“Did you know about Sam’s accident?” I force myself to continue meeting her gaze, even though I want to hide away from the truth that everyone knew but me.
She briefly looks down at her hands before returning her attention to me. I already know what she’s going to say before she opens her mouth to speak. “Yes. I knew. Not the full extent, but we knew he was in rough shape.” Mom gives me a small smile. “It wasn’t our place to share that news—that was his story to tell,” she answers my question before I can voice it.
I wish my parents had told me. But I know she’s right. Same with Ethan, I guess.
Her voice is small when she speaks again, “I’m sorry you had to learn this way.”
With my food heated up, I sit at the table, gripping the fork like it’s my lifeline. “I’m not upset that you didn’t tell me, Ma. I just felt a little dumb sitting there feeling like the only person who didn’t know.”
My heart aches knowing I can’t ask Ethan about it. I resign myself to asking Sam when we get lunch on Monday.
“We’ve been hoping, waiting, for you and Sam to start talking again. I never thought it would take—” She chokes on a sob, and swallows hard. She’s gripping the counter behind her with both hands. “I don’t know what happened between you two; I’m just glad you seem to be getting along again.” Mom turns around and continues working on the dishes.
“Yeah,” I say it slowly. I’m relieved when she drops the subject.
Once I’m finished eating and she’s finished with the dishes, she pulls out the bottle of wine she was drinking with Dad and offers me a glass. Liv and Talia make their way into the kitchen, and Mom grabs a couple of decks of cards for us to play.
We stay up late into the night, drinking wine, playing cards, and reminiscing about Ethan. We didn’t watch The Princess Bride, but this was better.
We laugh at some of the ways Ethan would try to cheat when we played cards with him. It was so common that anyone sitting next to him was responsible for watching him closely and stopping him from slipping cards onto his lap or trying to discard two cards instead of one.
With each bottle of wine opened, we laughed more. It was refreshing and the perfect way to end this day.
***
The next morning, I wake up feeling groggy and very hungover. I haven’t drunk that much in a long time. “Fuck.” I groan as I sit up; the room is spinning. The first thing I need to do is get some water, food, and aspirin. I don’t see Talia and Liv—they must already be downstairs. Slowly, I make my way down and into the kitchen.
I grimace when I see that Liv and Talia are already eating; they look as miserable as I feel. Dad is cooking omelets with bacon, onions, and bell peppers. A smile spreads across my face at the sight. This might be the only thing he knows how to cook.
“Where’s Ma?”
“She’s still sleeping off all that wine you let her drink last night.” He chuckles and raises his eyebrows accusingly; I know he’s teasing me. “I couldn’t even tell you the last time I saw your mom that drunk. I was worried I might have to carry her up to our room.” Dad flashes a huge smile at us. “Thank God she made it because this old back probably would have broken if I had to carry her.” He laughs again and turns around, grabs a mug from the cupboard, and pours coffee into it.
I can’t hold back the laugh that builds at the vision Dad plants in my mind of his over sixty-year-old body carrying Mom up the stairs because she was too drunk to make it herself.
Dad hands me the cup of coffee and I walk over to the table, sitting next to Liv; she slides the aspirin bottle towards me. I give her a grateful smile and add a generous amount of cream to my coffee. I’ve never been able to drink black coffee, and Liv loves to tease me about it. “Like a little coffee with that cream?”
“Yes. It’s the only palatable way to drink it.” We all laugh.
A few minutes later, Dad gives me an omelet. “Dad, you are a gentleman and a scholar.” I beam up at him before quickly devouring the delicious breakfast.
Mom finally joins us when I’ve polished off my omelet and am working on my second cup of coffee. “I am not in my 20s anymore.” She groans as she plops into the seat next to me. “I don’t know why I thought I could keep up with you gals.” She grimaces.
I try to hold back my laugh, but it comes out when I tease her: “Sorry, Ma. Next time, I’ll send you to bed and tuck you in.”
“Thanks,” she grumbles. “Do you want to meet Dan and Sam at Ethan’s apartment while I get some food and try to feel a little more sociable?”
“Sure.” I kiss her on the cheek and wink at Dad. “Good luck with this one.” I point my thumb at Mom as Talia, Liv, and I make our way out of the kitchen.
Liv and Talia plan to spend the day with Liv’s parents today. Once we’re all ready, I drive over to Ethan’s condo.
I get there before Dan and Sam, and I’m grateful for the chance to walk through his place without feeling rushed.
I’ve been here more times than I can count, but never without him. It feels strange to be here, looking at his stuff. His decor is minimalist. He has dark furniture that contrasts with the white walls. For a bachelor, he’s incredibly clean.
Making my way through each room, I mentally take in the things that we might want to look at today. The goal isn’t to completely empty the place; instead, it's to categorize the items here andcreate a plan. But I also know the more we accomplish today, the less my parents have to do on their own.
Finally, I walk into the primary bedroom. Looking around, I stop my quick perusal when I see the old skateboard I gave him for his 15th birthday hanging on the wall above his dresser. I gasp at the sight.
