Page 59 of I’m Already Gone

“Hello?” Lily answers.

“Hey, Lily. It’s Ethan.”

I can almost hear the smile in her voice. “I know. Everything alright?” she asks.

“Right. Um, so, the weather is really… It’s getting pretty bad out here with all this heavy rain. And since we’re on the other side of town, with the roads already starting to get bad, I was thinking… maybe it’s safer if the kids just stayed with me tonight.”

A beat of silence stretches between us, and only the soft, shared sound of our breathing fills the void.

“Um, are you sure about that, Ethan?” she asks hesitantly.

“Yeah. I wouldn’t have offered if I wasn’t,” I say, perhaps a little too quickly. I glance over at Ollie, who’s perched on the edge of my couch, his small feet dangling, eyes wide and fixed on me.

She lets out a soft, almost wistful chuckle. “Okay. I’m fine with that. Can I speak with Ollie?”

“Hey, Ollie,” I say. He looks up at me, his small fingers twisting together in his lap. “Your mama wants to talk to you.” I hand him my phone, already pressing the speaker button.

“You’re on speaker, Lily.”

“Hi, Ollie,” she says, her voice instantly sweeter, lighter.

“Hi, Mama.”

“The weather’s gotten really bad, sweetheart, and it’s safer to stay where you are. Are you okay with staying the night with Ethan?”

“I want to stay here! With Ethan, Jake, and Maddy!” he answers immediately.

A smile spreads across my face.

She laughs softly, a sound that sounds like coming home. “Okay, sweetheart. You behave and have fun, okay? Listen to Ethan.”

“I will! Love you!” He makes a loud, exaggerated smooch sound into the phone, then, with a burst of energy, scrambles off the couch and runs toward Jake’s room, already calling out his name.

I take the phone off speaker and press it back against my ear. “I love you too, my sweet boy,” I hear Lily whisper.

“He’s already gone,” I say, a low laugh escaping me.

“Oh. So sorry.” She sounds a little embarrassed.

“Don’t be.”

We’re quiet for a moment, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. “Did you want me to try and pick them up tomorrow morning?” she asks.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll drop them off.”

“Okay. Thank you, Ethan. Really.”

“You’re very welcome, Lily.”

“Have a good night, Ethan.”

“Good night, Lily,” I whisper.

The call ends, leaving me with the sound of her voice echoing in my head.

“That’s pretty cool, Dad,” Maddy says.

I turn to face her, catching sight of her cupcake-shaped slippers peeking out from under her pajama bottoms.