He turns the volume down on the television and gives me his undivided attention. “Really? That’s a great idea.”
“It is?”
“Yes. How long have you been thinking about it?”
“About a year on and off.” I shrug my shoulders like it’s no big deal. “But it’s more like a pipe dream than anything.”
“You know, you’re like your mother,” my dad tells me.
“How so?”
“Once she gets an idea in her head, she’ll brush it off like it’s not important or like it’ll never go from an idea to reality.”
My brows crinkle as my dad tells me this. “What did she brush off?”
“Getting her MBA to become the top exec at the bank's headquarters.”
“Really?”
“Oh, yeah. When we were in college, I can’t tell you how many times your mom blew me off to study. And rightfully so. I should’ve followed her lead, but instead I was chasing her.”
A small smile creeps up after his last sentence before I sit back on the couch and let out a huff. “I just feel lost.”
“You’re supposed to feel lost after graduating, sweet pea. It’s unfortunately a rite of passage. Plus, you graduated earlier than those in your high school class, so I think it’s more natural that you feel this way.”
“That’s what everyone says,” I mutter.
Dad chuckles and kisses me on the side of my headagain. “You’ll find your stride, Ang. It just takes more than a month to do that.”
“Yeah,” I sigh and then ask a question I’ve been curious about for years. “Dad, are you happy at your job?” This is the first time I’m asking since Mr. Hayes quit years ago. Dad worked his way up the marketing ladder right out of college. Mom would always tell me how much of a talker he was when they were going through school, so his promotion to COO wasn’t that big of a surprise. I didn’t know how big a deal that was until recently—even when Liam and James died. And I guess it made sense that I saw less of him.
“I am.” He nods. “I hope you know that I am sorry that we were away. At the time, it just made sense for us to accept the on-the-road jobs, and it was a coincidence that we had business in the same city.”
“I know you are,” I tell him and stay on the couch for a little while longer before deciding to play it out. Giving my dad a pat on the thigh, I heave myself off the couch and head to the front room. I set my phone facedown on the lid of the piano and take a seat on the bench. It’s rare when I step foot on here that my mind doesn’t flash back to that night Brandon and I erased the wordslowfrom our relationship. But we haven’t seen each other in a couple of weeks because of our clashing schedules, and I miss him. Apparently, to combat missing him, my mind goes back to that night.
I warm up my hands and fingers with some scales before playing two of the classical pieces that I was forced to memorize when I was younger. Then I move on to songs I heard in movies. That pieceMiley Cyrusplayed was one of my hyperfixations, so I start that before going into more sensual songs by artists likeThe WeekndandFrank Ocean.
“I forget how beautifully you play,” I hear to my right,and look at my mom standing at the threshold, leaning against the wall divider.
My hands continue a simple melody that works best when it’s repeated. I see her walking closer and I double-check to make sure my phone is flipped over before sliding over and giving her room to sit next to me.
“You always came in here when something was bothering you.”
I feel a smile lift my cheeks. “How hard could a ten-year-old’s life be to have things bothering them?”
“Oh, I remember quite well when you and Liam would fight over time in the bathroom.”
“Now that I’m older, I know exactly what he was doing in there,” I cringe at the thought of my brother experimenting.
My mom chuckles next to me and I veer the song into something that she can play effortlessly with me.
“How are you and your mystery boyfriend?” she asks casually as we continue to play.
“We’re really good,” I say and leave it at that.
“You’re still hiding him, huh?”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that,” I sigh.
