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"Hello," I answer.
"Hey Elijah. Could you uh, could you come outside for a minute?" Denise asks.
"Is everything okay?"
She stays silent for a moment, answering me without having to say a thing. "Can you come out? I'm on your porch?"
"Yeah. Just give me a few minutes."
I hurry to brush my teeth and throw on sweatpants and a T-shirt. I give a peaceful looking Jolie one more look before I leave my room, wondering what kind of war awaits me outside.
Denise doesn't even look over her shoulder when I step out, the loud creaking of the screen door making it obvious I'm here. She sits on the highest step, back hunched, head bowed forward. I walk across the small expanse, wishing I had put on some sneakers, until I sit next to her. She doesn't speak for a while at first, and since I have no idea why she's here, I don't know what to say.
"My mom," she begins, voice scratchy until she clears her throat. "She thinks it would be best for you to find another job."
I nod. "I kinda figured that when I kept getting your texts not to come in."
Still hurts though. To know that a woman I have known most of my life, someone I saw and who saw me as family, no longer wants me around in any way.
"She wouldn't even talk about anything concerning you at first, but Mikaela and I told her it wasn't right to just leave you not knowing, so..."
"So she decided to fire me."
Denise flinches. "Not exactly fire, just..."
She searching for a word, and I give it to her. "Fire. It's okay though. I understand."
"She didn't mean the things she said at the dinner, Elijah."
"She did, but I understand why she said them. I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt, but I do understand. You tell her that, when she's ready to hear it."
"I think she'll come to talk to you. Once she's healed some from all the things she's now finding out. Once she figures out what it all means for the way she saw Ben."
I don't agree with her at all. Because while Regina might come to terms with the truth, I don't think she'll come to terms with who told it to her. With the way it was told to her. With me. And I have to find a way to be okay with that. Instead of saying any of that, I ask a question to leave off from Denise's last statement.
"How are you and Mikaela?"
She shrugs. "I guess I'm doing the best because I knew what was coming. I showed Mikaela the note, but my mom's not ready to see it yet. We cried together, kinda of went back in our minds to re-examine moments we thought were one way to see if they were another. I guess that'll be a long process though."
"I didn't mean to make it seem like Ben was never happy with you guys. There were definitely times he was. He loved you guys. Maybe that's why he hid what was going on. He didn't want it to affect you guys, to bring that into your family. But really, I don't know. But I do know there were times he truly smiled when he was in your presence. In Mikaela and Regina's presence, and I think he'd want you to hold on to that more than anything else."
She swallows and nods. "Thank you. I'll remember that. And here.” She hands me a bag I hadn't noticed beside her. "Happy birthday." My eyes widen, and she gives a chuckle. "Did you really think we forgot?"
"Well, not forgot. Just more like it wasn't on your minds."
"Open it." She lifts her chin at the bag.
I reach inside and take out a picture frame. I smile the moment I look at it. Me and Ben, one of our best Halloweens together. I was Terminator, basically covered in foil with a grandma-made helmet on, and Ben was Wolverine, silver painted plastic knives taped to the inside of his hand for blades.
"We found it when we were going through Ben's room. My mom is finally letting us."
Something inside of me releases at hearing that. That even though I'm still not completely sure saying everything I did was the best way for Regina to hear it, that maybe it is helping her move on, just a little. But a little goes a long way with grief. That I do know.
"We got so much candy this year." I chuckle. "You know, before you and Mikaela came and ransacked our bags."
"Hey. We were too old to be trick-or-treating. But not too old for candy."
"Or for thievery, it seems." I laugh. "Thank you. This means a lot to me."
