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“Oh, that does not look good,” Mom said about an hour into my work, looking over my shoulder and grimacing as I held two pieces of a broken screw in my hand.
“I’ll get it, but it’s stubborn,” I said. Truthfully, I still had no idea how to proceed. But I was slow, careful, and methodical. I tried various configurations of the pieces behind the handle, and eventually I was able to get the stripped screw out.
About two hours had passed by the time I went out to the back yard, turned the water main back on, and returned to the shower.
“Is this the moment of truth?” Theo asked as he and Mom came back into the little bathroom, watching over me.
“Here is where we find out if all of my work was for nothing,” I said.
“Well, the fact that water isn’t shooting out of it while the handle is off means that you at least fixed something,” Mom said.
I reached for the handle and turned it on. The pipes sputtered for a moment, and for a beat, I was sure something terrible was about to happen. But then the water reached the spout again, and none of it was surging out of the sides.
“It works!” Mom called out. “Hallelujah!”
“Wow,” Theo said. He had a beer in his hand, and his cheeks had become a little rosier over the last two hours. I could tell he was relaxed and maybe had a little bit of a buzz already.
“Oh, you are a lifesaver, honey,” Mom said, giving me a quick hug. “Theo and I just fired up the grill out back, so there will be plenty of burgers and hot dogs to celebrate.”
“I got to meet Peck, Gina, and Daisy, too,” Theo told me.
“How’s Daisy doing now, Ma? She finally laying eggs again now that she’s safe from the cat?”
“She’s up and running again,” Mom said. “And Peck has a thing for Theo. Maybe she’s also a fan of Violet Fire.”
“You didn’t have to cook for us, by the way,” I said. “That’s awesome.”
“Least I could do,” she said, waving a hand through the air. “Especially after making you come out here on no notice.”
I got cleaned up and then joined Theo and Mom in the back yard, where they were sitting on the little picnic table and occasionally tending to the grill. Theo had his small leather notebook out, showing Mom a bunch of different pages.
“This is apparently a national park now,” Theo was saying, pointing to a photo of his grandfather in front of a strange-looking rock formation. “It’s called Mushroom Rock State Park.”
“I’ve heard of that,” Mom said. “It’s an easy road trip. About three hours from here. Your grandfather must have had an adventurous spirit.”
“He really did,” Theo said, watching me as I sat down next to my mom, across from him. “He eventually left Kansas altogether and moved out to California. All because my grandma wanted it.”
“He was a romantic, then, too,” Mom said.
“Definitely,” Theo said. “Much more so than I am.”
“I thought you seemed plenty romantic with your date at the Oscars a few years back,” Mom said, waggling her eyebrows. “What’s that actor’s name again? Francisco something?”
“Francisco DiMonta,” Theo said, his eyes downcast. “At the time, I definitely felt romantic with him. But three weeks later when I walked in on him blowing our director, I wasn’t quite as lovey-dovey.”
“Oh my Gosh,” Mom said. “I’m so sorry.”
Theo shrugged one shoulder. “No biggie. It was years ago, now. But it did suck.”
“Well, you always have hot dates, anyway,” Mom said. “You remind me of Roman’s brother, in that way. Brody always had any guy he wanted. Of course, now, he’s head-over-heels in love with his boyfriend Logan, but for a while there, he was quite the playboy.”
“Jesus, Ma,” I said, groaning.
“What? You know it’s true,” she said, grinning. “You, on the other hand, have always been more selective. You dated Lauren for a good couple of years, and there was Emily, of course. You’ve always got a girlfriend, but it seems like you’re picky when it comes to true love. And in my mind, that’s a very good thing.”
I could feel my cheeks turning hot. Theo was cutting a glance at me, very clearly trying to hide a smile.
“Can we talk about something else?” I said. “The weather, taxes, how it feels to watch paint dry, anything?”
Mom laughed, standing up and turning to the grill, giving the hot dogs a flip. “I’m sorry, hun,” she said. “I’m just glad I have two sons who are so wonderful, even if they’re so different. Oh! I’m going to go grab the mustard and the cheese for the burgers.”
“Need any help?” Theo asked.
“I’ve got it. I’ll be right back out,” she said, already disappearing through the back door.
“I’m so sorry the shower took me so long,” I said to Theo. “I know Ma probably talked your ear off.”
