AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We all finished helping Mr. and Mrs. Nallen clean up as the siblings continue to poke fun at one another. It was a group effort, and everyone seemed to move around one another effortlessly. It was clear this is routine for them after family dinners. Parker remained quiet most of the night, which I couldn’t help but feel is a stark difference from his normal participation in family dinners. Occasionally, Drew would lean close to his brother and whisper something I couldn’t hear, and Parker would shake his head or shrug. Something about their interactions nagged at me the entire night.
We parted ways, a warm goodbye from everyone except Parker. He barely formed the words before he was out the door and driving away.
Now, I’m in the back seat of Drew’s truck with him and Rosie, their hands clasped together resting on the console between them. Rosie is chattering away, recapping the night.
“Did you guys notice how quiet Parker was tonight?” she asks, a hint of concern behind her words.
When I look up, I notice Drew’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror. I make eye contact with him briefly before he turns his attention to Rosie.What was that about? Does he know?“Yeah, he said he was just tired and had some stuff on his mind,” Drew replies.
“Hmmm, well, I hope everything is okay,” Rosie says sweetly as she looks over at Drew, a contemplative expression on her face.
“You know Parker; he’ll be fine. He always has to think things through before he acts, so whatever it is, he’ll figure it out,” Drew reassures her.
Rosie gazes out the window. “Well, I hate seeing him that way. It makes me feel a little sad, and I don’t even know why. It’s just a weird feeling I have, telling me he’s hurting. I just want him happy, that’s all.”
“Oh, babe. He will be fine,” Drew says in a soothing tone. “I promise whatever this is, it isn’t so bad that you need to worry.” While his words express one thing, his tone leaves me feeling like Drew is a little worried, too.
Feelings of guilt and fear swirl around in my chest. I rub my fingertips in small circles on it as if this will make it go away. The streetlights are a blur, and my mind drifts to thoughts about what Parker might be doing now. I don’t know what I want, and I don’t know what to do. These feelings are new territory for me.
When I look forward again, I catch Drew’s eyes on me in the rearview mirror again. I see worry in them just before he looks away.
Unsure of what to say but wanting to say anything I can to dissipate this uncertain feeling hanging in the air, I open my mouth, “Thank you for inviting me. I really enjoy your family.”
Rosie turns in her seat, beaming, “I’m so glad you came, too. Aren’t they ridiculously fun?”
I can’t help but smile at Rosie’s infectious enthusiasm. When I glance at Drew, I see she has the same effect on him. “Yeah, if you call my mom’s interrogation of Abbey fun,” he laughs.
I laugh out loud. “Oh, come on, it wasn’t that bad. She is too sweet to feel like it was an interrogation,” I tell him.
“Yeah, that’s how good she is at getting the information she wants out of you. She plays innocent and sweet during her barrage so you’ll confess all your secrets,” Drew tells us. I notice a hint of defeat and pride mixed into his tone. My guess is that he has experienced this firsthand more than once in his lifetime.
We all laugh, and the feeling from our prior conversation is forgotten. Or at least pushed aside.
As we pull up to the front of my apartment building, I grab my bag. “Seriously, thank you again. I love seeing how happy you two are, and it makes me feel all those feelings Rosie tries so hard to push me towards.” I rest my hand on Rosie’s shoulder. “I get it, Rose. I think I’m finally beginning to get it.”
Before she can respond, I hop out of the car and shut the door, waving as I practically run for my apartment. It’s as if I can’t get away from my own words fast enough. Mainly because I don’t want to hear her response since I’m not ready for that right now. I need a little time to process things.
The last thing I hear before I slip through the front door of my building is, “I love you, Abs!” Even from here, I can hear the evidence of tears in Rosie’s voice.
My God, how did I end up with such an emotional best friend? I smile to myself as I hit the elevator button.
Fifteen
PARKER
“Dude, if you don’t shut your trap and stay still Alberta is going to stick you with her pin,” Drew scolds Tyler. Jasper laughs, Alberta sighs, and I roll my eyes. You would think I would get tired of the same round and round banter between my brothers, but I don’t. There is a comfort there. A comfort I need, especially with of all these unsettling feelings I’ve been experiencing lately. Alberta has been around our entire lives. She was our grandmother’s best friend and always like a grandmother to us. This isn’t something that changed once Grandma Nallen passed away. Bertie still attends every family event and even spends holidays with us.
“Hey Parks, you’re up,” Jasper says, nudging me with his shoulder, pulling me from my thoughts.
Smiling at my little brother, I nudge him back. “Alberta, I promise to be a better customer than then my bozo brother before me,” I tease.
Alberta lets out a tiny huff, “That won’t be hard. He’s lucky he isn’t bleeding. You boys always have been hooligans. Sweet, but hooligans just the same.” You can hear the affection in her voice. We all laugh, knowing she is right.
Alberta is our grandmother’s best friend. She’s been around our whole lives. Even after Gram’s passed away, Alberta remained a part of our life. She is sweet yet not afraid to put us in our place, just like our dad’s mom.
As she pins my slacks, she hums a familiar tune, although I’m unsure what song. As I’m trying to place the tune, Drew inquires, “You know, Alberta, you’ve always hummed that tune, but I’m not sure I know what song it is exactly.” It’s strange how often our minds are in sync with one another.
In the mirror, I watch as her lips turn up in a small smile. “Well, the funny thing is, I never realize I’m doing it until someone points it out like you just did. My daughter mentioned it to me about a year ago, but she simply said, ‘Mom, why have you always hummedWinnie the Pooh?’ We laughed and laughed because I have no idea why I would even hum that song, but that is the song nonetheless.”
