“Well”—a loud sigh—“speaking of jackasses. Your uncle Jaco has gone and injured himself again.”
“What did he do this time?”
“Broke his leg on a gig. Out for six weeks.”
Damn. Jaco had been working in construction for a while now, but he was an independent contractor. That likely meant six weeks out, unpaid.
“I hate being so far away,” Ben said. “If I had just—”Stayed at home and started working, was what he was going to say, but Iris talked over him before he could.
“Ben. Nuh-uh. I told you because you asked, but don’t get all upset. Uncle Jaco is not your responsibility.”
“I know.”
Another tongue cluck. “You’ve wanted to do this for years, Bento. Let yourself enjoy it.”
Ben held in another sigh. If his mom, who by all Iris Caravalho measures was stressed to hell about his doing this, was telling him to enjoy it, he knew he should believe her.
It was just that, over his last decade of dumbass decisions—and fine, Iris was right, stinker boyfriends—he’d often missed out on things that were happening with his family. It was one of his biggest goals, in his new Good Decisions Lifestyle, to change that.
At least he had been there, he told himself, when Aunt Birdie started misplacing her shoes. Hiding one under her bed, one under the kitchen sink. When she was confused more often than she wasn’t.
“I hate being so far away,” Ben eventually repeated himself.
A small, rueful laugh from Ma. “I hate it, too, meu filho. But youarehaving fun, no? It helps me to know you’re having fun.”
Before he could stop himself, his eyes flicked to Alexei. Whose head was down, his hand moving fast across the page now.
“Yeah,” he said, quiet. “I am. Make sure you have Carolina show you the pictures,” he added.
“I will.” Iris muttered a curse under her breath. “Okay, the Doc is calling me inside. I should go.”
“Tell her I said hi.” Ben smiled. The “Doc” was the principal of East High, Dr. Jones. Ben had always liked Dr. Jones, even when she was staring him down for doing something unfortunate. Like almost failing sophomore English. And geometry. And civics.
“I will,” Iris said again. “Thanks so much for calling, Ben. Te amo.”
“Te amo.”
“Everything all right?” Alexei asked as soon as Ben hung up, pausing his writing.
Ben filled him in on Uncle Jaco. He looked out the window, jiggling his knee under the table, that restless feeling he felt so often niggling at his skin.
“Do you need more time to write?”
Alexei looked at him, that crease appearing in the center of his forehead once more. “No, I—”
Ben’s phone beeped.
Unable to resist the hit of dopamine, Ben reached for it again. He grinned, texting back immediately.
“Julie is very glad I am still alive,” he informed Alexei, “andverypumped about the dinosaurs.” He shot Alexei a look. “As most people with tastewouldbe.”
Alexei, to Ben’s delight, rolled his eyes. His forehead crease disappeared.
Julie:speaking of ancient creatures
Julie:ben, you would not believe this dog london & dahlia just adopted
Julie:it is the most hideous thing i have ever seen
