“Okay. Love you,” I tell him, leaving off the “daddy.”
He likely thinks I was talking to my grandfather when I said it before.
“Love you too,” he tells me before turning back to his conversation.
I leave the living room and head into the kitchen. I take several deep breaths, willing the tears not to fall.
The front door opens, letting me know my brother is home.
“Hey, sorry I’m late. Boss wanted to talk to me after work. I’m getting a raise.” Will smiles at me.
“That is great. I’m happy for you.”
He hears Dad talking, his smile dimming. “How is he today?”
I sigh. “Well, I am Agatha, so there’s that. He has been talking to Grandpa for the past hour.”
“I’ll be Harold with pride then,” he says, referring to our uncle.
I know it hurts him as much as me to see the man we both love losing his mind slowly, but at least he is at home with family. We had the option to put him in a state-run facility, but he wouldn’t have wanted that. He wanted to be home with his family. This might not have been the home he had been hoping for, but it’s the one with both of his loving children.
I clear my throat. “I should go. I have the pep rally to get to.”
He nods. “Go enjoy life a little. I’ve got Dad.”
I walk over and hug him. He squeezes me back.
I’m so glad he decided to come. I hate that he had to give up his life for this, but I am glad I am not going through it alone. I fight the urge to thank him for the millionth time but bite my tongue.
Letting him go, I head toward the door. When I get there, I call out, “I love you, bro.”
I hear him say, “I love you, sis,” before I shut the door.
I start the walk from the house to school, leaving the car for Will. He will be mad about it, but we are so close to campus that it is a waste for me to take it when I can walk.
My phone rings by the time I reach the end of the block.
“Hey, Kyle. I’m on my way. I had to wait for Will to get home,” I tell him, picking up my pace.
“Seriously? You know today is important for me. It’s the first pep rally of the season. My girlfriend should be here supporting me,” he snaps.
I suck in a breath. I hate that I am letting him down, but my father can’t be left alone, and Will needs that job.
“I know, and I will be. I am going to be a couple minutes late, is all. I promise. I’m on my way,” I tell him calmly, which only seems to piss him off more.
He scoffs. “I swear you have become less of a girlfriend over the last year. It’s never about us or our relationship. I know you have stuff going on, but you need to prioritize us too. We are in college. We should be enjoying ourselves, but you never even want to come out anymore. I didn’t sign up for this.”
Anger burns in my gut at his words. As if I planned to have my father be ill. Like I wanted all of this to happen.
“That’s not fair, Kyle. I do the best I can, but the evenings are when I need to be with my father, so no, I can’t go to parties. I will be there for you, though. Ten minutes. I am walking now.”
It’s silent on the other end of the phone for several moments before he finally speaks.
“Don’t bother. I don’t need you here,” he says and hangs up.
Did he…I look at the phone, shocked. Did he really hang up on me? Seriously, after three years this is how he treats me? Don’t get me wrong, I knew we haven’t been perfect lately, that I haven’t been perfect, but come on. Three. Years.
The first two were amazing. Even when my father got his diagnosis, Kyle was by my side. He let me cry on his shoulder.
