Chapter Twenty Eight
Reid
It’s Thursday night dinner time at my parents again and I’m curious to see how my dad has been doing.
I came hungry once my mom texted me that she was making her famous homemade lasagna tonight.
I’m secretly hoping that she made an extra dish for me to take home and reheat for leftovers.
It’s been a steady week at the office and I’m in a great mood, excited to sit down and catch up with my favorite people.
I let myself in the front door, expecting my nostrils to immediately fill with the scent of fresh marinara and melty mozzarella. But to my disappointment, it only smells like an old dog and a musky vanilla candle in here. Maybe my mom’s a little behind on getting food started, no worries.
“Mom! Dad?” I yell out, closing the door behind me. This only startles Buster, so I pause to bend down to scratch his wrinkly head.
“We’re in here!”My mom yells out from the kitchen table. Before I make it to the living room, she’s met me halfway and quietly pulls me back down the hall.
“Hey honey,” she says softly and my stomach drops at her tone, instantly knowing that something is wrong.
“Mom, is—?” I start, “What happened? Is Dad okay?”
“Reid, he had a pretty bad fall today…” she looks up at me, still holding my hand. “He’s, uh- honey, he’s not getting much better.”
She squeezes my hand as if she’s trying to comfort me, but I pull her into a hug, wrapping my arms tight around her much smaller frame.
Speaking into her shoulder, I ask, “Why didn’t you call me, Mom?” The words are muffled and reveal the hurt in my voice. I’m frustrated—not at them, never at them—but it’s in my nature to help and I can’t do that if I’m left in the dark.
When I pull back from the hug, emotion brims her lashes and it’s like a knife in my ribs. I can’t stand to see my mother cry.
“He’s going to be okay, Mom. I’m sure it will take some time with the physical therapy and, and everything. But we just have to stay patient.” I give her a forced smile, pushing my panic aside to be strong for her. She sees right through me, but she doesn’t call me out on it.
“I thought so too, but I’m just not sure anymore.” She shakes her head, wiping unshed tears from her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t have time to make dinner tonight with everything going on. It’s just been a long day.” She lets out a resigned sigh.
“Mom,” I grab her shoulders and force her to look at me, “That’s the last thing you need to worry about. Let me go pick something up for dinner?”
“It’s okay, honey. I think he just wants to spend some time with you. Come, sit and I’ll order some pizza. The Bengals are playing tonight if you want to stay and watch with him. I think he’d really like that.” She grins up at me now, putting on a brave face before we go back to see dad.
“Of course, I’d love to. I’ve got nowhere to be tonight and this couch looks like the perfect place.” I agree, happy to spend some time with my old man with our two favorite things: pizza and football.
∞∞∞
Before I know it, it’s after eleven at night and I realize my dad has fallen asleep on the couch, snoring away. Mom comes down the creaky wooden stairs in her robe and slippers. “Hey Mom, I’m gonna head out. Do you need help getting him to bed before I leave?” I ask her, in a near whisper.
“Oh, it’s okay. I’ll just leave him here. He’s been sleeping on the couch more lately. It’s just easier for him to stay down here,” my mom explains.
“Okay, if you’re sure. Let me know if you need me to come back any other time.” I reach for the door handle and grab my keys out of my back pocket. My mom unexpectedly grabs the back of my arm.
“Reid, I know this house means a lot to you. But we’ve been thinking a lot lately about downsizing into something more manageable, as we get older.” The gloomy look is back on her face, replacing the grin I saw earlier.
“You’re— you’re thinking about selling the place?
” My eyes flick around the room, my mind filled with old memories.
We’ve been here since I was taking my first steps.
“Would it even make financial sense to move right now?” I can’t stop myself from letting all of the questions flood out, as I feel blindsided by this new information.
“We’re not sure, we are still trying to figure that out. But finding a ranch or something with a first floor master bathroom would really be ideal for your father and I. This home holds a lot of memories for us too, but it’s getting to be too much work.” She agrees calmly.
“I’ll buy it.” Not sure where I got that idea, but it just came out.
“Are… you sure? It’s not the most ideal first home for one person and there’s a lot that still needs fixing up.” She questions, but seems to entertain the idea.
“Yeah, just give me some time to figure it out. I’ll fix it up, no problem. Just wait and don’t decide anything without me please.” I’m nearly begging at this point, but it pains me to picture this house belonging to anyone but us.
“Okay honey, no rush. We’ll see how your dad does over these next few weeks. You get home safe and don’t stress about it right now.” She reaches her left arm up over my shoulder to give me a hug.
“Thanks Mom, love you. Have a good night.”
And with that, I am off into the night and leaving family dinner with a lot more on my mind than when I arrived.