Oscar nods. “Thanks, guys.” I walk over and give the giant man a hug, and he instantly hugs me back, thought he needed one.
“Everything is going to work out,” I reassure him.
“I sure as hell hope so, D.”
Stacey’s with the kids, and Oscar finds Sienna and me.
“Everything sorted?” I ask, seeing Oscar.
He nods. “Yeah. Everything’s sorted, but I need to talk to you guys about something.” We are all ears. “Amelia wants me to speak to Stacey about the possibility of the kids moving to LA.” I gasp. “She said the kids have been talking, and they don’t want to stay.”
“They’re grieving,” Sienna adds.
“That’s what I said, but then she made some great points,” Oscar states as he explains how the kids have been bullied about their relationship. Then they spoke to him about how hard it’s going to be growing up in the small town with this tragedy hanging over their heads.
My own memories of growing up in a small town hit me. They are right, I still remember everyone talking about Mrs. Sullivan and her husband leaving her for another woman. They all gossiped about her until one day she got up and left, leaving the church and the town, unable to cope with it anymore.
“I get what they are saying, the town is never really going to let them move on, they are constantly going to see it on people’s faces everywhere they walk. The whispers, the pitied stares …”Oscar turns to me, his brow pulled together. “I grew up in one of those towns, I get it, is all I’m saying.”
“And you think LA is better for them?” Oscar asks me.
“No. But they lost their entire family, and one thing we have in LA is family. Your family and the Dirty Texas family. Maybe a change of scenery might help them cope with such an immense loss.”
“What happens if it’s not the right choice?” Oscar asks.
“Then you can always come back,” I tell him. Oscar doesn’t look convinced.
“The kids have asked you to talk to Stacey about it. Maybe it’s something you broach with her and go from there. I’m sure you could talk to psychologists and other mental health professionals to see if this is the right thing to do,” Sienna adds.
Oscar nods. “Thanks, guys, this is all …”
“You’re doing good. No one could ever be prepared for something like this,” I reassure him. He nods and disappears off to find Stacey.
“I’m worried that Stacey might not be on the same level as the kids,” Sienna tells me.
“Me too. It’s a hard one.”
63
DERRICK
Derrick: The funeral was today. It was so beautiful and devastating.
Charlie: Wish I was there to hold your hand.
Derrick: Me too. The kids did so well. There were hundreds of people there.
Charlie: They were well loved. That would have been good for the kids to see.
Derrick: It was. All this is making me re-evaluate what I want out of life.
Charlie: Oh. It is.
Derrick: Not that it’s changed much but I want to get married, I want kids, I want a happily ever after with my soulmate.
Charlie: I think that’s what most people are looking for.
Derrick: Is it what you are looking for?
