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“I don’t feel trapped. Not consciously. And this sucks because I know you’re nothing like them, but their shit keeps popping into my head.”
In some ways I get what Tripp’s going through. Every once in a while I’ll remember something about my parents out of the blue, and it’ll paralyze me. The difference is those memories are happy, and the paralysis is almost welcome because it forces me to relive a good time in my life. It keeps me from forgetting them. In Tripp’s case the memories are traumatic, and the paralysis is borne of fear of being abandoned or homeless. I don’t know how to help him get through that except to give him time and space. And if the space part of that equation is keeping this condo, even if that’s just a mental security blanket, I’ll give that to him. With a twist.
“What if you give this place to Rose?”
“Like put it in her name?” Tripp sits up straight, glancing at me with the softer expression I’m starting to see more and more of.
“If you want. Or leave it in your name but have her move in. Either way, it’ll be here if you need it, so you never have to worry about not having somewhere to go.”
“She does deserve a place of her own after all the shit she put up with from my parents.”
“What sort of shit was that?”
Tripp fiddles with a hangnail as he answers. “Emotional abuse mostly, same as me. Telling her her work wasn’t good enough, that she cooked things wrong, that it was her fault I was a handful. I always wondered why she put up with it. I know now she stayed because of the green card thing, at least after they kicked me out, but before that I think she stayed for me.” He brings his glassy eyes to mine, and I wrap him in my arms.
“So, what do you think?” I sift my fingers through his hair to comfort him. “Keep this as a safe place for the two of you?”
“I think we’d both like that.”
“We’ll make it happen, then.”
Tripp pulls back and places the sweetest kiss on my lips. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“So.” A sly smile spreads across his face. “Where did we land on the whole pool thing?”
I lift him off my lap and playfully smack his ass. “Finish packing. Then maybe we’ll talk.”
“Yes, Daddy.” He quips, and I can’t even correct him since he’s too fucking cute.
Chapter 24 - Tripp
The bell echoes on the other side of the door, and while I wait for the judge–Uncle Callahan–to answer. I briefly wish I’d taken Noah up on his offer to come with me, but he has practice, and deep down I know this is something I need to do on my own.
Seeing my parents rattled me more than I’d like to admit, and the hardened exterior I’d honed to perfection over the years started to crack. I know that’s not all bad, I was too isolated and independent before, but I’m too wary and unsure of myself after coming face-to-face with my past.
Noah has been exceptionally patient and understanding while I sort through the things I never really dealt with, and while I don’t think he minds taking care of me–that’s kind of his personality–I don’t want to be the kind of man who needs to be coddled. Prior to the run-in with my folks, I wasn’t, and I want that back. No, scratch that. I want to find a balance between taking care of myself and letting him take care of me.
“Preston,” Uncle Callahan booms as he opens the door.
“Tripp, actually,” I correct him as I step inside.
“Right. Sorry. That might take a little getting used to.”
“It’s okay.” I follow him as he leads us to his office, a room in dark cherry wood with an ornate desk and a wall of books. It's everything I imagined a judge’s office would look like. Even though this is a friendly visit, I can’t help feeling a little like I’m in a principal’s office, about to be interrogated.
He gestures to one of the wingback chairs as he takes a seat behind the desk. “Rose is packing her bags. I thought we might catch up until she’s ready.”
“Sure.”
“First off, I’d like to say I’m sorry.”
“What?” I balk. “Why are you sorry?”
Uncle Callahan props his elbows on the armrest and steeples his fingers together. “I always knew your parents weren’t really the parental type. They were both rather ambitious, even back in college, and in truth I think that’s why we became friends since I was the same way.” A wistful smile flashes across his face before he becomes serious again. “You were a bit of a surprise, and while I knew they continued to put your father’s career first even after you arrived, I did think you were being treated well at home.”
He takes a deep breath before continuing, “I knew you and your father butted heads of course, but that was no different than any other father and son relationship. At least not that I saw, and having no child of my own, I didn’t feel qualified to second guess my friend. Not even when they shipped you off to a military academy for getting caught up in drugs.”
