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“I promise. I’m doing everything I can in here to keep out of trouble.”
I bit my lip to keep my smart remarks to myself and listened to Luca’s quiet breathing. Closing my eyes, I pretended like he was next to me. On a typical night at home, we’d be cuddled up, chatting and touching. “I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Sasha.” His gravelly voice was barely audible.
A tear rolled down my cheek, and I quickly brushed it away with a dry laugh. “I’m going to come see you this weekend.”
“Good.” Luca cleared his throat. “I have to go. Same time tomorrow night?”
“Mhm. I love you.”
“I love you more. Don’t stay up too late.”
“Yeah, yeah. You don’t do anything stupid.”
“Never.”
And the line went dead, which wasn’t surprising. Luca never said goodbye. Sometimes it was because he had to abruptly hang up because of guards and other inmates. Mostly it was an unspoken agreement to never utter those words to one another. Ending the calls was hard for me, but I knew it was even harder for Luca.
About halfway through the movie, my phone buzzed for the tenth time. It was a text from my mom. I hadn't talked to her in a couple of weeks and knew I needed to, but I wasn't ready to sort through what she could and couldn't know. Putting it back on the table, I settled back into the cushions.
When the doorbell rang, I sat down my gigantic bowl of popcorn and wiped my hands off. “I’m coming!”
Before I got there, the door swung open, and my mom stomped in. Red-lidded food containers filled her arms, and a joyless smile pulled at her lips. “Oh, good. You’re still alive.” She pushed past me and went straight to the kitchen.
As I stood stunned in the entryway, Tommy gave me an apologetic smile and gently shut the door. I was locked in the house with my angry mother.
Perfect.
Reluctantly, I shuffled toward the banging in the kitchen. “Mom?”
She turned dramatically, her eyes darting around the room as her mouth formed a perfect circle. “Oh! You remember who I am. I was worried you wouldn’t recognize me.”
Rolling my eyes, I sat at the island. “I get it. I should've called.”
“You’re damn right.” She aggressively slapped a square of lasagna on a plate. “Imagine! Not hearing from your daughter for over a month. Your father is beside himself.”
No, he wasn’t. I knew my dad. The man was the most unbothered human on the planet.
Mom eyed me and huffed. “I bet you haven't had a home-cooked meal since Luca was taken in.”
“I’ve cooked.” Once, but she didn’t need to know that.
“I’m sure.” She slid the plate toward me and started putting the containers she had brought away. “Eat.”
It was ten o'clock at night, and I’d had my fair share of snacks, so I wasn’t really hungry, but the look my mom gave me made me cut off the corner of her four-layer lasagna and take a bite. It was hot, meaning it must’ve just come out of the oven. “Did you just get off a shift?”
Mom nodded as she filled a glass of water from the tap. "Your dad is at the station for the next couple of days, so I figured I'd bring you a real meal." She slammed the glass on the counter in front of me and crossed her arms. Her eyes fell to my belly. "You need to make sure you're taking care of yourself."
I shoved another bite in my mouth to keep the truth from spilling out.
Mom fidgeted with her wedding ring before sighing. “How are you doing?” She rubbed my arm and sat on the stool next to me.
Taking a sip of water, I rocked my head back and forth. “I’m okay. Just taking it one day at a time.”
“Oh, honey. I can’t imagine.”
I bit the inside of my cheek. There were so many things I wanted to tell her, but I couldn’t.
