A shiver creeps up my spine and settles there like a backpack.
"My dad remarried too soon. It was hard seeing him move on and begin a new life while I was left behind. Theo and I were young adults about to graduate from high school, but neither of us was excited about their nuptials. I think we took out our resentment on each other."
"Does he still live at home?"
"I honestly have no idea. I haven't talked to him in almost ten years."
"Why? How?" Lucille shrieks.
"Well, I stopped coming home for a while when I went to college. Theo didn't even come back to the States for a few years. I only came down for Christmas or times when Theo couldn't get a flight home. He'd show up randomly throughout the last five years, but I made sure I was busy. Then he stopped coming at all. I'm sure it was hard to see his mom with someone new. That's also why I kept my distance. He's a stranger to me."
"You have no idea what he's up to now?"
"Last time I was home, I heard he was building houses in South America. Molly printed a photo of him on the fridge with a big group of guys. I couldn't even tell which one was him."
I'm reminded of the last time I saw him as a teenager: the pudge that clung to his skin like baby fat he never outgrew, the glasses, his acne problem.
The photo on our fridge had a group of men with beards, covered in filth. But they were all smiling in front of the small home they built together. I wouldn't be able to spot Theo out of a crowd anymore.
"I'm sure he's happy where he's at," I say. "I don't need the rumor circulating that I came home. I'm still trying to figure out another way."
"I wish you could stay with me, but I'm in a 55+ community, and they are strict, even about short-term guests. Want me to see if they'd make an exception for a couple of weeks?"
"You're so sweet, but no. I don't want you getting into trouble. I'll figure something out."
"You could move home and immediately find a job. It might not be so bad. You can see your father."
"And Molly..." I grumble.
"You don't like her?"
"She's actually okay. Better than okay. She's never forced anything and let me come around on my own time."
"That doesn't sound so bad."
Except it is. Ten years and we barely have a relationship? That's not an honorable fact to confess.
"I'm resentful because Theo couldn't even reciprocate the gestures to my dad. Theo was so rude to him and my dad tried way too hard. It was a mess. Theo was a nightmare."
I omit the parts where I was a total bitch to him while he lived across the hall from me. How I'd purposely eat all his Pop-Tarts but leave the empty box in the cupboard, or leave my makeup all over our shared bathroom counters.
"Let me know how the next few days go and if you change your mind about staying with me. My nosy neighbors won't tell management unless you've been parked there a few nights."
"Don't worry about me. I'll figure this out."
"Call me later, honey."
"Will do. Bye."
We disconnect, and I'm left staring at my blank phone for over ten minutes.
I haven't been home in two years for a reason. It became harder and harder to see my dad spend his life loving someone else. I'm glad he's not alone, and I'm supportive of his second marriage, but that doesn't mean I have to love being around it and all the changes they've made together.
First, they gutted and remodeled the kitchen. Then they remodeled my mom's office to accommodate Molly's floral company. All the floors have been replaced, new paint, new furniture. I understand they are making it their own, but each time they remove something, I feel like another memory of my mom is gone.
Swallowing the lump of apprehension, I pull up my dad's contact info and wait for him to answer.
He's retired, so the only significant thing I might be interrupting isThe Price Is Right.
