Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
AUGUST
The following morning, Dad calls Ellie and me, saying he wants to talk. This could be about anything, but most likely, it has to do with his cancer.
Whatever it is, we hope it's good news. Maybe he's in remission. Maybe he changed his mind and is getting the surgery. As long as it's not anything terrible. I guess, depending on what Dad tells us, I could slide in there to tell Ellie about Riley and me.
I should wear a football helmet in case she throws something at my head for going after her childhood best friend. I'm sure us being together is the last thing she wants, but I can't let go, especially now that I finally have Riley back.
When I get to my parents' house, Ellie is sitting on the stairs of the front porch, gazing up at the clear blue sky.
"Hey," I say, approaching her.
"Hey."
"What are you doing out here?" I sit next to her on the stairs and rest my elbows on my knees.
Ellie drops her head to look at me. "I'm too scared to hear what Dad needs to tell us."
I shake my head and look down at the white wooden stairs underneath us. The faint sound of a bee flying near the flowers passes by.
"I get it."
She lets out a sigh and stands, wiping her hands on the back of her shorts and extending one hand to me.
I grab her hand, and she wraps her other around my wrist and tugs. She's done this since she was little, but then I started getting taller and stronger. She still never stopped doing it, even though it looks kind of funny now.
We stalk up the stairs. The sound of a wind chime greets us from down the porch. Ellie stops at the door, and I get the sense she doesn’t want to open it, so I do it for both of us.
"It's okay. Everything will be fine."
"How do you know?"
"Because no matter what happens, I'll be here to help. You aren't alone in this."
Mom and Dad are in their usual spots: their two chairs with a small circular table between them. Dad's wearing the baseball cap Ellie bought him for Father's Day. It’s green, with the words ‘Awesome like my daughter’ stitched in white.
Over the months, he's lost his hair because of his cancer treatment. Mom's been taking him outside to get fresh air and some sun, only to quickly realize he started to get a sunburn. She suggested he wear a hat whenever they stepped outside.
As his energy depletes, he's had some difficulty walking and has had to start using a cane. Ellie asked him if he'd like to be in a wheelchair when he walks down the aisle with her. It wasn't a question she wanted to ask, but she knew she had to.
Dad said he'd like to try to walk with her, that he’ll save up all his energy for the big day.
"Hey guys," Mom says.
"Hi, Mom," Ellie and I say in unison.
Our eyes meet Dad's. He puts down the book he's reading and takes off his glasses.
"Hey, you two. Thanks for coming by," he says in a cheerful tone.
"Now, what did you need to tell us?" Ellie sits on the couch, appearing calmer than she was outside the door.
"Is it bad news?" I ask. My leg starts bouncing the moment I sit down. I could stand and pace the room instead, but that would distract me from the conversation.
Mom shakes her head and says, "No, I think it's great news."
"I've decided to get the surgery," Dad blurts out, not wasting any more time.
"What!" Ellie’s hand rests on my knee, and she looks at me with wide eyes and parted lips. She starts to slap my knee. "August, did he say what I think he said?"
I turn my attention to Dad, almost at a loss for words. "What... made you change your mind?"
"A friend came by for a visit and spoke to me. After the conversation, I sat down and thought about what he said." He places his hand on his stomach.
Ellie covers her mouth, tears gathering in her eyes, and she lets out a small sob. "Really?"
"When is it happening? Did you talk to your doctor? Is Mom okay with this?" I throw out question after question.
"It's going to happen before the wedding," Mom adds, "but we're going to need a lot of help and a lot of patience during recovery."
Dad’s expression is neutral. He listens to Mom while looking at the two of us on the couch.
"Are you happy with this decision?" I can't help but ask. "It doesn't seem like this is what you want to do?"
"What gives you that impression?" Ellie asks.
"You don't seem excited, Dad.”
"It's hard to know how to feel about this. Everyone may look at this as a good thing, but I'm being realistic. Anything could happen, whether that be good or bad. I don't want to go in with my hopes up."
Ellie nods. "That's totally fair. Whatever you need, Rowan and I will help."
"Do you need full-time care after the surgery?” I ask. “Are you going to hire at-home help?"
Mom looks at Dad and back at us.
"That's the tricky part,” Mom says. “I can help as much as I can, but there will be days when he will need a professional to be here. The recovery can be time-consuming."
"Okay," Ellie says warily, "why is it tricky? Can't the insurance cover it?"
Mom shakes her head and frowns. "It would be out of pocket. That was part of the reason we weren’t sure to go through with this. It’s a lot of money."
"How were we supposed to know that I was going to get cancer?” Dad says in a frustrated tone. “Kind of hard to plan that out with insurance once it happens."
"We'll figure something out, "Ellie replies, looking at me. "Won't we?"
"Yeah, we'll figure something out.” I tap my finger on my knee. I know this was Mr. Miller’s doing, and now I need to thank him when I get the chance.
