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“Uh, Mom? I think those are burned.”
“I know, Peter. I know.”
She scraped them up and threw them into the sink. Then she turned off the stove and put the griddle on the back burner. Leaning against the counter, she rubbed a hand over her tired face.
I glanced at the clock. I didn’t have time to offer to make them for her. I suspected she was trying to do something nice for me anyway. “I’m just going to have cereal,” I said. “Stomach’s too excited for more.”
Yawning, she dumped the griddle in the sink and turned on the cold water. Steam billowed up, and she shut the water off fast.
“It’s the thought that counts,” she said, like she always did when she failed at being helpful. “You’re excited, huh? It’s going to be a new adventure.”
“Yep.”
Mom came to stand next to me as I poured milk over a bowl of Lucky Charms, yawning as she examined me from head to toe. “You look nice.” She ran her hands through my hair, trying to smooth my wild curls with her fingers.
“Leave it,” I said. “It’s going to do what it wants. I’m giving up.”
Without protest, Mom sat down on the stool across from me, sipping her coffee. I thought about getting a mug for myself but decided a cup of anxiety was the last thing I needed. “So, Peter,” she began in the tone of voice that let me know she planned to ‘parent’ me now. “Where were you yesterday? You didn’t leave a note, and I was worried.”
“At my friend Daniel’s house.” I met her considering gaze, holding it while I took several bites of cereal. I hoped my expression discouraged questions.
“Ah, Daniel.”
I nodded.
“The boy from that phone call where you were all, ‘Yes, I’ll doanythingyou want, I’dloveto, and when can I start?’ That Daniel?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah.”
“This is the boy from Nashville, right?” She waved a hand at her face, reminding me of the beard burn I’d sported. “Is he your new boyfriend?”
I shook my head. “We’re friends.”
“But you like him?”
“I just broke up with Adam three days ago. Give me a week or two.”
“Mm. But hadn’t you broken up with Adam in your heart a long time before that?”
I shoved cereal into my mouth so I didn’t have to talk. I wasn’t going to get into my relationship issues with her. When I had something to tell her about the guys in my life, I would. Until then, I wasn’t going to gab to my mom about it all, like a heartsick kid.
I didn’t have time anyway. Parking wasn’t going to be easy to come by on the first day of classes. I should have grabbed a ride in with my dad this morning after all.
“You don’t have to tell me about your romantic life,” she said, sipping her coffee again, as if she hadn’t just pried into it. “That’s fine.”
“There’s nothing to tell, Mom. He’s a friend going through a hard time, and I want to help him.”
Her lips curled up at the edges. I reviewed my words and rolled my eyes. I was grateful she kept her mouth shut. I didn’t want to hear what I knew she was thinking.
When I was almost done with my Lucky Charms she said, “I have something for you.”
“A first day of college present? Tell me it’s not another safer-gay-sex pamphlet.”
She laughed, but it lacked any spark. “No. It’s…” She rose and grabbed a big manila envelope from the edge of the counter by the toaster. With a nervous expression, she pushed it into my hands. “It’s this.”
I took in the size and shape of it, noting it was thick and rather heavy. “What is it?”
“It’s everything I have from or about my brother George.”
