Ethan
Flashing Aaron a thumbs-up, I scan the message from Barbie.
It’s the first text she sent me in days.
I know she’s been busy with her internship, picking up her bridesmaid dress, and spending time with her sisters; however, I can’t help but miss the ocean fun facts she’d send me every morning before work, blurry shots of helicopters where she’d ask me to identify them, and nineties infomercial compilations I have to see at this very moment.
Barbie: Up to go fishing tonight, Pilot?
I definitely miss listening to her unbridled laughter as she strategically outlines how she’s going to pet all the chickens, goats, cows, and pigs on our co-op farm while teasing me for doing the same thing during every game session.
She thinks I’m that much of a fishing enthusiast. She doesn’t know it yet, but I’m converting the shed I built in the game into an aquarium. It’s a work in progress, but I’m filling the shed with tanks of fish she likes.
As I respond to her inquiry, I slowly lift my head and frown. “Did you say dog food?”
Aaron groans and, after setting the spatula down, retrieves his wallet. With a long-suffering sigh, he holds out a bill, which Lara snatches when she sidles to the grill.
“Do I even want to know?” I ask dryly.
“I didn’t think you’d catch on with dog food,” Aaron grumbles.
“And now I’m twenty dollars richer.” Lara beams. “Ethan, if you don’t want to be here, you can go home—”
“No. I just need to respond to Barbie,” I say, “and then I’ll be fully present.” My eyes flit up from my phone when Lara holds her hand out expectantly, and Aaron hands her another bill.
“Dammit, man,” Aaron grunts. “Lara said you were texting Barbie. I thought you were chatting with one of those lonely MILFs in your area.”
Lara and I stare at him.
“MILFs?” Lara crosses her arms. “I feel like I’ve just learned so much about your internet browser history.”
“I’m surprised you kept in touch with her,” Aaron says, ignoring the look on my sister’s face. “Thought you found her aggravating.”
“She’s not so bad,” I say.
“That’s Ethan-speak for I’m in love with her,” Lara states.
“That’s preposterous,” I respond.
“That’s Ethan-speak for I’m in denial,” Aaron stage-whispers to my sister.
“I’m not in denial,” I say, then point my forefinger at them both. “Do not say it’s Ethan-speak for I’m totally in denial.”
“If it quacks like a duck,” Lara replies, “and texts Barbie nonstop at every Sunday dinner and stupidly leaves his phone unattended, where I can see the picture set for her in your contacts.” She tilts her head, a vulpine smile playing on her lips.
Aaron’s head whips in her direction. “Wait. You knew all along he was texting Barbie?”
“You need to stop snooping on my phone,” I say.
“Those notifications appeared on your lock screen,” Lara counters. “It’s not my fault her contact photo is literally of you two kissing.”
“Dude,” Aaron gasps. “When were you going to tell me you’re dating Barbie?”
“Never,” I reply. “Because I’m not dating Barbie.”
“Because you’d rather be unhappy?” Lara asks. “Oh. Come on, Ethan. You have the dorkiest smile on your face whenever your phone goes off. Even Mom caught on that you’ve been in a better mood. She even asked me the other day if you truly had a girlfriend or if I was messing with her.”
“We’re just friends,” I say. “Nothing more is going to happen between us. Just because she’s sweet and funny and I love her doesn’t mean anything when she lives in California.”
“Dude,” Aaron repeats, his eyes wide.
“You just said you love her,” Lara gasps.
“I also said she lives in California,” I say quickly, pointing to the grill. “And someone should flip the patties before they become hockey pucks.”
“California borders us. That means we’re neighbors,” Aaron responds. “Practically next-door neighbors.”
“She lives in LA, which is almost a fifteen-hour drive from here,” I reply. “Nothing about that says next door.”
“And exactly how do you know how long it’ll take to drive to LA?” Aaron lifts a brow. “Bro, you have it bad for her. I always knew you did with how much you brought her up, but I didn’t realize you loved her.”
“We’re not together—”
“The picture says something else entirely,” Lara says. “Why are you here when you could be with Barbie in LA? Literally, Labor Day weekend was last week. You could have tapped into all that cash you saved from your boring office job and flown out to see her for the three-day weekend.”
