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She smiled and let herself enjoy it. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
fifty-one
tully
Tully was thoroughly stuffed. On real food too. No watered-down chow mein or tasteless Kung Pao chicken. Turkey and potatoes and cranberries and asparagus and some sweet, dessert-like concoction that Pam dubbed ‘salad.’
This was one of the best nights of her life. That sounded sad when she thought it, but it was true.
Everyone split up in the early evening eating pie, playing games, and watching reruns of the parade. Someone even brought out an oversized video camera and was going around making everyone say something for posterity. In twenty years, someone would pull that tape out and stick it in the player and see Nathan standing with some girl he dated in high school waving at the camera and saying Happy Thanksgiving.
Tully couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to so many people in a single day. Maybe even in a single week.
As amazing as it all was, she was exhausted. She wasn’t created to be the type of person who talked to people. She could use a good nap, or even a moment alone.
When Nathan was distracted talking to his closest cousin, Ben, Tully took the opportunity to sneak out of the room and up the stairs to the room she knew better than any other in the house: Nathan’s bedroom.
She closed herself in there with the light blue and dark orange of dusk shining through the only window that she walked to. Pam was right, the sky had grown dark while they were feasting and chatting and if the density of the clouds said anything it was going to drop a lot of water onto Richmond. A few clear drops of precipitation had already gathered onto the glass.
Storms weren’t common this time of year, but they weren’t unheard of either on a warmer day like today. Tully unlocked the latches and grabbed hold of the lip of the window to tug it upwards and let the cool, humid evening air hit her face. She sighed in and tasted the start of a storm in the fresh muskiness that came only when it started to hit the dry ground.
Perching sidesaddle on the sill, Tully claimed her spot to sit and watch as the clouds approached and the dark spots on the sidewalk outside grew larger. It was a mindless task, easy enough when she was too exhausted to form a solid thought.
One minute, maybe five. It was hard to keep count when seconds were kept by the increasing speed of raindrops on wet shingles, but however long it was her time alone ended when the bedroom door opened and made her squint as light blinded her unadjusted eyes in the darkening room. She squinted at the silhouette standing in the doorway.
“There you are.” Nathan flicked on his bedroom light and brought the room into full focus. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. I should have known you’d come here to hide from a party.” Instead of asking her to come out, he walked into the room and shut the door behind him, leaving them alone together.
“Sorry,” Tully rose from her perch, smiled sheepishly, and shook out her hands. “I just needed to take a breath.”
Nathan crossed and Tully watched until he stood next to her and looked out at the storm where the wind began to blow and the rain bounced on the roof in large turrets. His proximity warmed her against the chill of the fresh air. “I know they can be a lot.”
“No, no. I’m just not used to families that are so big and . . .”
“Annoying?”
“Welcoming.” She corrected. Nathan frowned.
“What about your brother?” So he remembered that conversation.
“He didn’t want to deal with my family so he stayed at school instead.” Tully sighed and sat back into her original position on the windowsill, staring out at the rain and remembering how disappointed she was when she had read Eugene’s letter. He used to come home every time he had a break, but now she was lucky if he had the time at all. It’d been a week or two since his last letter; college was busier than usual she guessed. “Everything here is so perfect.”
Nathan said nothing for a long time. The white noise of rain was their playlist. “You know that’s not true. Nothing is ever perfect.”
“I don’t know. I think you’ve got it pretty close.”
When Tully looked over she saw Nathan looking down at the ground. Wrinkles appeared on his forehead in a deep frown. He let out a deep sigh before she could ask what was wrong and stole the last bit of space on the windowsill, their knees nearly knocked together. “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never told anyone before,” he whispered, and Tully craned her neck so she was facing him.
“Okay.”
He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then repeated that several more times until he was able to say what he wanted to. “My dad . . . he cheated on my mom for years.” Tully sucked in a harsh breath. She wasn’t expecting that. “Dozens of women apparently.”
Tully’s heart dropped. She’d been devastated when she realized her boyfriend was cheating on her with one person, but dozens . . . “Does your mom—”
“She knows.” He shook his head. “Unfortunately.”
“I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
