Chapter 39
THIRTY-NINE
There was a time when I thought the jagged pain that burned every time I took a deep breath would be a singular staple into the rest of my life. I had lost hope that the missing part of me would ever return.
In the last few weeks, I have been sleeping better than I had in years. There wasn’t a sense of dread that I couldn’t seem to shake off.
Adam and EZ talked animatedly over the blueprints we got from our contractor. Every day the new additions to our shop became more real. I couldn’t wait for construction to break. As shallow as it sounded, it was a testament that I had not stayed home in vain.
Astrid left for college, and I wanted to make something of myself so that when she came back, I wouldn’t feel like she left and I didn’t do anything with my life.
“You know what we could do? Themes depending on the season. That way, families could make it fun for their kiddos.”
Both EZ and I looked at Adam and were impressed by his idea.
“Thinking about kids?” EZ teased him.
“Thinking about money,” he replied, raising both hands and moving his thumb against his fingers.
“You have to admit that’s not a bad idea,” I said. “It gives people something to do with their kids, and their car gets cleaned. Especially in the colder months.”
“We should settle on six spaces,” EZ said, turning back to the blueprints. “People can finish drying their car there, and we can have double-sided vacuums.”
The last one was a last-minute addition after brainstorming and determining what could benefit the community. If we were already investing in breaking ground on a car wash, it was logical and convenient to add a vacuum station.
You could feel the excitement in the room.
“If this goes well, we will need to hire more people,” I stated.
The auto shop had always been an extension of our home.
Being the youngest one, I was the one who least remembered our mother.
I might not have spent much time with her, but I still felt her absence.
Her death marked me, I had to get used to what came next in a life where I missed a mother I never knew.
I don’t remember much what life used to be while I had her, but I did know that life after Mom meant coming with Dad to the shop and having pizza in the garage while he worked on cars. Life after Mom meant Mrs. Hart coming over with food so we had a nice home-cooked meal.
“Dad will not take it well if we mention retirement,” Adam joked even though we all knew he was right.
“I think his back will appreciate it if we give him less work. No one is firing him, but it would be nice to have a set schedule to go out and whatnot,” I added.
“Who are you going out with?” Adam wagged his eyebrows at me. “Did Astrid finally forgive you?”
EZ cut me off before I could speak. I wanted someone to know about the new developments Astrid and I have taken. Surely, that means that things were on the right track, right?
“Astrid’s article was good. It made the reader want to go out and try Lupe’s bakery for themselves. I even found myself wanting to go there,” EZ joked.
EZ never joked.
“Did you have something sweet, big bro?” Adam joked. “Did your body go into shock?”
Ezekiel flipped Adam off.
Before Adam could spout some shit, his phone chimed with an annoying alarm sound.
“What the fuck is that?” EZ asked.
At the same time, Adam whined, “Fucking Reaper.”
Both EZ and I looked at one another, wondering why Adam was cursing his pet. We didn’t have to wonder for long. He turned his phone toward us, and we could see in the feed that his bunny was making a mess of his living room.
“You got a camera to watch your damn bunny?” EZ deadpanned.
“I felt bad keeping him in his cage when I work so much. Now look at him trying to rearrange my furniture so he can get his kibbles,” Adam said as he got up. “I’ll be back. I’ve got to go home.”
Both EZ and I saw him storm out silently, laughing at him.
When he moved out, he couldn’t handle being alone for long, so he went to get a pet.
He didn’t want a dog because he knew he didn’t have the time and energy to invest in it.
He also wanted something fury to pet. We’ve all laughed hearing him grumble about how much time and energy his bunny takes.
Adam didn’t count on how often he would need to clean the bedding.
My dad scolded him for not doing his research.
All living things needed nurture and attention for them to thrive.
If anything, this experience has made him a bit more responsible.
EZ cleared his throat, and when I looked at him, he spoke.
“So, you and Astrid, huh?”
I might not have talked about it with my family, but I don’t think it was shocking to anyone.
“She’s always been the one,” I confessed.
There was pain in my brother’s features, and I knew it wasn’t because of any lingering feelings for my girl.
“It’s been eight years, EZ. It’s okay to let go.”
My brother didn’t say anything right away. It seemed like he was gathering his thoughts. I gave him a moment to let it out of his chest.
“Howie is giving me the deed to the house,” he confessed.
At that, my eyebrows went up. Howard was Sabby’s grandpa.
He never had a good relationship with Sabby’s father—Howard was all EZ had left of Sabby, the only reminder that she had been a part of his life at one point in time.
EZ had helped Howie fix up the house, and a few years back, when the old man couldn’t keep up on the maintenance, EZ decided he would move in with him since Howie had no one else.
Just last year, Howard ended up at the nursing home.
Ezekiel was working when he fell down and busted his hip.
“You basically built that house again,” I told him.
My brother put a lot of time, money, and energy into fixing that house.
My voice was gentle. I didn’t want to offend him.
We were both quiet for a while. The unease I had lived with since Astrid had left slowly disappeared the more time we spent together.
There were more conversations to have, but for now, I was content.
Having Astrid with me when I went to the bank was amazing.
Sharing with her the new step in our journey was fitting.
Getting to kiss her, and getting lost inside of her—fuck, that was my biggest blessing.
Starting a new chapter in my life with her by my side was everything I wished for and more.