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Chapter Thirty-One
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We were halfwaythrough our pancakes when the morning went to hell.
The phone rang and Daniel startled. “Huh. Not many people have this number yet. Just you and your parents, Minty, Robert, Kerri, and my family in Florida.”
That seemed like a lot of people to me, but I said nothing as I buttered the brown circles of cooked batter. As Daniel hustled to the extension on the kitchen wall next to the counter and picked up, I avoided making eye contact with Milky Way where she sat hopefully at my feet.
“Hello?” His eyes first went wide and then vibrantly angry. He squeezed them closed and his expression hardened into stone. Our tranquil, postcoital morning dissolved into strain and anxiety.
“She’s okay, though?” He pressed two fingers to his temple and shook his head. “How long will they keep her?”
Shit. Was it his mom? Kennedy? His grandmother? It had to be his mom given how angry he seemed.
“What doesthatmean?” He turned, resting his shoulder against the wall, as if he needed the support. “It’s that bad?” He paused, and then with a hint of shame in his voice, he went on, “Did she hurt anyone else?”
I abandoned any pretense of buttering my pancakes and crossed to him, putting my hand on his arm. He didn’t move or acknowledge me, but he didn’t shake me off either, so I didn’t withdraw my support.
“Will there be a court date?” He let out a shaky breath.
I tilted my head, trying to understand what was happening.
“Yeah, okay. I can testify. Sure.” He let himself fall harder against the wall, and then slid down to the floor, as if his knees were giving out on him. I followed him down. “And what does that mean for her? Long-term, I mean?”
I could hear the rumble of a deep voice through the earpiece, but I couldn’t make out any words.
“No, no, don’t apologize. I should be thanking you. Because if not for you…” He choked up, pinching his thumb and forefinger at the bridge of his nose. “I wish…” He let out a rough laugh. “I just wish everything was different. For all of us.”
I leaned against him, trying to give him comfort, not sure he even felt it through whatever he was processing.
“Yeah, I know. I love you too. Tell the kids…” He cleared his throat. “Tell them I’ll be there for Christmas after all. Yeah, it’s all right. They need some normalcy after this. I’ll be there. Love you too, Grandpa.” He pressed the handset into my grasp, and I stood to replace it on the hook, before sinking down beside him again.
We said nothing for a long time. I held his hands, and he played with my fingers, his chin shaking and emotions moving over his face like clouds in a storm.
“My mom got drunk.”
I nodded. I’d figured out that much already.
“She decided to drive to another bar when the first one cut her off.”
I stiffened and drew myself even closer, as close as I could get to him while still leaving him space to breathe.
“She didn’t make it there. Her tolerance wasn’t as high because, you know…” he waved his hands around. “A few months of sobriety and all. She got into a wreck, and she’s in the hospital.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah. She’s injured, but she’s going to be okay, they think. Spleen and kidney bruising, some lacerations to her face and hands.”
“I’m sorry.”
“She hurt no one but herself, thank God.” Daniel’s lips twisted. “But this was it for my grandparents. They aren’t going to let the kids continue to be exposed to this, now that they’ve seen it for themselves. They’ve kicked her out, and they’ve filed for custody. They have an emergency court date this week and have asked me to come testify about why she can’t continue to have custody of them.”
“That’s…” I didn’t finish. What was it? Good? Bad? Awful? The right thing to do? I didn’t know.
“I’m sorry. I hadn’t intended to go back to visit until spring break, but…” He pressed my hands to his mouth, kissing my knuckles and then turning them over to kiss my wrists. “I wanted to spend Christmas with you. Get to know what the Mandels do for the holidays. See that Hanukkah bush you told me about.”
“It’s just a Christmas tree with a menorah on top. Honestly, it’s kind of offensive if you’re not, you know, part of my actual family. My dad’s ridiculous. So don’t worry,” I said. “You can be there next year.”
