing for you if you weren’t stuck in the past.”

Before I can respond, Matt's voice suddenly cuts through our standoff. "Hospital. Now. "

Jolted out of the tunnel vision of my anger, I notice that my mom and Matt are flanking Lena as she grimaces through a contraction.

Ava slips into action mode. "Max will drive. Let's go, everyone in the truck."

We pile into the back, my mom dismissing the confused Aspen and crew with a wave. Ava takes the front passenger seat beside Max, not once glancing back at me as she helps them navigate the quickest route to the hospital.

I re-tunnel my focus, this time on helping my laboring sister take deep breaths, and in doing so, I can almost ignore the fact that I have willingly set foot in the abomination that is Chrissy’s replacement.

That is, until Carol unhelpfully offers, “As a mother, I’m happy there are finally seatbelts back here.”

Then Matt chimes in, “And the heated seats, chef’s kiss!”

“I’m actually getting a little hot,” Lena huffs.

Ava fiddles with buttons on the dash. “We can turn off your seat warmer and adjust the individual AC unit for the back.”

A portable-size fan turns on beside Lena and she begins to breathe a bit slower.

“Ava, you’re a lifesaver,” she shouts to the front.

Even with the fan on I’m heating up again. How can they all be so happy? All these bells and whistles are nothing compared to the memories Chrissy held within her rusted walls. As usual, I’m left to bear the brunt of the grief while everybody around me moves on.

Lena’s hand squeezes mine and it brings me back to the present moment. I squeeze back.

Concern flickers in her eyes. “Are you okay?”

I shake my head. “I should be the one asking you that.”

She chuckles. “I’m currently not having a contraction, so that’s pretty okay. ”

I lean my head on her shoulder.

I’m not sure there’s any comfort to be had for me, but at least I can provide some for my sister as we screech to a stop in front of the hospital.