“The money’s not for that,” I say.
Lara frowns. “It’s not like you have student loans to pay off anymore. Take all the money you’ve saved and blow it all on a half-tank of gas in California.”
“No, the money’s going to good use.” I tip my head. “The house isn’t going to pay for itself, you know?”
Lara blinks and stares at me incredulously. “What do you mean?”
“The house isn’t fully paid off,” I reiterate. “Mom still has—”
“Why would you do that?” Lara asks. “Oh my God. I can’t believe you. Why would you—You are such an idiot.”
“For being responsible with my money?” I know my sister is a decade younger than me, but there’s no reason for her to be upset when I’m trying to pay off the home she grew up in.
“This is—” She shakes her head, huffing an irritable sigh. “I can’t—Oh my God, I can’t look at you.” Refusing to meet my eyes, she turns her back toward me and storms into the house.
I stare at her in bewilderment, then shoot a frown at Aaron. “What was that about?”
“No idea,” Aaron says. “But bro. Are you planning on moving back home?”
“No.”
“Then why are you paying it off?”
“Because my mom—”
The sound of the sliding door slamming open cuts me off, and we both look over to see JoJo sprinting out into the backyard, followed by my mother.
“You better come here right now,” Mom snarls in Spanish, “and explain why your sister just told me you want to buy this house.”
Jesus. I was expecting some prideful reluctance, not screeching rage. The last time I was subjected to her verbal lashing was in high school when I tried to sneak in at three in the morning.
“How else is it going to be paid off?” I respond. “Your daycare salary will not pay—”
“I never asked you to help me,” she cuts me off.
“Because you are too prideful—”
“I am not prideful,” Mom declares, and both Lara and I glance at her skeptically in response. “I am not. I never asked you to do this for me. Had you talked to me about this, I would have told you I plan on selling this house after your sister graduates from college.”
“And where is she going to live?” I ask sardonically. “In the streets?”
“Your sister is going to Japan,” Mom says. I turn to look at my sister in shock, and she immediately feigns interest in the grill. “She plans on teaching English. I’ll be moving to Texas, closer to your grandmother and Aunt Yesenia.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“I’m telling you this now,” Mom says. “I don’t want to live in this house for the rest of my life. Once Lara is gone, I’ll be all alone here. This house is too big for just me and JoJo.”
For a moment, I’m beyond shocked to get my tongue to function. “I didn’t know this,” I finally manage. “I thought you loved this house.”
“I love my family and the memories made with them.” Her anger gives way to something mournful; her shoulders slump. “I didn’t think I had to tell my son not to pay off the mortgages. All this time, I thought you were saving to get more flight hours.”
Bewilderment flares through me. “You know about my license?”
“Of course, I know. I’m your mother,” she snaps. “Do you think Cameron would have paid for your lessons if I didn’t know about it? My husband would have never kept anything from me.”
I don’t know what to say. My ears are ringing. My chest feels tight. It’s as if the rug has been yanked out from underneath me. As if the air has drastically thinned in my lungs. “You were always okay with me flying?”
The reason why I pursued a job at Green Checks was because it’s safe. Boring. Reliable. Something I thought would make Mom proud, pay me well enough, and not keep her up at night.
“I wasn’t, but it was what made you happy,” Mom says. “That’s all I ever wanted for you. You used to be different. Adventurous. You’d come home with stories of all these exciting places you visited, and you were so happy.”
“How is that going to work out? How am I going to fly when I know it’ll destroy you and Lara if something were to happen to me? I can’t fly if it makes you unhappy—”
“And the only other option is for you to be unhappy?” Mom counters. “Give up everything you want for us? Ethan, we never asked you to sacrifice your dreams for us. It breaks my heart to see you refusing to be happy because you put everyone else first. Because you think suffering is noble.
“But it is not noble, Ethan. It is selfish. For once, I ask you to do something you want to do. Stop thinking about how it’ll affect Lara and me. If you’re going to be selfish?” She hits me with a hard stare. “At least do something you know will make you happy.”