Abigail flies back to Seattle Saturday morning and is met at the airport by Rhiannon. She waits until the following Monday before letting her mother know of her decision to relocate.
“I’ll miss you kiddo,” Rhiannon tells her, “but I am so proud of you. I hope I get a chance to meet these ladies who are making all this happen.”
“You’re going to visit once in a while aren’t you?”
“You bet I will.”
“They’re anxious to meet you as well. Especially Leah, who remembers Aunt Rosie talking about you all the time.”
While Abigail’s at work, making arrangements for her replacement, Rhiannon heads to Abigail’s apartment to see what items she can use, so Abigail won’t have to pack household items. By the time Abigail returns, Rhiannon has filled a couple of boxes.
The rest of her time there is a whirlwind of activity, visiting friends, getting her finances in order, and finally having one last gig with the band. Since Sarah joined them, they’ve taken a slightly progressive turn, though their song selections are as eclectic as ever. Neil tells her he’s sorry to see her go, but is glad she hooked up with Winn, and he’s sure they’ll run into one another again.
Rhiannon gives Abigail a few names of people to look up, and after another tearful ride to the airport, they say their goodbyes again.
“Remember, I have a conference there in September. We can hang out in the evenings,” Rhiannon says.
“Sure thing, Mom.”
A few weeks after she’s settled in, Abigail enters the Caine residence and is greeted by Alyssa. “Abby, you have a visitor.”
Before she can say much more, Neil enters, holding a drink.
“Hey, Sis.”
“Neil, what are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too. I can’t drop in on my kid sister once in a while?”
“Is everything okay?” Alyssa asks.
“Yeah. This is the new normal for me,” Abigail tells her.
Alyssa excuses herself and exits into the kitchen.
“Where’s Sarah?” Abigail asks Neil.
“She’s in Decatur.”
“Why is she —? No, don’t answer that. Tell me she is not looking at apartments.”
“No. Of course not.” Long pause. “She’s looking for a job. We’ve already found an apartment.”
Abigail sinks to her knees, then falls face down onto the floor and pounds her fists in the tiles. “No, no, no, no!” She rises and circles around the entire room before confronting Neil again. “Do you not get that the whole idea of setting you up with her was to keep you from following me all over the place?”
“Whose idea do you think it was?” Neil says. “I agreed with it, but she was all pumped up about starting her singing career where the Indigo Girls started.”
Abigail lets this sink in. “Who came with you?”
“Freddy rode with us but he may not stay.”
“Freddy. Perfect. He understands that the move from the West to the East Coast doesn’t make me any less gay, right?”
“I think you made it perfectly clear the last time this came up.”
“That never seems to register with Freddy.”
“Don’t worry about it. I think he and Annie may be giving it another shot.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
“No, no, they’ve been in counseling.”
“That makes me feel way better.”
“Face it, Abby, you’re stuck with me. Besides, Genni’s here and I like how she sounds with the band.”
“Are you saying the entire band is moving here?”
“Ah, no. Actually just me and Freddy and he probably won’t stay. But seriously, you’re telling me there are no musicians in Atlanta.”
“So what, you, Freddy, and Sarah will be a trio?”
“We’re signed up for open mic at Eddie’s next week. Always room for keys and sax.”
“Genni will be thrilled.”
