Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Aubrey
I was very appreciative of Ethan’s generosity, and he made me feel special. The kind of special that I had never felt before. I was slowly falling for this man, and I didn’t want to, but he was making it impossible with the sweet things he had done for me. I remembered his comment about never wanting a family, which made me curious why he felt that way. Did I dare ask him now? That probably wasn’t a good idea since I didn’t want to stir up anything before arriving at his parents’ house.
“We’re here,” Ethan announced as the car stopped.
“I’m a little nervous.”
“Don’t be. My parents are great people who will welcome you with open arms.”
As Ethan helped me out of the car, my phone rang and alerted me that Ian was calling.
“Let me answer this for a second,” I spoke.
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about time you returned my call,” I answered.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you called. My phone got stolen last night at the club, and I had to get a new one this morning.”
“That’s a bummer.”
“I know. I was just calling to see if you wanted to hang out today. A bunch of us are getting together in Central Park for a barbeque.”
“That sounds great, but I’m spending the day with Ethan. In fact, we just arrived at his parents’ house, so I’ll call you later.”
“Wait. What? You lost me at you were spending the day with Ethan. He called you?”
“Bye, Ian. We’ll talk later.”
After ending the call, I slipped my phone back inside my purse and lightly took hold of Ethan’s arm as he guided me up to the house. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day and perfect for a family get-together.
I heard footsteps coming from all directions when we stepped inside the door.
“You made it!” a cheerful woman’s voice spoke.
“It’s about time, big brother.”
“Good to see you, son.”
“Everyone, I would like you to meet my friend, Aubrey Callahan. Aubrey, to the right of you, is my sister Lila.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Lila.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Aubrey. Do you mind if I hug you? We’re a family of huggers.”
I gave her a smile, and we lightly hugged.
“Standing in front of you is my mother, Nancy.”
“Aubrey, you’re gorgeous. Welcome to our home. It’s so good to meet you.” She hugged me tight.
“Thank you. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
“And over to your left is my father, Joe.”
“Nice to meet you, Aubrey.” He hugged me.
“Nice to meet you too.”
Their home felt warm and inviting, with a lemon scent that filtered in the air.
“Come on. Let’s go out on the patio and have some drinks,” Nancy spoke.
I placed my hand on Ethan’s arm as he led me outside.
“There’s a large step out the door,” he spoke.
I stepped down, and he took me to the patio table and pulled out a chair for me.
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“What can I get you to drink?” he asked.
“Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“I’m going to have a beer.”
“A beer sounds good.”
“Really? You drink beer?”
“Yeah. I drink beer.” I grinned.
“Two beers coming right up.”
When Ethan went off to get a couple of beers, Nancy reached over and grabbed my hand.
“You are the first girl Ethan has brought around since?—”
“Mom, we aren’t supposed to talk about that,” Lila chimed in.
“Aren’t supposed to talk about what?” Ethan asked as he set the beer bottle down in front of me.
“The accident I had the other day with my car,” Lila spoke nervously.
“You were in an accident?” Ethan asked.
“Not really. I just backed up too far and hit the brick on the garage. I feel really stupid about it and don’t want it talked about.”
“You should. How the hell did you do that?” Ethan chuckled.
“Like I said, we aren’t supposed to talk about it, so drop it.”
I let out a light laugh.
“By the way, where’s Kenny?” Ethan asked.
“He’s on his way. Why? Do you miss him or something?”
“No. It’s just the two of you are like Siamese twins. It’s weird just seeing half of you.”
“Shut up, Ethan.” Lila laughed.
As I sat there and listened to the banter between him and his sister, I kept wondering what his mom said about me being the first girl he had brought around “since.” But what really piqued my curiosity was that Lila said they weren’t supposed to talk about it. How long had it been? Two years? Three years? Was she the reason he said he never wanted a family? The more time I spent with him, the more questions I had. He was a very closed-off man, that much I already knew, and I had a feeling that he wasn’t going to tell me anything about his past.
“Do you work, Aubrey?” Nancy asked.
“Yes. I teach English Literature over at Roosevelt High.”
“Wow. How wonderful. How long have you been teaching?”
“This is my second year.”
“That’s amazing. Good for you, honey.” She patted my hand. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get some things prepped for dinner.”
“May I help with something?”
“No, honey. You’re a guest in our home. You just sit there and relax. There’s not much to do.”
The one thing people didn’t understand about the visually impaired was that we were capable of doing everything that those with sight could. I often wondered that when people told me just to sit and relax, it was their way of not trusting me. That was the biggest obstacle in my life since I lost my sight. People believed that because I couldn’t see, I couldn’t do. Their non-belief fueled me to do everything I could and more to the best of my ability all these years.
“Ethan, come in the house with me. I got a new set of golf clubs the other day that I want to show you.”
“Sure, Dad. I’ll be back, Aubrey,” he spoke to me.
“Okay. I’ll be here.” I smiled.
“So, how did you and my brother meet?” Lila asked.
“We met at an art gallery where my best friend was having her first art exhibition. He asked me out, and I told him no. Then he asked my friend, the artist, for my number. She refused to give it to him but told him where I go on Saturday mornings.”
“Where do you go?”
“I go to Shakespeare Garden in Central Park to read for a couple of hours. I was sitting there the next morning, and he claimed he was taking a stroll.”
Lila let out a loud laugh. “My brother? Taking a stroll? You didn’t buy that, did you?”
“No.” I smiled. “I invited him over for dinner, and we had a nice night. Then, last night, we ran into each other again at his friend’s party.”
“And now you’re here meeting the family,” she spoke. “Interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“You’re the first girl we’ve met in nine years. You must be pretty special to him.”
“I don’t think so. We haven’t known each other for that long. He didn’t want me to sit home alone all day since I’m staying with him until I can get back into my apartment. Are the two of you close?” I asked.
“We used to be. But he doesn’t come around much and hasn’t for years. Ever since Sophia, he’s changed, and not in a good way.”
“Sophia?”
“Shit. Listen, you have to promise not to tell him that I told you. We aren’t allowed to talk about it, and if he catches us, he’ll be so pissed off, and who knows what he’ll do.”
“I promise I won’t. You can trust me.”
“Sophia was his girlfriend who passed away in a terrible accident. I’ve said too much already. Let’s go inside and see if my mom needs any help.”
“Sure. Okay.” I got up from my chair.
Finally, I knew a little more about him. A tragedy that struck his heart and hurt so deeply that it still affected him all these years later.