“A lot,” he confessed into another bite of burger.
“How many times in his life do you think Hendrix has slept with someone more than once?”
“Not a lot. Hardly ever, actually.”
“So maybe you’re not the only one doing something new here.”
He stopped mid-chew to look me in the eyes, as if he needed me to be telling the truth. Wiping sauce from his lips, he nodded. “I could say the same about you.”
If only.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, picking up my mom’s call on Bluetooth as I rolled into town.
“Hi, sweetheart. How are you doing?”
“I’m okay. Making my way back from San Antonio.”
“Oh, I didn’t know you took calls out in San Antonio.”
“I met Sawyer for lunch.”
The line went quiet for a moment. “Is that your… friend… from high school?”
“Yeah. Though we’re actually just friends now.”
“Oh. Okay.”
“Did you need something?”
“Uh, yeah. My bathroom sink got clogged again.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “Sure, Mom. I’ve got my sink snake with me. Do you want me to come over now?”
“Your dad will be back from work in about an hour and a half. Do you think that you’d be finished before then?”
I sighed. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to spend time with me, and I knew that she was using the clogged drain—if thereeven was a clogged drain—as a loophole. “It’ll only take me five minutes.”
“Thanks, Son. I’ll leave the front door open for you.”
I ended the call and gripped my steering wheel. My dad wouldn’t be mad, exactly, if he showed up and I was there. My parents’ religious beliefs, however, dictated that, since I’d left the faith, they were supposed to keep contact with me to a minimum. In his mind, that meant he’d never be the one to initiate contact, but he wouldn’t ignore me if I did.
I knew they’d been raised this way, but then again, I had been, too. I had to wonder if there’d ever be a day when he’d regret throwing aside our relationship for a couple of misapplied scriptures.
Probably not.
In a matter of minutes, I reached my old neighborhood and pulled into the familiar driveway—the one where I’d learned how to ride a bike, the one where I’d skinned my knee too many times to count, and the one where I’d gotten caught making out with Sawyer. My father had demanded that I take a meeting with the elders of our congregation, but I’d told him no, that I was done.
To his credit, my father hadn’t kicked me out like I’d seen other kids’ parents do. Still, he hadn’t tried to stop me when I moved out the day after graduation.
I reached under my front seat, grabbed the tool I needed, and approached the front door. Mom opened it before I could knock and greeted me with a big hug.
“Thanks for coming on such short notice,” she said, giving me one more quick squeeze.
“Anytime, Mom,” I responded, kissing the top of her head.
I followed her through their bedroom and into the attached bathroom. I had to smile because the double-sink vanity was a study in opposites. My father’s side was neat as a pin, everything at right angles. My mother’s side was a cacophony of skin-care products and makeup and sticky notes. Grayish water filled the basin, and she grimaced. “I try to be careful with my hair, but I’m menopausal, and it’s falling out in clumps.”
“Are you okay?” I asked, inserting the snake into the drain.
