I shake my head. “No, she was supposed to come help, but whatever. It’s fine.”
“What do you need help with?” Theo asks. “I can do it.”
“You’re helping me with the toilet.”
“Yeah, but I can do other things.”
“She was supposed to clean out the storage closet, the second one. But it’s fine. I’ll do it another time.” I let out a heavy sigh,trying not to let the disappointment affect my mood.Been there, done that with my dad.
And with Aunt Kitty.
This isn’t the first time she’s ditched me in a business venture. She was supposed to help me with my Jackie of all trades work but ended up ducking out after I got started.
Kind of like this.
“Hey, are you okay?” Theo asks, coming up to me and lifting my chin with his finger.
I offer him a soft smile. “Yup, fine. Umm, let me just look over the instructions for the new toilet to make sure I have everything correct and then we can get started.”
“Sure.” His eyes remain on mine. “Want me to go grab us drinks from the unnecessarily expensive market on the corner?”
I laugh. “That would be great. I’d love one of their mint juleps.”
“They have mint juleps?”
“There’s a drink bar in the back, all nonalcoholic. I don’t go there often because it’s, as you said, overly expensive. But it’s delicious.”
“Then consider it done,” he says. “Anything else you need?”
I shake my head. “I’m good.”
“Okay.” He smiles and then grabs his shirt that’s on the counter of the bar and slips it back on, taking away the view I’ve started to grow accustomed to seeing.
He goes out the back of the shop and I move toward the toilet to pluck the instructions from the front of the box.
I open up the booklet, take one look at the words that seem to all swim together, and then lean my head against the wall, irritation starting to eat away at me.
She said she was going to be here and she’s not.
It’s bringing back a lot of disappointing memories, feelings…
Being let down.
Being promised things, but with no follow-through.
Being laughed at and mocked for not having a stable parental figure in my life. Instead I had my dad out at all hours, searching through the sand, and Aunt Kitty out on the front lawn with a play horse between her legs.
Tears sting my eyes, but I try to hold them back.
There is no reason to cry.
Not a single reason.
And yet my emotions get the best of me, and tears start to stream down my face.
Ugh, don’t do this, Renley.
Not again…
