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Me:We should go then. What do you think?
Joanna:You’re sure I’m not intruding?
I scoff out loud. Please.
Me:No. I want you there.
Joanna:I’d love to go.
Me:It’s a date.
Blair’s phone rings and I can hear our mother’s voice, telling her they’re waiting for their luggage to show up.
“Have her text us when they’ve got their luggage and we’ll come get them,” I say to Blair, who repeats that back to Mom.
Minutes later, we’re pulling out of the airport, Mom and Blair talking a mile a minute in the back seat while Dad sits next to me. He may be an old man in his forties, but he could probably still take me out on the football field. He’s fit as hell and still has a full head of hair.
Aspirations I have for my forties, that’s for damn sure. I can’t even imagine being that old, all the kids out of the house. What the hell are they doing with all that free time on their hands?
“We have an announcement,” Dad says when we’re almost to their hotel, which is close to campus.
Mom and Blair immediately stop talking. This could be the answer to my questions.
“We wanted to tell you both in person. We’ve already let Ruby know when we visited her on campus last weekend,” Dad continues, his gaze going to Mom’s in the back seat. “We put the house up for sale. We’re moving.”
“Seriously?” Blair squeaks.
“Really?” I’m shocked. We grew up in that house. My room is exactly as I left it and everything there is a comfort. It feels like a home base. And now they’re selling it? “Where are you guys going?”
“And why are you selling the house?” Blair asks, sounding as distressed as I feel.
“We want a change,” Mom says. “We love that house, there are so many memories there, but now that it’s just the two of us, it feels so big. I swear I lose your father in there sometimes.”
Dad chuckles. “It’s true. I’ll hear her calling me, ‘Owen, where are you?’”
“We know it’s your home and we figured you two might be upset, but please understand we didn’t make this decision lightly,” Mom says.
Blair is sniffing like she might be crying.
“Are you buying something smaller then?” I ask.
“Definitely,” Dad says with a firm nod. “But here’s the exciting part—we’re moving to California.”
“What?Why would you do that?” Blair practically screams.
“To live by Drew and Fable. Now that all the kids have gone to college, we just want to be closer to them.”
My aunt and uncle do live in a nice area. A small town up in the mountains, right by a lake. Not too far from Yosemite. We would visit them a couple of times a year growing up, and always at Thanksgiving. I have a lot of great memories there.
“We’re finally going. We bought a piece of property there a couple of years ago,” Mom adds.
“A couple of years ago? Seriously? And you never told us?” Blair sounds furious.
“We didn’t tell you because we didn’t think it was a big deal at the time. We bought it as an investment piece. A little what if, kind of purchase. Maybe we would build a house. Maybe we would eventually sell the land. We weren’t sure.” Dad pauses, and I glance over at him real quick, noting his serious expression. “We had plans drawn up and the construction has already started.”
“Oh, that’s nice. I love how you put this entire plan into action and never once consulted any of us,” my sister says.
Ouch. She’s pissed. I can’t blame her, but damn. Way to take it out on our parents, when they’re just trying to live their lives.
