And all these “friends” he supposedly had.
“The whole thing made no sense. One second, I was just trying to get away, and the next, I was on stage helping students and talking to people. It was an out-of-body experience.”
“You didn’t like it?” he asked.
I thought about it. “It wasn’t awful, so long as I kept my focus on the kids. A few people in town stopped to talk to me and were clearly trying to sniff out some sort of gossip about my past, but I was actually so busy it was easy to make excuses to break away.” I paused to finally analyze how I felt. “It was okay. I was so worried about what Mari would think when she got better. I didn’t want her to hear that I’d messed everything up.”
“It’s okay to care,” Devlin offered.
I realized if anybody could relate, it was Devlin. He’d had a one-hit wonder as a teen and spent years running from his past. “Being in town was weird. Everybody here hated me when I left, but now they couldn’t wait to talk to me.”
Devlin nodded in understanding. “A couple of things going on there, if I had to guess.”
“Enlighten me.”
“You’re the big fish, right? There will always be those who are impressed by success. Or whatever they deem success to be. Just like there will always be the people who resent you for it.”
It confirmed a hidden fear; I only had value to people if I was asomebody.
“But also, and probably more likely, we project more onto people than is actually there. Most people only care about themselves and what’s going on in their world. Chances are people were just excited that Mari was getting some of the help she desperately needs.”
When I first met Mari, I thought she didn’t need anybody, but the past few days had shown how fragile her system of self-sufficiency was. Everybody needed help. No woman was an island.
I nodded and saw my mother’s head pop in the doorway, her eyes asking if I was ready to go. “You’ve gotten wise in your old age, Devlin,” I said.
“It’s fatherhood.”
“Is that right?
“Yes. I’m too exhausted to have any sort of filter or deal with any bullshit.”
I laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “I’ll let you get back to your family. Thanks again for helping us out.”
“See you next week.”
After we dropped Cath off, Janice and I came home to a quiet house. There were signs that Mari had been up and about; the guest room had been straightened,the kitchen had dishes drying on the rack. We found Mari asleep in the living room. She had a book on her blanketed lap and her head tucked into her arms. She wore the clean clothes that had been waiting for her and her damp hair was braided over her shoulder. I was relieved to find her color returned to normal and her breathing soft and regular.
“You’re staring,” Janice said with a grin.
My shoulders lifted and settled with a deep breath. “Yeah.” My whisper came out louder than intended in the silent room.
Mari blinked and sat up. “Hey.” Her eyes were warming, finding me first. It caused a burst of protective longing.
“Sorry.” I winced as she blinked herself fully awake. She noticed Janice and gave a sleepy wave.
“It’s okay. I was waiting for you.” She set the book down and stretched her neck, head tilting side to side. To Janice, she said, “Thank you for helping out and letting me stay here. I can’t believe how many days I was out of it.”
“Not a problem, dear. We’re glad you’re okay. Leo was happy to look after something other than his garden.”
I looked at my traitorous mother. “The garden needs less attention this time of year,” I muttered.
“How did it go with Cath?” Mari asked.
“It was good. Devlin’s studio is incredible.”
“Even with his weird fixation on locking doors,” Janice added.
Mari looked confused but smiled. “Good. And she sounded good?”
