Page 26 of Tough Love
Bang, bang, bang.
“I know you’re home. I see the light on.”
Jess.Persistent little shit.
My legs tingle as I stumble to the door and swing it open, using the handle as a guide to keep me upright.
I’ve never been the kind of person who wakes from a nap springy and ready to go. Those kinds of people freak me out; I don’t understand how they do it.
“Hey.”
“I was starting to get worried.” She throws her arms around me in a hug. Arms that have bags of groceries in the hands.
Pretty sure I take a can of something to the kidney. “Ouch, hon.”
“Shit. Sorry.” She steps away and heads over to my small kitchen, talking over her shoulder. “How you holding up?”
“Since we weren’t close,” I remind her, “okay, I think.”
“And your parents?” She unloads a week’s worth of food onto the bench, sorting the perishables from what needs to go in the pantry.
“Dealing … for now.”
My thoughts drift to them at Kath’s place, and Briar.Wonder how the poor guy’s doing.
“I might give them a quick call.”
“No problem,” she calls out as I head for my bedroom to get my phone. “I’ll make you something to eat.”
The sounds of Jess in the kitchen are strangely soothing as they drift through my apartment to where I sit on the edge of my bed. I stare at myself in the mirrored wardrobe doors as the line rings, wondering how I got to this point: tired and loathsome.
“Hi, sweetie,” Dad greets. “Ready to be picked up?”
“Jess is here at the moment, so I might ask her for a lift after we’ve eaten.”
“Okay.” He leaves the conversation hanging, not offering much.
“How’s everyone?”
His sigh gives it away. “Your mother’s having trouble settling Briar again. He cries, which makes her cry, and then there I am, stuck in the middle without a clue what to do.”
“I won’t be far away,” I offer. “Just a bite and I’ll get Jess to drop me off straight away.”
“Hey,” he soothes. “Don’t rush yourself.”
But that’s the strange part about it: Iwantto rush. Thinking of Briar so distressed, and knowing how overbearing my mother can be … I just want to cuddle the poor kid.
“Anything you need? I can pick it up on the way.”
“Nothing urgent,” he says. “We found a funeral home on the net that looks nice. We can talk about it when you get here.”
Of course.I want to ask him why they need to rush things, why this has to be done now, but I’d be wrong. It’s the natural order of things, and yet for Briar’s sake I want to postpone the hardest part as long as possible.
My phone chimes in my ear, signalling I have a message. Jess appears at the door at the same time, holding up a bottle of wine questioningly.
I roll my eyes at her to signifyIsn’t it obvious?
She leaves, and I flop onto my back while I wrap up the check-in with Dad. “Give Mum a hug for me, and an extra squishy one for Briar. I’ll see you soon, okay?”