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“Not really,” I admitted. “But if you want someone to have a beer with, I can do that.”
“Oh,” Mom huffed. “It’s too early for beer.” She hooked her arm around mine. “I didn’t see a car parked out front.” She didn’t word it as a question, but it was one. Mom just made statements and waited for you to respond.
“I take public transportation,” I said as she led us into the living room. “It’s cheaper that way. I don’t have to worry about insurance or gas.”
“You mean you ride the bus?” She gasped and pulled me to the couch. “That’s dangerous. Why are you doing that?” She turned to glare at Dad. “You’re working at the dealership now. Surely he’s paying you enough to own and maintain a car.”
Dad kicked his loafers off and shed his suit jacket. As he was loosening his tie, he sat down heavily in his recliner. “I pay her fairly for the position she’s working. I have never paid the boys more than anyone else that I hired on at the lot. I don’t play favorites.”
“This is your daughter,” Mom huffed quietly. “You should play favorites.” She let go of my arm and turned to me. “If you paid her enough, she wouldn’t still be working at that club.”
“I put my two weeks’ notice in at the bar,” I told her warily. “Next week will be my last week, and then I’ll just be working at the dealership.” I resisted the urge to scoot away from her, not wanting to hurt her feelings. “And I don’t need Dad to give me extra pay. I prefer earning raises. Don’t twist his arm into giving me something I didn’t work for.”
“That’s my girl,” Dad said as he turned the television on. He had his phone in his hand at the same time. “Kyle said he’ll be over in about an hour. We’re going to watch the Saints game. You could have a beer with us when he gets here.”
I grimaced, but nodded. I should’ve known he would be here. I doubted I’d be able to escape before Kyle got here. That meant I would have to suffer through my brother and my parents.
“You’re gonna be watching the Saints game?” I asked, trying to sound interested. “How long have you and Kyle been watching football together?”
“Since the season started,” he answered as he turned the television to a sports station. “I used to be in the rotation for football,” he gave me a look, “but something happened, and I haven’t seen the boys in a few games.” He shrugged. “This was after Kyle fired Adam. I can’t imagine firing someone you’re friends with is good for a friendship.”
“So he’s coming over here to make up for it?” I asked.
“I’m not complaining,” he said easily as he settled in. “It’s always nice to have a buddy to watch the games with.” He gave me a grin. “If you want to join us, I’m sure your brother won’t mind.”
“Let’s not pretend she enjoys sports,” Mom huffed. She stood and turned to me. “Plus, once you get invested in a game, there’s no chance for conversation. Come on, honey. I’ve got some things I want you to go through.”
I didn’t resist Mom’s pull. I let her lead me back to what used to be my bedroom. Even if I didn’t like football, I’d rather the easygoing feeling of sitting on the couch pretending I knew what was going on, checking out men in tight pants. Sure, I had a lot on my plate, but it was okay to look.
Seeing a bunch of boxes crowding the space with the twin bed and dresser was disheartening. My childhood bedroom was just another storage area now. It put less weight on her offer for me to come back home and live with them.
“Look what I found,” she said as she opened a box. She pulled out a plaid skirt and offered it to me. She looked pleased with herself. “You looked so adorable in it.” She took a step towardme and held it up to my hips. “It looks like it could still fit. It’s something you could probably wear to work?”
“Why would I wear it to work?” The question sounded hollow as it came out of me. It was the most obvious reason I didn’t visit with my parents often. I bit my tongue to keep from snapping at my mother. “I hated that school,” I told her uneasily. I honestly thought I had burned all my uniforms after I graduated. “I don’t want to ever wear this again.”
“Oh, honey,” she huffed out, pulling the skirt away from me. “You graduated four years ago. It’s time you get past that.” She folded the skirt and threw it onto the bed. “Your grades were spectacular at that school. I’m willing to bet if you’d applied to college, you would have gotten scholarships to pay for it.”
“I didn’t have any idea what to major in,” I admitted as I watched her dig through the box. “It didn’t seem like a good idea to waste money going to school if I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
Mom pulled out the tie and white button-down that went with that uniform. I felt my shoulders tighten seeing all of it. She didn’t seem to notice my discomfort as she kept pulling things from the box. “I’m pretty sure this is all the things you left in your dorm,” she explained. “I’m honestly surprised you didn’t have more things. I expected a journal or something that has sentimental value to you.”
“I took it with me,” I said without thinking. “I don’t keep journals. After Kyle read mine in fifth grade and laughed at me about it, I didn’t start a new one.” I stayed by the bedroom door. Something about this room felt stifling. But I couldn’t leave just yet. Not without hurting their feelings.
“It’s the hazard of brothers,” she said dismissively. That was the usual with Mom. Any time there was an issue between Kyle and me, she brushed it off. Boys will be boys. She turned back to me. “Did you want to go through this stuff? When I thought youmight need to move back in, I started going through the boxes and your father suggested I donate them. I just wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything you wanted to keep.”
If that box was from my dorm from high school, I didn’t want to see it. I shook my head. “Donate it. If it was left here, or at school, then I don’t want it.”
“What about memories, baby?”
“I don’t have any good ones,” I admitted, and turned to go out the bedroom door. “But you don’t have to worry about me needing to move back in. I’m good.” I paused, not sure if she would be offended if I left her there. “It’s not important. Just donate it if it’s in the way.”
Mom sighed and closed the box. She frowned at me. “All right. I didn’t want to watch football with your father, but you’re not giving me much of a choice here.” She met me at the door. She hooked her arm through mine and led me back into the living room. “Are you dating anyone?”
That got Dad’s attention. He was stretched out in his recliner, pregame highlights and speculation blaring from the television. “I haven’t seen you chatting with anyone at the dealership. She’s all work, which I can appreciate. But she was cleaning out cars and Kyle kept a short leash on her.”
“Don’t let your son chase your daughter away from working for you,” Mom said as she led me to the couch. “God knows it took her long enough to come home. We don’t need him or you chasing her off.”
I sat beside her, but didn’t say a word. I wasn’t gonna mention how it was working for my brother. Or why I hadn’t been the best daughter by only paying visits when they weren’t avoidable. It felt like I was in that situation now. And I only got here early to avoid conversation with Shay.
