“Any pretty ones?” my mother interrupted, patting her mouth with a napkin.
“Eh, here we go,” Anthony groaned, shaking his head. “Ignore her, Ryan. She’s been reading too many romance novels, and she’s been playing matchmaker at church.”
My mother gasped dramatically and swatted him on the shoulder. “I have not!” She looked at me and smiled sweetly, “I just want you to find someone to settle down with, Ryan. My biological clock is ticking.”
“Your biological clock?” I said, choking on a forkful of food.
“I need grandbabies. Soon,” she said, wide-eyed and smiling.
Next to me, Cameron rocked on his chair and chewed noisily.
“I’m looking for the perfect girl, okay Ma?” I chuckled, softly. “But I can’t find one like you.”
My mother clasped her hands in front of her lips, and I knew I was in for a lecture.I was thirty, when would I settle down. I had a dangerous job. I should go to confession every Sunday to make sure my soul was going to be saved.I braced for the impact. She kept glancing at me with nervous looks. I knew something big was coming. “You’re too much. Your father may he rest in peace. You’re just like him.” She looked up to the ceiling like she always did. When I was a kid, I used to imagine him sitting up in the corner hovering in the air, defying the laws of gravity, winking back at her and giving her a thumbs up.
“What’s going on? Talk,” I said, putting my fork down.
“What do you mean?” she asked, darting her eyes back and forth between Anthony and me.
“You want something. Spill it,” I chuckled.
She looked at Anthony, and he gestured for her to talk.
“Anthony bought me tickets to Rome. It’s a four-week cruise,” she blurted out and squeezed her eyes shut. My mother was always so dramatic.
“That’s great, Ma. Why do you look like you’re going to hurl?” I asked, laughing.
“Well,” she said, placing her palms down on the table. “We were hoping you could take Cameron and watch after him while we went away.” Next to me Cameron rocked faster.
“Watch Cameron?” How did one watch a sixteen-year old kid? One that had Autism? I wasn’t trained in that, what if I lost him or something? I chewed the rest of the food in my mouth and swallowed slowly. “Watch him do what?” I asked, positive I was hearing her wrong.
She shot me a dark look. “I…” she started, but stopped as her eyes darted quickly to my stepfather. “Not I. We. We really need your help, Ryan. It’s only four weeks; it’ll go fast.” She folded her hands together, twisting and fidgeting her fingers. She was nervous asking me; it was plain to see. “Debbie lives too far away, and she’s got her hands full with the kids.” My sister Debbie was always too busy, always too far away. The minute she could get the hell out of this house, she flew clear across the country and settled down with the first guy with money she could find. She had three kids I never met, which goes to show you how close we were.
Cameron rocked faster.
“He goes to his school program from seven in the morning to six at night. Then, he has an exact routine before going to bed. He’s learning to—”
“What’s going to happen when I need to go into work?” I rubbed my hand over my forehead, trying to figure out a way to make it work, but seeing all dead ends. “I mean, I want to help, but I don’t know if I’m the best person for this sort of a thing. Would he even stay with me?”
I turned to Cameron and reached out to touch his shoulder. He slid the chair away, so I couldn’t touch him. I dropped my hand instantly. “You want to come and stay with me Cam?”
He bolted out of the chair and ran up the stairs, coming right back down with a rolling cart of luggage already packed. “Please. Thank you.” His tone was flat.
Anthony grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me in for a hug. My mother ran around the table with tears in her eyes, grabbing my face and kissing my cheeks. She was speaking something in Italian, holding her hands up to the ceiling like I was giving her a gift from Jesus himself. They clinked their wine glasses and cheered as Cameron stood stiffly behind us, clutching the handle of his luggage, staring at the top of my head.
All I could do was sit frozen in the middle of all the madness, seriously thinking,I’d rather be in the middle of armed bank robbery right now. That, I knew how to deal with.
Taking care of someone with special needs, I was completely lost.
