5. Tyson
FIVE
TYSON
“This place is incredible,” Winnie excitedly announces. Her eyes are wide as she looks around the main living space of my new house.
I nod as I let my eyes travel around the place.
Luckily, it’s even better than the pictures.
It’s a corner lot that backs up to a pond with some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen.
I can already picture myself having coffee on the back porch, looking over the pool to the pond beyond.
There’s only one neighbor even remotely close to me, and even so, the way our houses are on the lots, I don’t think the proximity will be a problem at all.
I was lucky to find this house. Even though I’m only just seeing it for the first time, I think it’ll be perfect. I’m actually really looking forward to spending the summer here and making this place my own.
“The bones are amazing, but my guess is the decor is a little too coastal for your taste,” Winnie continues, running her hand over one of the light blue couches in the living room.
I shrug. I’ve never really been one to worry about decor. “I guess? I don’t know, Win. Do whatever you want with the house.”
Her cheeks spread into a wide grin as Archer lets out a low chuckle. “Careful saying that. Soon, you’re going to find yourself spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on completely redoing the place.”
Winnie shushes her husband immediately. “Tyson’s a grown man. If he wants his sister to have free rein decorating his house, don’t you dare try to convince him otherwise.”
Archer holds his hands in front of himself in mock surrender. “So sorry, my wife, what was I thinking?”
I shake my head at the two of them and leave them alone in the living room as I take another lap around my new house.
The afternoon sun filters through the windows, casting the entire house in a bright glow that makes me love the space even more.
Something that stuck out to me in the photos online was the dark hardwood floors throughout the house.
I liked the color. It was a contrast to the light hardwoods I saw in the other houses for sale here.
It gives the house character. And the outdoor space felt peaceful with the pool overlooking the pond.
The entire house feels peaceful, and I’m realizing maybe slowing down will be exactly what I need this summer.
My phone vibrates in my pocket, and I pull it out, my chest immediately feeling tight at the name on the screen. I hit Ignore for the tenth time this week and shove the phone back into my pocket, hating that because of a phone call, the peace and excitement I was feeling are all but gone.
I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and pointer finger. I stand in the hallway for a few more moments, giving myself time to gather myself as I hear Winnie’s and Archer’s voices get closer. I take another breath, forcing thoughts of the call from my mind.
Winnie rounds the corner, her eyes lighting up when she spots me. “Tyson, there you are. We need to talk about what wall finishings you might want.”
I force a smile and humor my sister by talking about all things interior design as I try to forget all about the phone calls I keep receiving and who they’re from.
I thought Winnie and Archer would never leave.
As much as I love my sister and her husband, I was thrilled when Archer convinced Winnie they needed to go.
When I landed in the Hamptons, I hoped today would be a fairly relaxing day—see my sister, tell her the news, and then come home to check out the house I’d purchased.
I knew the moment Winnie found out about the house that she’d want to discuss the interior design.
I just hadn’t expected the talks to take the entire afternoon and into the evening hours.
She made us walk through each room and talk about all of the different visions she had. After that, she took pictures of the rooms and had me tell her my visions, even though it was already clear that she was hoping her vision was mine as well.
Once Winnie and Archer left, I unpacked my bags and caught up on some work emails.
At my condo in Manhattan, nothing’s ever quiet. I can always hear the bustle of the city outside my high-rise. But here, in this house, I can’t hear anything. It’s nearly silent. And for some reason, I don’t enjoy that as much as I thought I would.
I couldn’t wait for Archer and Winnie to leave, but now that they’re gone, it feels lonely in this house.
My phone vibrating in my pocket pulls me from thoughts of feeling sorry for myself.
I slide it out, almost swiping to answer out of habit before seeing who’s calling in the first place.
I pause, staring at the name on my screen.
For a few moments, I consider answering the call. I look over my shoulder, as if to make sure no one else can see who it is, and then I roll my eyes. I’m home alone. Of course no one else can see.
I ignore the call from my dad and slide my phone back into my pocket.
I don’t know why he’s so insistent on getting a hold of me, but I know I’m not interested in whatever he has to say.
I spent my entire life trying to impress him and doing anything I could to stay on his good side.
