Chapter 10
Corrine
Riley and I leave the city on Saturday morning and head to our parents’ house. It’s only a couple of hours away, but it always feels like we’re entering a different world. Being back in the small town where we grew up makes me feel sorry for my parents. It’s as if they never got the chance to evolve and see who they are. Did they choose to stay in small-town New York for money reasons? I guess I’ve never really thought to ask them much about their past, or what made them stay in place.
It’s not normal for me to dwell on things like this, but I swear that this whole Xavier thing has thrown me out of my normal approach to life. The fact that he’s been through the heartbreak of a magnitude I’ve never experienced yet was able to keep that to himself, both baffles me and pisses me off. Did I not seem trustworthy enough?
“Allen!” Our mother opens the door and shouts upstairs to my dad simultaneously. “The girls are home!”
“Hi Mom,” I say and step through the doorway into her arms. My mom has retained her small frame all my life, and though she would say it’s because of her daily walks and fitness classes at the gym, I would wager it has more to do with her propensity for wine over food.
“Hi Cory,” she gushes. Her nickname for me instantly makes me feel at home. “How was the drive girls? Do you need something to drink?”
“It was fine Mom,” Riley says. She follows my mom into the kitchen and sets her bags next to the counter. “No hug for me?” she asks, stepping toward our Mom.
“Oh sweetie, I could hug you all day!” She pulls Riley in and looks at me. “I just am so happy nothing serious happened to you in that accident.”
“Depends on who you ask,” I say. My mom knew I was with Xavier when we were hit and she knew that we had been seeing each other casually. But I don’t think she realizes he didn’t wake up the same person he was before. “Xavier still hasn’t gotten his memory back.”
“Well, didn’t they say that it can take some time?” she asks, concern on her face.
“Yeah, and I’m exaggerating. It’s fine. Even if he doesn’t remember me, I’ll be ok.”
“A martyr!” My dad’s voice startles us as he walks into the kitchen behind me.
“Hi Daddy,” I say. “I’m not being a martyr; I’m just saying that if Xavier isn’t going to remember me, then I’m not going to pine over him forever.”
“Well, I’d wager to guess that being around you long enough will surely help him remember.”
“Maybe,” I say. “But he wants nothing to do with me right now.”
“He’ll get it together honey,” my dad says, and pull up a chair at the counter. “What’s for lunch June?”
My mom scoffs. “Since when do I prepare your lunch, Allen?” She smiles though, and turns to check the fridge. “I have chicken salad, pears, brie, and wine.”
Riley laughs. “Sounds right,”
“Sit.” My mom says, gesturing for Riley and me to sit with my dad as she begins pulling out plates and glasses.
“What’s the plan this weekend?” I ask my dad. He usually gets together with his buddies once a month or so, I remember as a kid my mom hated his night out because it almost always meant they were playing poker or gambling at the casinos outside of town. And inevitably, that would lead to a fight about money.
“I was thinking I would take you ladies to a nice dinner tonight,” my dad says, smiling up at my mom.
“As long as we don’t have to make small talk with Mom’s fitness buddies,” I say. No matter where we go in town, we run into someone who takes classes with my mom at the gym. She loves it, but growing up I always hated standing around waiting for them to stop gossiping.
“No promises,” my mom says.
“Mom,” Riley starts, “can we see pictures of you and dad from before you got married?”
My mom laughs. “That’s random! Why?”
“Well, honestly,” Riley starts, “I have been thinking a lot about Nate’s family. You guys hung out with his parents before we were born right? What do you think made Nate such a terrible person?”
“Oh honey,” my mom says. “I thought we weren’t talking about Nate anymore.”
“It was his dad,” my dad interjects. “Daniel was a terrible man.” His face changes, and I see anger pass over him. “Nate didn’t have a fair chance to be a decent person. Daniel was always involved in things that were above and beyond his capability.”
My mom sighs. She’s placed the food in front of us, and she uncorks a bottle of white wine. I watch as she pours herself a big glass and then pours for the rest of us.
