I dialed Madden as I came into the hall. “Hey,” I said gently, the opposite of how I’d snapped at Ashton. Madden never brought out the fire in me. Though, sometimes I wished he would.
“Hey, you,” he said. “Good class?”
“Not hardly,” I puffed. “I’m going to have to call you back in a few minutes to discuss Spy. I’ve been summoned to the professor’s office.”
He chuckled. “Tell Ash hi for me.”
Just then, a call came through from my eleven-year-old nephew. “I gotta go. Theo is calling.”
We exchanged I love you's, and I switched the call over.
“Hey, bud,” I said to Theo.
“Hi, Aunt Tally!” His voice sounded muffled and distant. He had me on speakerphone. “I’m calling because Charlie is worried you’re not coming to the game on Friday.” His cute little lisp made me smile.
“Of course I’m coming, Chuck.” Theo’s sister, my nine-year-old niece, giggled in the background. Her full first name was Charlotte but no one called her that. Just Charlie, and when I was trying to make her laugh, Chuck. Ashton, of all people, had come up with that nickname years ago. “Do I ever miss Madden’s games?”
“Yay!” Charlie cheered.
“Told you, silly,” Theo said.
“I’m not taking y’all,” Brianna, my older sister, barked in the background. “I have to work that night.” There was no compassion in her tone. “Stop. Don’t, Charlie. Pull that bottom lip back in right now.”
“You said you would,” Charlie wailed.
“Moooom,” Theo whined in a watery voice.
“No worries,” I said in a cheerful tone. “Grammy and I will take you and we can have a sleepover at Grammy’s after?” The question in my words was aimed at my sister. She got uptight if I made them promises without her permission.
“Yeah. Fine. Happily. Maybe I can sleep in for once.” I got that. Charlie was a perpetual early riser. Bri must’ve grabbed the phone from Theo because her next words were loud and clear. “It’s too much, raising them by myself, Tal. I need you and Mom to take them more.” I hated that she was saying this in front of them. “With Cam gone, I’m burning the candle at both ends. And I’ve got a job interview for a private family chef position.” My insides swooped in delight. Cooking professionally was her dream. “In New York.” My insides crashed to the ground. “Did you all look into putting them into Seddledowne schools next year?”
“Yeah, we’re looking into it but Theo is making solid progress with the speech therapist at his school there.”
“It is what it is,” Brianna said. “He’ll have to fight it out like the rest of us. Sometimes life sucks.”
My fists curled at her hardness. Theo and Charlie had lost Cam too.
“We can talk more about it later.” I kept my tone as calm as possible. Life had dealt her a crappy hand. It had dealt us all one. Things were good when I was a kid. Before my dad died. But I could barely remember it.
“Talk all you want.” Brianna’s voice shook and I could tellshe was about to cry. “Next year needs to be different. I need more help. Period.”
“You’ll have more help. I’m graduating in May, remember? Just four more months. If you can hold on until then…”
“Fine.”
“Bri,” I said softly. “I’m so sorry for the way things have turned out. You deserve better.”
I heard her stifle a sob. “I’m s-sorry for being short with you. I’m just exhausted. You deserve better too. We all do.”
“I hope you get the job. I really do.” My chest tightened at the thought of her leaving the kids behind. But this was her dream.
“Thanks, sis. I appreciate that.”
We hung up and I slipped the phone into my coat pocket.
Then I took the stairs two at a time, ready to take my slap on the wrist.
It couldn’t be that bad.
