How could I have learned, though, when they always seemed to disappear into the amber-colored bottles in the back of Mom’s closet?
A hand comes to rest on my knee, and I look up.
Mom’s expression is wary but full of compassion. “Let’s go chat, hon.”
I slide off the countertop and wipe the condensation from my hand across my gray t-shirt. We head toward our favorite sofa down the hall, but she stalls halfway to holler.
“Tuck! Throw those pizzas in for twenty minutes. Julia, don’t let him burn them!”
“Okay, Mrs. Roberts,” they chime.
I sink into the cushions. Mom sits sideways on the couch, crossing her legs beneath her. She rubs my forearm.
“What’s goin’ on, hon?”
I scrub a hand down my face. The scruff I find there grazes my palms, but I didn’t care to shave it. Talking to my mom about Kate seems futile, but I’m going crazy.
“Do you remember me ever talking about Kate Chen?”
Mom’s face scrunches up, but then she nods. “A long time ago, yeah. Wasn’t she the one you were supposed to meet that…” She swallows. “That night?”
A lump builds in my throat, making it impossible to speak.
We don’t talk about that night very often, if ever.
“Yeah. Well, about six months ago, I got hired to work at the same museum as her. We’ve kinda started talking again, but I don’t know how to feel about it. The way things ended was…messy. I don’t think I’m over it.” I tip my neck across the backrest of the couch. “Or her.”
Mom’s quiet for a long bit. When I swivel my head, she’s smiling.
“What?” I say.
“Brandon, do you remember that baby bird you helped that one summer? I think you may have been seven. It fell out of its nest, and you came and got me and we put it back. But its parents never came back for it.” Her smile turns sad. “You’d dig in the garden till you found worms to feed it. The bird survived and it finally flew away, but you were heartbroken.”
I must have had my confusion written across my face, because she takes my hand and squeezes. “You really don’t remember any of this? Okay, well, long story short, you made a nest for that bird every year until you were nine. You were convinced it would come back to you. And when it didn’t…” Her eyes drop to the hands in her lap. “You asked if the daddy bird flew away in the first place because the baby bird was bad. You asked if you made a bigger nest, would the dad come home again?”
My eyes widen, but her weary smile returns. “Brandon, this is who youare. You don’t give up on people. You’ll keep making nests for them, even if they don’t always deserve it.” A sheen glistens in her eyes. “Persevering for the people you love is an admirable quality. But waiting for people to come back only works whentheyare willing to. Trust me on that. Guard your heart. Don’t tire yourself ofmaking too many nests. Especially if they aren’t willing to match your effort.”
I hunch forward, cracking my knuckles. Stress always seems to condense in my hands. I may have to put in some late hours at the boxing gym tonight.
Tuck and Julia stride into the room.
“We were thinking—” Tuck pulls up short. “What happened here?”
Julia smacks his arm. “Don’t pry, Tuck.”
Tuck folds his arms across his navy sweatshirt and turns to Julia. “You know he’s gonna tell me, then you, and Mrs. Roberts already knows, so let’s just speed this process up, shall we?”
Julia scrutinizes him for a sec before she nods. “Sound reasoning. What’s up, Brandon?”
“Kate,” I sigh. “She wants me to be her fake boyfriend for her family vacation.”
Mom’s eyes widen as she cuffs me on the arm. “You didn’t tell methat! Lead with that next time!”
Tuck sucks a breath through gritted teeth. “Bad idea, bro.”
Julia crosses her lanky legs on the floor in front of us. “Why is it a bad idea? Kate’s great!”
“Yeah, great at messing with Brandon’s feelings.” Tuck heaves himself onto the floor beside her.
