I didn’t even know he got me a present. “What did you get for Ma?”
“Same thing.”
He can sense me judging, so he adds, “They’re great for flossing hard-to-reach areas.”
“And you give the most boring-ass greeting cards.”
Dr. Derrick flinches (not sure if it’s from my criticism or my cursing).
“You could at least add a pun,” I suggest, pointing at my bib with the cartoon tooth. The gift comment looks like it stung so I save my purple tie thoughts so I can address the most offensive item.
“Point three: your family,” I read. “I don’t appreciate your mom talking about me and my sister.”
Concern floods his face. “When did that happen?”
“Before the ting hun. Auntie Baby and Auntie Grace overheard your mom. She warned you about us embarrassing your family and us not being proper.”
I see the moment when it clicks in his head.
But then he says, “That wasn’t about you and Jackie.”
“Auntie Baby says her chismis is ninety-nine point nine percent accurate.”
“This is the point one percent,” he tells me. “That message was meant for my mom’s sisters. I never told you that I’m sorry that my aunties were rude to you during the ting hun.”
… What do I say to that? I’ve envisioned confronting Dr. Derrick a million times. Not once did I imagine getting an apology. “My mom wanted to keep my aunties in check because shewanted to make a good impression on Beth and your family,” he explains. “She’s scared I’d lose my shot at another wedding.”
Excuse me?
“How many times do you plan on getting married?”
“Once.” He takes a moment and sighs deeply. “I was engaged to someone else years ago… She passed away a month before we were supposed to get married.”
A chill goes through my body when I process what he’s saying.
“That’s a lot of information, but I’m here to answer any questions you have too.”
Did I hear that right or did the suction tube do something to my ears?
I scan his face. “You’re okay with talking about it?”
“I’m supposed to be honest in a safe space, right?”
“My family never talks about my dad,” I admit before even thinking.
He sighs and his eyes flit to the ceiling. Maybe I pushed him… maybe the conversation went too far. I never expected Dr. Derrick to open up even more.
“It was a horrible accident,” Dr. Derrick shares. “She had just passed her board exams. Running on no sleep, she had some drinks, and was in no state to be driving.” His voice shakes with regret. “I—I can’t go through a night without seeing what the crash looked like…” He shuts his eyes and shakes his head. “I made sure her parents never found out.
“I told them I was the one who crashed the car,” he explains. “Made sure it was a closed casket, asked my friend who was a doctor to say she didn’t feel much pain. That it was immediate when she bumped her head on impact.”
“And they believe you were the one who was driving?”
“Yes.”
“Did they blame you?”
“They’ve refused to talk to me since.”
