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“Isn’t it funny? That you two were neighbors and you met again as adults?”
“I was surprised when I saw Aaron at the café that day.”
“You’ll have to tell me the whole story sometime.”
“Definitely.” Sydney tried to move forward, but Sylvia kept hold of her wrist.
“I wish I would have done more for you and your mom when you were little. Everyone knew, but no one did a thing.”
“That’s okay. It was a different time back then. You weren’t supposed to get into other people’s business.”
“That’s no excuse.”
“No. But it’s the way things were. Everything has turned out okay.”
“Right. Well, can I get you two a drink?”
“Nothing. We’re fine,” Aaron said. His back was straight and his stomach was on fire. Normally, when he walked into a situation where he didn’t know what to expect, he could rely on his training. But he was never trained for this and no matter what he told himself, he felt like a little boy facing a stern father.
“Why don’t we sit in the living room,” Sylvia said. “That’s where your father is.”
Aaron stopped in the doorway when he spotted his dad. The man who’d always been imposing now looked weak and shriveled. “I thought you said he was better,” he mumbled to his mom.
“I’m right here, you know. You can talk to me directly,” his dad said.
Sylvia scooted around Aaron. “You should have seen him before. He looked like death. He’s improving every day.”
“Mr. Pritchard, it’s good to see you again,” Sydney said.
“It’s Dean.” His voice was strong despite the way he looked. “I hear you’ve been working on radical new cancer treatments?”
“Yes. Not to treat the cancer, but to treat the body while going through chemo. To keep patients stronger.”
“That’s very honorable work.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Dean pushed himself up in his chair. “You can sit down. This isn’t a formal gathering. You don’t need to wait to be invited.”
Aaron and Sydney sat together on the couch, but Sylvia stayed standing, wringing her hands. “I’m going to go get some treats for everyone.” She rushed out of the room.
Dean grunted. “She’s been like that since she knew you were coming. She’s afraid we’ll have another blowup.”
“We don’t have to,” Aaron said, keeping his eyes on his hands.
“No, we don’t. We’re both grown men.”
“Mom said you wanted to see me. Or was that her idea?”
“It was her idea.”
“I see. Then I guess we should go.”
Dean let out an exasperated puff of air. “Why do you always have to be so black and white? You’ve always been so severe.”
“Wonder where I got that from.”
“You can’t blame this on me. You’ve always been like that. Like with the army.”
