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I had just finished classes for the afternoon and was on my way back to the apartment I shared with two other students when my cell phone rang. It was Mom.
She and Slate had returned from their cruise about a week ago. She had phoned me right away, telling me how exciting it had been to see all of those Caribbean islands. She followed up by emailing me about a zillion pictures of her trip.
“Hi, Mom,” I answered on my headset.
“Hey, Lindsey, just checking to make sure that you are still going to be here tomorrow evening, as planned.”
“Yep,” I answered. “I’ll hit the road right after my last class.”
“Great,” she said.
I could almost feel her smiling from the other end.
“Your grandparents are traveling to Florida so they won’t be here with us this Thanksgiving; it will just be the four of us.”
“What about Slate’s mom?”
“No, Katy can’t get away again, what with spending that week here before the wedding. She doesn’t have too many people she can totally depend on to take care of the restaurant.”
“I promise I will be there by four o’clock to start helping you with the preparations, Mom. I know how crazy you get when you cook for the holidays.”
“Thanks honey. I appreciate it. Bryce is just at that ‘into everything’ stage so I can surely use your help. Oh, and I think Eric is going to ask Taz to join us for Thanksgiving dinner so I guess that makes five of us.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. Taz’s family lives out in California somewhere so he doesn’t get back there often. You don’t have a problem with that, do you?”
“No, Mom. Why would you ask that?”
“Well, I know he can be a little rough around the edges, I just wasn’t sure if that would make you uncomfortable.”
“Not at all, Mom,” I lied. “Besides that, I’m kind of used to that with Slate.”
“Hey,” she said, laughing, “oh, never mind. I guess you do have a point. Listen, I needed to ask if you have ---.”
“No, Mom,” I replied, cutting her off, “I haven’t heard a thing from Daddy. You know that I would tell you if I had, right?”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. I know I continue to ask that question. I guess I’m not totally at ease about all of that, even now. I just wish we knew for sure that we were free of it all.”
The subject of my father was still a very painful one for me. Aside from the brief letter he had commissioned someone to mail for him after he left the country, there had been nothing. I never would have dreamed he could have deserted me that way with no second thought.
“Hey, Mom, I’m pulling into the parking garage at my apartment so I’m going to lose the signal. I will see you late tomorrow afternoon.”
“Okay, Lindsey. Drive carefully.”
I let myself into the apartment.
Darcy was already home, sprawled out on the sofa, getting her daily fix of the Jerry Springer show with a bag of Cheetos resting on her firm, flat belly.
“Hey, Darce,” I greeted, kicking the door to the apartment shut behind me.
My arms were loaded down with my books. The strap on my back pack had broken earlier in the day.
“Hey Linds,” she answered, muting the television. “What the hell happened to your back pack?”
“Strap broke due to heavy load. I bring my textbooks home.”
“Oh, don’t start with me,” she laughed, tossing a Cheeto at me. “Just cause you’ve got that ‘studious’ thing going on 24/7 doesn’t mean the rest of us have to. My back pack is four years old and looks new.”
