My sister and I made a deal that every Saturday afternoon, we would talk, and today it’s my turn to call.
The phone rings a couple of times, then she answers, out of breath. “Jett! Just a sec. Owen! Let the damn dog out! He’s driving me insane! Sorry about that. How are you?”
“I’m good. You sound busy. Did I call at a bad time?”
“No! Just my life in a nutshell,” she laughs. “Damn dog dragging mud all over my new laminate floors.”
“Ugh, sorry.”
She sighs as a chair being dragged across the floor sounds in the background. “Okay, baby brother, I’m all yours. Tell me everything about your exotic life in Eugene.”
A laugh bursts from me. “Exotic? Hardly.”
“You know what I mean. How was your first week?”
“It was good.” I pause, remembering the small things that matter. Inhaling deeply, I put it out there. “It was really good, actually. The other staff members are nice, and the students are cool too.”
“And…?”
For fuck’s sake. She’s really going to make me say it? I sigh, wiping my hand across my face. It’s just words. I won’t jinx anything by saying them out loud.
“And I think I did pretty good.”
“Yeah?” I hear the relief in my sister’s voice. After I was released from the hospital, she tried not to pressure me by showing how much she wanted me to be better, happier, and healthier. I hear it now, though.
“Yeah, it’s fun, actually. I mean, I still have a shit ton to learn, but it feels… good.”
“I’m so happy for you,” she whispers, and I know she has tears in her eyes. My eyes are fucking stinging, too, with how much I love her and how grateful I am that the universe blessed me with my sister.
“Thanks, Janie.” I lean back on the couch, feeling strangely relieved. It felt good sharing my successes, and the world didn’tend, at least not today. “So, enough about me, let’s talk about you.”
“You sure you wanna know?” She laughs with the familiar warmth in her voice.
“I wanna know,” I smile against the phone, because Ido,and I don’t want to disappear. Not anymore.
So, Janelle tells me about her insanely happy life. For the next thirty minutes, we chat and laugh at random shit.She bitches about Owen and brags about her kids with equal amounts of fondness. She hopes this year they’ll be able to go on a family vacation and leave the restaurant in the hands of their employees. I tell her that if she wants, I can take the dog, and I regret it instantly. I hate dogs. They’re noisy, dirty, and clingy.
“Okay, baby brother, I gotta go. I have to take Mason to his piano lesson before I drop the kids off at Mom and Dad’s.”
My stomach sinks at the mere mention of Dad. “Okay. Say hi to everyone.”
“I will.” Janelle pauses before she nearly blows out my eardrum shouting. “Fuck! I almost forgot. Did you check your mail yet?”
“No. Why?”
“Go check it then. The kids sent their favorite uncle something.”
“I’m theironlyuncle,” I murmur, but my chest squeezes nonetheless. I love those kids. They brought me life when I thought I had nothing left.
Janelle groans. “Whatever. Just fucking check it, because they’ll keep nagging me until you do.”
I laugh. “Sure. Now go back to your amazing life.”
“Okay. Go have an amazing life yourself, baby brother.”
I’ll try.
“Love you, Janie,” I say, keeping my voice tight and from breaking.
