"She's your mom."
"She's a nag."
"She's scared you're gonna die before thirty."
I stared at the ceiling. "Tell her I'm alive."
"Tell her yourself."
He waited. I didn't move.
Kei sighed again. "You're impossible."
"Love you too."
He left. The door clicked shut.
The phone buzzed on the nightstand. I didn't look. Knew who it was.
It rang again. And again.
I grabbed it. Mom's name on the screen. Picture of her from last Christmas, smiling, perfect hair, pearls. The woman who raised three lawyers and one fuck-up.
I answered. Speaker.
"Calvin."
"Hey, Mom."
"Don't 'hey Mom' me. Your father's been asking about you."
I laughed once. Short. "He can ask me himself."
"You know he won't. You know how he is."
"Yeah. Stubborn. Runs in the family."
She sighed. Same sigh Kei used. "Your sister's closing a big case next week. Your brother just made partner. We're proud of them."
"Good for them."
"And you? When are you coming home? When are you going to stop this... phase?"
"It's not a phase. It's my life."
"You're wasting your talent. Your brain. You could be..."
"A lawyer? Like Dad? Pass."
Silence. Long.
"I miss you," she said finally. Soft.
My chest tightened. I hated that.
"I'm fine, Mom."
"You don't sound fine."
