I respond with a hiccup.
Tyler shakes his head, walks to the fridge, and pours me a glass of water from the filtration pitcher.My body shakes with another hiccup as I take the glass from him, spilling a little water over our hands."Sorry.I’ve got the hiccups."
"Thanks, Captain Obvious."
I bend over at the waist and place my mouth on the far side of the rim of the glass.Then, bending a little further, I tilt the glass away from my body until I can drink from the opposite side.
"Rachel, are you okay?"
I lift my gaze, still drinking, to see Tyler bent over, looking through the veil of my hair.I stand up and say, "Voila!Hiccups are gone!"I pose like Vanna White revealing the newest letter on Wheel of Fortune.
"What was that?"
I place the glass down on the counter, slowly and methodically to ensure I don’t accidentally spill it or drop it on the floor.I’m not super trusting of my motor skills right now."That was the only useful thing my mother ever taught me.How to cure hiccups.Never fails."
It’s true.I remember my mom showing me that when I was little.It’s worked every time.Of course, most of the time when I do it, people have the same panicked reaction that TJ had.They think I’m about to upchuck.
He takes my glass and refills it."Did you only come over because you’re drunk?"
I nod."Well, that and I really need to know something."
He resumes his place at the cutting board, squinting at the recipe card.He studies the directions and then moves diligently while he chops the zucchini and carrots.Of course, he would eat zucchini.I only eat it in bread form with chocolate chips added.With all of the coordination I still possess, I climb up on one of the kitchen stools and lean my elbows on the counter, facing TJ.The room spins a little.
"What do you need to know?"he asks.He consults the card again.
"Why do you care about my list?You were blowing up my phone with all these … plans."I wave my hand around."Why are you making plans for me?What’s it to you?"Then, to soften my abruptness, I add, "I mean why are you even thinking about me at all?"
He puts down the large knife he’s been chopping with.He looks at it for a moment and then moves it to the other side of the cutting board, away from my reach.He opens and closes his mouth a few times."I just thought you could use a little help.You know, like you’re too close to it, so you can’t see the forest through the trees."
I squint at him, trying to figure out what he means.
"Maybe not the forest through the trees.I’ve never been good at those phrases.What I mean is that because of your grief, it might seem very overwhelming and like you don’t know where to start.But because I’m not in your shoes, I can see that there are very easy ways to do some of the things your sister wanted to do."
He’s not getting my point, although he’s not wrong.It all seems like too much."No, but whyme?Why do you want to helpme?"
TJ shrugs."I dunno.You’re nice.You put up with my mom and my family’s antics without running screaming in the other direction.You live close by."
"So basically, proximity, and I let your mom push me around.Got it."
TJ smiles."I dunno why.Also, I really want to know why I was on your sister’s list."
"That’s easy.You’re hot."In the morning, I can feel mortified about my behavior.Right now, I speak the truth.In vino veritas.
"Okay, maybe," he agrees.It’s not like being good-looking is a shock to TJ."But don’t you think it’s weird you keep crossing my path?It’s gotta be for a reason, right?"
"Would it be crazy to say my sister’s behind this?"I ask.That’s got to be the answer.Christ, she’s the one who set this whole thing in motion to begin with.
"Yes, unless you believe in ghosts and possession, in which case I’m going to have to draw the line."
I spin around on the stool, which is a colossal mistake as it makes me more dizzy.I grab onto the edge of the counter to stop the world from spinning."I wish I could say I did.But I haven’t heard a word from Richie yet.I keep looking."
"Is Richie short for something?I’ve never heard of a girl with that name before."
"It’s short for Richelle.Whenever Richie was trying to introduce herself to people, especially in a crowd, she would say, ‘It’s like Michelle, with an R.’She’d take her finger and draw the R out in the air.Or if it was a hot guy, on his chest."I make the shape of a capital R in the air like Zorro.
"So your names were …"
"Yup, Rachel and Richelle Cramer.No one ever accused my mother of having good taste.Or any taste at all."I wrinkle my nose."Her name is Renee, and her brother is Robert.Guess she wanted to keep the ‘R’ thing going."
