That’s what his da had called him, always with a smile or a clap on the shoulder. “C’mere, Uni Boy.Give us a hand stocking these shelves.” Or, “Ask Uni Boy. He’s the smart one in the family.”
“That was just his way. He’d never say it to your face, but he was always talking about you.”
“About me putting on airs.”
“Martin wasn’t perfect, God knows. But I don’t recognize this straw man you’ve made of him. Your father never wanted you to be like him, tied to this place all your life.”
“What are you talking about? This shop was his life.”
“No,wewere his life. Me, you, your brother and sisters. The shop was how he provided for us.”
That jerked his head up.
Janette looked back steadily. “He wanted you to be happy,” shesaid. “And you’re not. Apply to school, if that’s what you want. We’ll manage.”
His heart pounded in his ears. “I might not get in.”
“That’s what you said the first go-round.”
“There’s no money, anyway.”
“There must be aid, right? Loans. Scholarships. Bright boy like you, you’ll figure it out.” She smiled. “I’ll be in front. You take your time.”
Twenty-two
But you’re missing game night!” Toni protested. “Fee’s coming over to play Monopoly.”
I loved that we had a routine—Reeti, Toni, and me—developed over the months we’d lived together. Friday pub nights, Tuesday board games, Sunday cooking shows with Tim. Secure and predictable but fun, like the imaginary family I’d yearned to be part of when we were growing up. Sometimes Fiadh joined us, or someone from my writing group dropped in. Tonight, though, I was going to a reading at the college. Attendance wasn’t required, exactly. But any absence would be noticed.
“Yeah, well, adulting means sometimes you have to do things you’re not really excited about.” I tugged on my puffer jacket, an Oxfam find that made me look like a turquoise version of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
“If this is about school again...”
“It’s not. Although if you want to talk about your plans...”
Toni wrinkled her nose.
I suppressed a sigh. As much as I’d enjoy a little more room for my stuff, a little more quiet to study, there was somethingreassuring about having my baby sister so close I could almost reach her across the space between our beds. In two weeks she was leaving, her ninety-day tourist stay almost up. I would miss her. And I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still responsible for her. I’d bought her plane ticket back to Kansas, but despite my best efforts, Toni was alarmingly evasive about what she was going to do after she got home.
“Right. Not the time. No serious talk on game night.” I kissed the top of her head. “Back by nine.”
Reeti’s phone jangled with a high-pitched drumbeat. Bhangra, Reeti told me when I’d asked.
I smiled. “Vir?”
She blushed and nodded. “Let me just...” She texted a quick reply.
“But who’s going to be the banker?” Toni asked.
“Reeti can do it. She’s good with numbers.”
She glanced up from her phone. “I do enough accounting in my classes. I’ll call Tim.”
Which was great. I got the sense that Tim was lonely. It made me happy that my sister was hanging out with my two good friends. My best friends, since Sam and I still weren’t speaking.
“That will be fun,” I said. “Sorry I won’t be here.”
“You just want him for his muffins,” Reeti said.
