“Huh?” His brow creased. “Well, sure, we’ve always been close. We spend holidays together, along with a few other neighbors. That’s always a good time.”
Now Carol was confused. Why wouldn’t they spend holidays together as a family? Then she thought about her Christmas plans—wasn’t she running away from her family just now?
“And, man, the food we cook up for our Christmas Eve party,” Victor continued. “We spend most of the day fixing anItalian feast at our house, then we take it all over to Maria’s in the late afternoon.” He smacked his lips. “We eat and celebrate all night—and the next day too. And take it from me, it’s good eatin’ in the neighborhood.” He chuckled. “I’m a serious foodie. Especially when it comes to Italian dishes. And I’m a pretty decent chef too, if I do say so. I used to own my own restaurant in the city. I sold it to come home and help my parents, but I hope to open another someday ... when the time is right.” Now he began to list some of the Sicilian dishes he and his mom would be preparing for Christmas Eve.
Carol suddenly felt her stomach rumbling. “Wow, that all sounds delicious.”
“Well, trust me, if you’re still here at Christmastime, you won’t find better food in all of Michigan.” He grinned.
“Oh, I’ll be in the Bahamas by then.” She still felt a little confused about the way he was describing his family. “You say you cook and then take the food over to Maria’s. I thought you lived with your parents.” She didn’t want to sound too nosy. “But maybe your parents don’t live in the same house? Or is your dad in some kind of memory care place?”
“No, Dad’s still at home. But my mom’s worried it might be his last year there. I’ll admit he’s a handful. Trying to help her with Dad, plus get all the farm chores done, keeps me running.”
“Maybe I can help you out while I’m here.”
His brows arched as if her offer was surprising. “Thanks, but your time’s limited. You should probably focus your attention on Maria.”
Wouldn’t that be helping him? She felt even more puzzled, but the more questions she asked, the foggier things got.
“So when was the last time you saw Maria?” he asked as he turned down another rural road. This one hadn’t been plowed yet so it was extra slow going. She wondered how much farther it would be. She was starting to feel slightly dazed by all the swirling white, and lost, as if they were in the middle of nowhere.
“Never,” she replied.
“Really?” He paused at a stop sign and turned toward her. “But you stay in touch?”
“I’ve never spoken with her before today. Maria and my mother have been estranged since before I was born. I’m not really sure why. But then my mom baffles me in a lot of ways.” She shook her head. “She’s, uh, kind of a character.” That was an understatement!
“So you don’t know about Don then?”
“You mean about his Alzheimer’s?” she asked. Was he as zoned out as he sounded? Maybe the snow was making him dizzy too. “I know what you’ve told me just now.”
“Huh?” He waved at a pickup plowing a long driveway.
“About your dad?” she reminded him.
“Huh?” he said again. “What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you just tell me Uncle Don is sick?”
“I never said that.”
“You said your dad has Alzheimer’s.” She could hear the sharp edge in her voice. “I’ll admit I’m tired, but the way you describe your family is really confusing me.”
“My daddoeshave Alzheimer’s.” He sounded defensive. “But your uncle Don was never sick. He was perfectly healthy until the tractor rolled over while he was plowing the south hill last spring.”
“What?” She shook her head, trying to make sense of this. “Was that what started his Alzheimer’s?”
“No. That’s what killed him.” Victor actually laughed now. “I’m sorry. It’s not funny. It was actually quite tragic. I’m just laughing at how mixed-up this conversation has gotten. Did you think your uncle Don was my dad?”
“Well, isn’t Maria your mom?” Now Carol wasn’t just confused, she was irritated.
“Of course not. Sure, she’s been like a second mom to me, and she and my mom are as close as sisters.” He laughed evenharder now. “So this whole time, you thoughtyouraunt wasmymom? That would make me your cousin!”
“Hey, give me a break. I haven’t slept in a couple days so I’m a space case. Please, forgive me my confusion.” She knew her tone was snarky but couldn’t help it.
“That’s okay. It’s probably my fault. Sorry.”
“Well, you gotta admit, it was pretty confusing.”