Convincing the board to vote him out and vote me in was the first time I ever went against his wishes.
The way he spoke to me after and the vile things that he said about me, his own son, have stuck with me. I swore I’d never talk to him again.
But he’s my dad. And I can’t change that.
No matter how furious I might be with him and how much respect I’ve lost for him, there’s still an innate part of me that wants to know why he’s calling.
I want to pick up, but I know I shouldn’t.
If he’s treated me badly, he’s treated Winnie worse.
I refuse to have anything to do with him.
When my phone vibrates again, I don’t even pull it out.
I know it’s him, and I know I’m not going to answer.
With a sigh, I open the French doors to my backyard and take a deep breath in, relishing the fresh air.
With the sun setting, there’s a coolness to the air that wasn’t there hours ago.
It isn’t cold, but it feels refreshing. I don’t know what my plan is, but I let the doors close behind me as I walk outside.
I look around, soaking in the view from my new property.
When Winnie first convinced me to come out to the Hamptons, it wasn’t really my vibe.
I couldn’t bury myself in work here, and because of that, I didn’t find it all that fun.
But the more I visited Pembroke, the more I saw the appeal of this place.
Eventually, I even started coming out when my sister and Archer weren’t here.
I got comfortable going to Pembroke on my own, and when Winnie tossed out the idea of actually spending the entire summer in the Hamptons with them, it seemed like a good idea.
Now, as I stand here alone, staring out at the pond in my backyard, I wonder if I made the decision too soon.
I know I could go to my sister’s house anytime I want, but I don’t want to bother her too much.
She and Archer deserve time together that doesn’t involve me.
I’ve never really been someone who craved sharing my life with someone else.
In fact, I’ve been single most of my adult life, choosing my career over any romantic interests.
But there’s something about the quietness of the evening around me that, for a moment, makes me wish I had someone to help fill the silence.
It’s a foreign feeling, wanting to have someone to share my life with.
Maybe it’s because I’m spending more and more time with people who are in love and have their person, but it’s starting to get to the point that I’m realizing maybe working my life away isn’t as fulfilling as I once thought it was.
My stare travels to a set of chairs out past the pool. They sit on top of rock pavers with a stone firepit in front of them, overlooking the pond, creating a perfect spot to take in the sunset.
I let out a resigned sigh as I continue to stare at the two chairs placed next to each other.
I can’t help but wonder who sat in those chairs before I bought the house.
I don’t know much about the previous owners, but suddenly, I imagine a couple in love, sitting and enjoying the view.
I imagine what it’d be like to bring a bottle of wine out here and share it with someone else while watching the sunset, or a cup of coffee while we watch the morning sun wash over the pond, and the ocean even farther in the distance.
Never once have I really ever cared to imagine my life with somebody else, but something about today and this house has me picturing what it’d be like to have someone here with me.
I close my eyes as I bring my pointer finger and thumb to pinch the bridge of my nose.
I don’t know why I’m suddenly so fixated on this.
Maybe it’s the house. Maybe I’m tired. Maybe it’s spending so much time today with Winnie and Archer and watching how happy they are that has these thoughts popping into my mind.
Or maybe it’s the fact that my dad won’t stop calling me, and all I can imagine is how he’s all alone. No wife. Kids who dislike him—rightfully so. And maybe it’s the realization that if I keep burying myself in work instead of living my life, I could end up just like him.
He’s all alone now. Despite how much he immersed himself in his job, he not only lost himself and his family but also everything he ever worked for.
A shiver runs down my spine as I imagine that becoming my life.
I don’t want to work so hard that I lose who I am.
I don’t want to end up alone. And maybe it’s Winnie’s insistence on us not overworking ourselves this summer that has me opening my eyes to just how much I’ve done nothing but that in recent years.
I walk across my yard toward the set of chairs, making a silent oath to myself that I’ll make this summer be different.
As I take a seat in one of the chairs facing the pond, I make a promise to myself that I won’t become like my father.
I won’t lose myself in work. I won’t lose myself at all.
I’ll be better at seeking out experiences that have nothing to do with work.
I’ll spend time with friends.
Get out of my comfort zone.