7
Layla
Ten years ago
Liam and I somehow never exchanged numbers that night by the firepit. I suppose we were too caught up in the moment to think about it, assuming we’d see each other plenty of times over the next week.
I woke up sometime in the afternoon the next day smelling like campfire and the slightest hint of citrus. I smiled to myself, realizing it hadn’t, in fact, been a dream. Earlier that morning before I went to bed, I did get an earful from Mom and Dad about how late I’d stayed out. They heard me come in. After their lecture, which really wasn’t all that serious, I immediately fell into bed, exhausted and finally crashing from the high of the night.
After remaining in bed for a while reminiscing on the night, I finally came out of the room to discover the most pleasant smell of baked goods wafting in the air. I immediately marched toward the kitchen to investigate. I found cookies and the whole family. I sighed as they all took me in, entertainment lighting their faces.
“Okay, let’s hear it,” I sighed.
“We have nothing to say,” my mom replied in a chipper voice. “Isn’t that right, David,” she continued, nudging my dad. He didn’t look quite as enthusiastic.
“Oh, come on! I spent an entire night out with a bunch of raucous youths—a first for me—and you all aren’t going to say a thing?” I prodded.
“Honey, it’s fine. I’m glad you put yourself out there and had a good time. It’s vacation, after all,” mom said.
“I hope you used a condom,” Grandma chimed in, silencing us all. My grandma had never filtered her words, never cared who was around to hear or how awkward it might become. She smiled through it all, as if she enjoyed it.
“Grandma, oh my gosh! We literally just sat around a campfire and talked all night!” I squealed, embarrassed as I dashed out of the room. My dad also made a quick exit in the opposite direction, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation took, I assumed. I heard my grandma still giggling as I went back into my room and shut the door.
As mortifying as that conversation had been, I had already moved on and was thinking about when I’d see Liam again. I wondered if I should just show up at his house or wait for him to come to me. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I chose to do nothing all afternoon. He was probably sleeping all day like I had, anyway.
Later that day, I emerged from my room, ready to face the embarrassment of what had happened with Grandma. The savory aroma of dinner filled the air, and my stomach growled in response. I still hadn’t eaten all day.
I found only my mom and dad sitting at the table enjoying some coffee and cookies together. Grandma was nowhere in sight. Sometimes, the way they looked at each other reminded me of a couple of smitten teenagers.
“Hey, hun,” Dad greeted me, noticing me first.
“Hey.”
“It’s safe out here now. Grandma is taking a nap,” my mom commented.
“That tiny, batty woman never did know when to bite her tongue,” my dad joked about his mother-in-law. We all laughed at her expense, though we all loved her dearly.
My mom stared at me from across the table with a small, thoughtful smile on her face.
“What?” I asked. Not unkind, simply curious.
“You’re just growing up. You’ve never really paid much attention to boys or stayed out all hours of the night. I’m happy for you though. Really. I could see that look in your eyes when you got home. Like you were floating on a cloud. It reminds me of when your dad and I met here.” She looked at him and smiled, and he kissed her hand, smiling back.
“Did I ever tell you about the time I met Sandra…” my dad began with a huge grin on his tanned face, his voice completely unserious. We’d all heard the story a thousand times. My parents had met in Tahoe City, many years ago. Mom had been staying in a cabin with a group of girls on vacation, and they met dad out at a bar one night. It took them only a few weeks to fall in love and decide they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. And the rest, as they always said, was history—or destiny, depending on who was telling the story. It seemed a little quick to me, but there they were, all those years later, still in love.
“Uh, yes dad, we’ve all heard it,” I groaned.
At that moment, Grandma emerged from her room. Dad and mom were being all mushy, talking about the past, but I absently watched my grandma. I noticed within a few seconds that she was walking strangely and had a confused look on her face. She stopped to hold onto the wall, looked right at me, and tried to speak, but her words seemed to fail her.
“Uh, Mom…” I whispered.
Grandma was having a stroke.