An idea springs up. “Maybe we can have a fundraiser? Kind of like what Ellie did with her baking when she signed up for the Taste of Dove Point last year? You did make a good chunk of change.”
Ellie slaps my arm.
“Ow,” I say, grabbing the spot she hit.
"That's a genius idea!"
"Okay, but you didn't need to hit me." I look at Mom and Dad in annoyance toward Ellie.
"You're fine." Ellie waves me off.
"Are you sure you want to do all of that?" Mom asks.
"A thousand percent. It's already decided that we're doing this. You guys won't lift a finger. August and I will do it ourselves. I'll get the others involved too. Riley and Hailey were so much help when they assisted me at the festival last year for Honey Cakes. Remember?"
I nod.
"We'll come up with ideas and then let you guys know."
"Thank you, I know you don't need to do this—"
Ellie holds up a finger, cutting Dad off. "Don't say another word. You know how much I love fundraisers."
"You do have an odd passion for them," I mutter.
"Do you want to help Dad or not?" Ellie asks sternly.
"Of course, I do."
"Then don't say idiotic things," Ellie quips.
I deadpan and look away from her.
Mom gets up, laughing, and walks to the kitchen to get them something to eat. Dad returns to his reading.
Now is the moment I've been dreading.
"I need to talk to you," I tell Ellie.
“What's wrong? What did you do?”
"Well," I squeak out.
We're walking to Ellie's house when I decide to tell her. I figure that being out in public is much safer than being behind closed doors.
"August, you're killing me. Just tell me what it is." She continues to look forward while walking next to me. Her fingers trail along the fences as we pass each house.
I keep my eyes on the ground, avoiding each crack because it gives me something to focus on while I prepare to tell her that me and Riley have made up and are together now. My glasses hang down my nose.
"You know how Riley and I didn't talk to each other.” I swing my head up to look at her and then back down. “We were ignoring each other these past few weeks?"
"Uh-huh." She grabs a leaf from a tree we walk under.
I pick up the branch to walk under it. "Well, we aren't ignoring each other anymore. We're talking now."
"Okay," she says, her brow furrowing, "that's good?"
She pulls me back toward her when she notices I'm starting to drift away.
"Are you back to your bantering?" she asks.
"Kind of."
God, I am such a chicken shit. She's your sister. She wants you to be happy.
"We're sort of..." I think I have sweat between my ass cheeks with how nervous I am.
Ellie grabs my arm and turns my attention to her. "Spit it out."
"We're together." My body stiffens, and I don't know how to breathe anymore.
"Together, how? Together like friends?"
"Together like... relationship together.” I step back a few inches. “Boyfriend and girlfriend together."
She shakes her head while closing her eyes, as if what she's hearing can't possibly be true. Ellie turns her head to the side, her ear pointing at me. "What did you say?"
" Riley and I are dating." I take another step back.
Ellie pinches the bridge of her nose and closes her eyes. "When the hell did this happen? I’m so confused. I swear, I can’t keep up with you two.”
"Well." I scrunch my nose, and my voice goes a bit high. "We talked at the nightclub."
"O-kay?"
"In the bathroom."
"The bathroom? What the hell were you two doing in the bathroom?"
"Well, you know, things happened with her mom. She was telling me about it, and she became overwhelmed. We walked to the hallway and then the bathroom.”
"The women's bathroom?"
I tip my head to the side. "Yeah."
"Okay, then what?" She crosses her arms.
I look around us to see if there are any witnesses, just in case. Two kids are playing basketball in the driveway. Another kid is drawing with chalk on the sidewalk. A man is mowing. Alright, not bad.
"She told me she loves me and then I told her I love her, then we started making out and—"
She plugs her ears with her fingers. "La la la la la nope, I'm not hearing this!” Ellie walks back and forth singing a tune to herself.
When my lips stop moving, she unplugs her ears. She takes a calming breath. "Finally.”
“What?”
“Do you know how long I’ve been pushing you guys together? I mean, yeah, it’s weird that you’re now dating my best friend, but god, you guys were insufferable.”
“So, I wasn’t going crazy. You really were trying to get us together.”
“In a sense, yes. But I couldn’t do everything for you guys.”
“What if you regret it? What if we don’t work out?”
She cackles. “Seriously? You guys went this long pining over each other, and now you finally have it. You guys aren’t gonna let it go that easily.”
I slip my hands into my pockets. "Okay, so, you're okay with this?"
"I mean, it's weird, but I'll get over it like I did before.” She grimaces. “Just don't kiss in front of me or anything like that."
"I can't help when I have the urge to lay one on her." I turn to start walking.
"Yuck, stop it."
“Now you know how I feel when you’re all over Rowan in front of me.”
Ellie shoves me off the sidewalk and into the grass as we continue walking.