“We should have realized Nate was like his father. We just thought he was different,” she says. She walks out of the room, and I wonder if we’ve asked too much, but then she returns holding an old photo album.
She sits next to us at the countertop and sips her wine. I take a bite of chicken salad and open the book in front of us. The four of us squish a little closer together and glance at the pictures.
“Your hair!” I laugh and point to my dad’s shaggy hair in one of the photos. Seven people are sitting around a circular table. My mom is sitting on my dad’s lap, smiling at the camera. It looks like they’re playing cards.
“That was the style,” my dad says. “This was our group for a few years. We would get together and drink, play poker, go to concerts.”
I recognize many of my parents’ friends as they were a part of our childhood. But I see one woman in the photo I don’t recognize.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
“That’s Eve.” My mom points at the picture. “She wasn’t around very long. She kind of just disappeared from town. The rumor was she was pregnant and her parents made her leave.”
“Scandal!” I shout. My dad chuckles, but it doesn’t reach his eyes.
“There were a lot of secrets in that group,” he says and turns the page before we can ask more questions.
“Your dad got into a lot of money trouble with that group,” my mom says. “You were always biting off more than you could chew.” She looks up at my dad and something passes between them.
“I got out of that world for a reason honey.”
This is an interesting peek into my parents' past. I guess I never knew what made my dad stop going to the casinos with his friends, but one day, he just stopped going altogether.
We spend the rest of lunch pointing out the outfits in the pictures and poking fun at the hairstyles. Riley and I take our bags upstairs to our old rooms, and I plop onto my bed and pull out my phone. The only thing I see is a text from Sam.
Sam: Do you want to hang out tonight?
Poor Sam. I feel like I led her on the other night.
Me: I’m home at my parents’ place. I’ll text you when I’m back in town.
Then, thinking of how she probably feels, I write ‘We should hang out though.’ I throw in a smiley emoji, then cringe. I hate being too over the top.
There’s a tap at the door and my mom walks in. “How are you really, Cory?”
“I’m okay Mom,” I say. “Really.”
“That woman in the pictures downstairs,” she starts. “Eve?”
I nod, confused about where this is going.
“You remind me of her. She was a free spirit, " my mom smiles. She loved everyone fiercely, and she was always full of enthusiasm and joy. She loved loving.”
“Is that like a hippie thing?” I ask.
“Well yeah, she was into both women and men…” my mom smiles wistfully. Clearly, there’s something more there.
“So why weren’t you closer?” I ask. “Seems weird she just left.”
“It was like suddenly, Eve went from being lighthearted and carefree, to… not. It was like the light had gone out in her.”
“Did you and Eve have something going on?” I ask my mom.
“I still feel like I should have fought harder to let her know she was a friend, and maybe more than a friend,” my mom says. “Before she left.”
“That’s sad,” I say. I reach for my mom’s hand. “You ok?”
“Oh,” she says. “I’m being silly. I really came in here to check on you. Your dad and I are worried about you. Riley has Sebastian, and that psycho ex of hers is out of the picture. But what if you need protection too?”
“I have protection mom. Plus, I think that all that stuff happened to Riley because Nate was tied up in sketchy ass shit. Not me.”
“Well, your father was briefly tied up in some stupid stuff alongside Nate’s dad,” she says quietly. “And quite frankly, I’ve never forgiven him for that time.”
I look up at her questioningly. “You mean his gambling?”
“I just wonder if some of the things that happened recently are happening because Dad is being punished for stupid decisions in his past. At one point we lost everything. We lived with your grandma and grandpa to save money when you were just a baby.”
“But it all worked out, Mom,” I say. I pull her in to hug her. She’s trying to process something with me, but I don’t think I want to know the whole story.
“Is it ok if I rest for a bit, Mom?” I ask. She nods, wiping her nose, and stands.
“Yes, you rest. I’ll check on you in a bit.” She smiles and walks out.
I lie back and close my eyes, wondering what just transpired.