Chapter 18 #2
“Probably because she could’ve died and was concentrating on not being dead,” I said, leaning over to air kiss her cheek.
Cal stood and gave me one of his warm, bear-like hugs.
As always, it soothed the sharp edges of the visit.
I hugged him back, letting my shoulders drop and eyes close for a moment.
If not for him, I’d no longer have parents at all.
I’d have cut off communication long ago.
It was an unspoken understanding we both acknowledged through this simple form of affection.
“Walk you out?” he asked, letting me go and taking the only warmth to grace this house with him.
“Yes, please,” I said. “See ya, ma.”
She blinked at my casual use of words, clearly trying to decide if she should acknowledge them or not, then waved a limp hand my way and topped off her glass.
“Sangria, eh?” I said as soon as we were out of earshot.
“She’s coming to terms with some things about life. It’s helping soften the blows.”
“Should I ask?”
“Seventy is on the horizon. She’s not taking it well.”
“That’s six years away,” I said, trying to keep my laughter quiet and choking on it as a result.
“Oh Lior,” he said, giving me an exasperated smile. “I am so very aware.”
“She’s still getting offers for work though, right?”
“Always. Skincare, makeup, fashion, vacation destinations… god I wish she’d take them up on those. I’ve always wanted to go on a cruise.”
“They offered her a cruise?” I asked, eyes wide. “Oh dear. Kiss of death. What were they thinking?”
“She nearly blocked her agent’s number when that offer came through.”
My mother thought cruises were filled with sweaty Americans, too-warm buffet food, and subpar entertainment.
“Why don’t they just spend the money and treat themselves to the culture of Milan or Paris?
” she’d said several times whenever the subject of cruises came up – which was surprisingly often.
The comment always made me and Addie laugh.
“What does your mother know about the culture in those areas?” Addie had said once. “The only things she sees there are the insides of her penthouse suites, the car driving her places, and designer shops.”
It was the truth. My mother, an international phenomenon in her heyday, had traveled the world extensively and only stepped foot on a beach or historic landmark if paid.
And then was whisked back to the safety of her opulent hotel room immediately to shower.
It was also true that she never got sick – so maybe there was something to her methods.
But I’d take a little sickness to experience the world. What was the point otherwise?
“How much longer are you in town for?” Cal asked.
“A couple days.”
“And how’s Addie?”
“Much better.”
“And you?”
I smiled. I never understood how my mother, the beautiful monster that she was, had ended up with two incredible husbands, but here we were.
They were saints, clearly. Gluttons for punishment, maybe.
I’d stopped questioning the sanity behind their reasons and just considered myself lucky to have them in my life, caring about me.
“I’m okay,” I said, staring out at the view, the water of the Sound sparking under the sunlight. Seattle was beautiful in the summer, a well-kept secret from the rest of the world that thought we were being constantly showered with rain.
“How’s Brooklyn looking?”
I turned and met his eyes. He was Scandinavian like my mother, but somehow his pale blue eyes always exuded warmth, unlike her icy stare.
“She’s pretty,” I said. “Lively. Entertaining.” I looked out at the water again. “But somehow she’s losing her allure.”
“And the job?”
I loved how sometimes he was a man of interesting and lengthy conversations, but could also make an impact with hardly any words at all.
“Ditto,” I said.
“You’ll figure it out kiddo.” He gave me a hug then, mussed my hair, and sent me on my way.
I returned to the colorful comfort of Addie’s house and found her sprawled on the sofa with a huge bowl of popcorn, an open Ben and Jerry’s pint, and a bottle of beer on the coffee table.
“Ummm…” I said, tilting my head as I took in the scene.
“You look like a doggy when you tilt your head like that,” she said.
“I’ll let that slide because I know it’s your highest compliment. But uh…” I waved a hand at her outfit. “What’s happening here?”
“The salad wasn’t enough. How was dinner at Madame Flynn’s.”
“Delightful, darling,” I said, impersonating my mother’s accent.
“Did she like your outfit?”
“She said I looked lovely.”
Addie snorted.
“She mentioned she hasn’t received a thank you note for the flowers she had her assistant send. I told her you were planning to bring one by in person.”
“You did not,” she said, glaring at me.
“I did not.”
She sat up carefully then and patted the cushion beside her.
“I was looking at something after you left that you might be interested in.”
“I know we’re close, Ads, but I don’t want to watch porn with you.”
She flipped me off and waited for me to sit before grabbing her laptop and opening it. On it was a real estate website.
“I made a favorites folder,” she said proudly, resting her head on my shoulder. “Move here. Just do it. Take the job Avery offered. We can take walks on the beach every morning, watch movies and eat pizza at night, and go to therapy together to work out why we pick awful men.”
“That sounds almost exactly how we spent our high school years.”
“I know! It’ll be so fun!”
I laughed and leaned forward, grabbing her beer and taking a drink before settling back on the sofa.
“Show me what you found,” I said, pointing to the screen of her laptop.