Liesel puts her hands on my shoulders, and instinctively, I hold my arms open for her to jump on my back.
“No piggybacks!” Lucas yells as we go into the kitchen.
“Bro, chill,” Logan mumbles.
Liesel laughs in my ear.
Nuts and bolts are a cinch to make, but they bake in the oven for hours and require frequent mixing, so when everyone goes back into the family room to watch the movie, I take a break in the kitchen under the guise of helping. But really, I’m back to looking for earlier flights home.
And messaging my parents.
I haven’t talked to them all day, only texted. The fact that neither of them will answer their phones bothers me. They keep texting that everything’s okay, but it’s suspicious, to say the least. My mom is homebound! Has she become addicted to her VR headset? Is she so caught up in “experiencing” the world that she’s forgotten about me?
She can’t have. She loves me. I know she loves me.
But in my lowest moments, that fear has a way of resurfacing. That day I waited in the office at school while the admin staff called her over and over again left a mark. The secretary said something to another admin that I’ve never quite been able to shake: “How little do you have to care about your own kid to just forget him?”
In spite of what I told Liesel about my radical acceptance, I can’t stop looking for flights. So when I get an alert of a seat opening up, I text my parents immediately.
Coop
Good news! I found a flight that’s leaving earlier. I’ve booked a red eye leaving Christmas night, so I’ll be there when you guys wake up the day after Christmas. I’m just sorry I can’t get anything earlier! Stupid storm.
Dad
Don’t worry about it, son. These things happen. We’ll see you when we see you.
Mom
Is the ticket refundable?
Coop
…
…
What do you mean?
Mom
Nothing! I saw on the news there’s another storm coming in. I’d hate for you to waste that money if it gets canceled again.
Coop
If they cancel it, I get refunded. But that won’t happen. I’ll be there, Mom.
Mom
Don’t stress about it, sweetie. We understand.
Mom has an over-the-top personality. I get it from her.
She isnotbeing over-the-top. She’s not saying how much she misses me. She’s not expressing regret the way she always does for not being able to come to me. Her responses are almost nonchalant.
How little do you have to care about your own kid to just forget him?
Is that what’s happening?
