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They brandished their badges. “I’m Officer Talbot. This here is Officer Williams. We need to speak with your daughter about an incident last night. A motorcycle wreck, supposedly involving a car full of boys?”
I piped up. “Not supposedly.”
Mom held her hand up, signaling for me to be quiet.
“You are more than welcome to come inside and sit. I can make us some coffee. But before you speak with my daughter, she’s going to get herself a hot shower.”
The officer sighed. “Ma’am, I’m afraid this is urgent.”
Mom stood her ground. “Well, so is her shower. She’s covered in blood and still shaking from trauma. You can take it, or you can leave it. But if you take it, it comes with coffee, courtesy of me.”
She held the door open, waiting for the officers to choose.
“Either way, I’m going to go run my daughter a hot shower before placing a call to her school. She’s in no condition to go to classes today. Give us thirty minutes, and we’ll be with you. Or find another time. I’m good either way.”
And as my mother stood there, stronger than I’d ever seen her, I leaned my forehead against her shoulder. I kissed her robe, hoping she felt it through her clothing. Her hand came up, running through my hair as the officers murmured between themselves.
“All right, ma’am. We’d enjoy the cup of coffee.”
Mom smiled. “Great. Let me get my daughter in a shower, then I’ll brew a pot while placing that quick phone call.”
8
Clinton
“I already pushed back the trip, Cecilia. Just what exactly do you expect me to do about it?”
“I expect you to cancel it, Howard. Because your son is going to need you in the coming weeks.”
I felt myself waking up, but I didn’t open my eyes. The second I heard their voices, I stayed silent. I kept my breathing even. I wanted to listen in on their conversation. On what they were arguing about. And as their hushed whispers grew to faint growls, I wondered if my father would ever give a shit about me.
“I’m not canceling anything, Cecilia. This meeting is too important.”
She scoffed. “Then do it via video conference. From your laptop, or your home office. My God, Howard, you’ve got one but you never use it.”
“Because I have to be there in person. I’m the owner of the damn thing. I can’t just not show up to a meeting everyone is expecting me to be at.”
“Well, when you tell them your only child has gotten himself into a life-threatening accident. I’m sure they’ll change their tune.”
He snickered. “CeCe, we don’t know the details of that crash. The police are still trying to sniff things out. For all we know, this was Clinton’s fault!”
“And why does that matter?” she hissed.
“It matters because if he put himself in this situation, he can get himself out of it. It one hundred percent matters, if you knew anything about raising a boy like him!”
“So you think that even if he did cause this accident, he wouldn't need his father? Howard, he’s staring down the barrel of weeks of physical therapy. Weeks of strenuous activity before he’s walking normal and riding his bike and moving without assistance. He needs you at home. He’s a boy, Howard.”
“He’s my boy, and don’t you forget it. I know what I need to do in order to parent my son, Cecilia. You, of all people, don’t need to educate me on that.”
“Then step up and be the father he needs.”
I waited for it. I braced for the cracking sound of his hand against her face. I mean, I knew it was coming. It would have been coming had I said something like that to him. Cecilia was brave. Braver than I could have ever been. I was proud of her for standing up for what she believed. And honored that s
he was standing up for me.
But I heard the door of my hospital room whip open, stalling out the moment in its tracks.
“Take it outside, if you have to fight. Clint needs his rest, and I won’t have you two ruining it with your bickering. Understand?”
