Funny, now she was rooming with their old biology teacher, and he was the one with the big fancy place.
Life had a way of changing fortunes.
He wouldn’t say he felt superior, though.She was a teacher.In his life, teachers had made a difference.Whether they were his teachers in school, or mentors at the ranch where he’d worked in high school.
They were the only adults he’d had positive interactions with.
“I thought you had to have a degree in …childrenin order teach.”
“Sure.Kids that are old enough to be in a classroom.”
“Fair enough.I have a guest room.”
“Right.I don’t know if I can sleep.I’m exhausted but …”
“Yeah,” he said.
She followed him into the living room, and he sat down on the couch, looking at the grand wall of windows that overlooked the valley.She sat on the love seat, a decent distance away from him, holding the baby.
“I thought they were calling to tell me Melanie was dead.”
“Yeah.I kind of thought the same thing.”
“Didn’t your call come from Ty?”
“Yeah.He called me, but I’ll admit I kind of thought maybe some cops had picked his phone up.”
“You had his number.”
He nodded.“I’ve had it.Just in case.”
“Melanie doesn’t keep in touch with me.I’m shocked that they were able to contact me.”
“Maybe she remembered your number.”
She laughed.“Well, then she opts never to call it.”
“I imagine for the last nine months she’s been pretty scared.”
“I bet.I wonder if this was their plan all along, or if they were trying to get into a better place before the baby was born.”
“I expect they wanted to do better.They’re not bad people.They’re just … broken.”
“I’ve always blamed him.”
“Fair enough.But why?”
She looked up at him.“I’ve always blamed your brother, but that’s not really fair.Mel has a stake in her own life.Especially after all these years.At this point she has to take responsibility for her choices.”
“They can’t quit drugs or each other, unfortunately.”
“Yeah.”
She laughed, though it wasn’t a very cheerful sound.“I just can’t believe … She’s had a more long-lasting relationship than any of mine.So, maybe that’s what I’m missing.”
“Well, God knows I don’t have any romantic relationships to show for the last fifteen years.”
There was nothing funny about the situation.But the truth was, you either learned to laugh, or you cried all the time.
