Page 94 of On the Ropes
I grinned at him. “But for real, you are the world’s cutest baby.”
He peeked at it. “My adoption day.”
His parents came in a second later carrying dish after dish of sauce and pasta, bread, and salad. “Thank you for acknowledging our son as the world’s cutest baby,” Midge said, a twinkle in her eye as she began dishing up our food.
“The picture is all the proof the world needs,” I said.
“It’s why, when I was boxing, I was always worried some reporter would interview Mom or Midge,” Dean said. “It’s tough to cultivate an image as a ferocious fighter with your baby pictures floating around.”
I twirled pasta around on my fork and admired the looseness of his body language here. That two weeks ago he’d been strung tight, muscles taut, quick to scowl. Today, when Rowan and Dean had laughed through their childhood stories, I didn’t think he noticed the way Alice and Eddie shared a look of relief.
“And now that you don’t have that damn lot to glare to death, you’ll have even less people to try and scare away,” Midge said.
I nudged his calf with my toe. Scaring away had been the opposite of what he’d done to me.
“It’s looking so good already,” Maria said. “Do we need more money?”
I swallowed a bite of pasta and checked the donation page on my phone. “Right now, the amount is over $3,600, and Rowan worked on a budget with Dean to help estimate what’s remaining.”
“If we break $5,000, we’ll take it,” Dean said. “We can hold the rest in savings for maintenance and to buy plants and seeds every year. Tabitha basically got the park fully funded.”
Midge and Maria cheered, but I waved my hand and shook my head. “No way. I take no credit for this one. All I did was put a few videos up about your neighborhood. All the Philly supporters did the rest.”
Maria touched my hand. “It’s your neighborhood too, dear. If we all played a part, then yours was just as important.”
Dean swiped his thumb over my pulse. I swallowed a couple of times. This was my neighborhood. Of course it was. I recognized I was doing the switch, putting one city in the rearview mirror and focusing on the next. Austin, not Philly.
It wasn’t until I’d gotten on that plane to fly to UCLA—with a manipulative mother newly cut off two years earlier—that my lungs were fully able to expand. That I’d taken in full, sweet breaths and known it was going to be okay.
I’d held everything I loved at arm’s length to maintain that momentum, staying one step ahead of guilt and memories. But maybe cutting off my love for this place too was the mistake. Because I’d been home for all of two weeks and I was feeling ready to reclaim it as mine just as it was time to go.
“It’s been an honor,” I said, feeling unsettled. “Next time I’m back the park will look so different.”
“When do you think that will be?” Maria asked.
“I…have no idea,” I said with a nervous laugh. “I’m sure I won’t be gone as long as last time.”
Dean let go of my hand.
I reached into my purse, needing the distraction. I handed them the picture from Aunt Linda’s photo album and watched them reel with laughter.
“Found this the other day at Lin’s place and thought you might appreciate it,” I said.
Maria was laughing against Midge’s shoulder. “Oh my God, our hair.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “My dad told me the other day about coming to see you both after I came out. He told me you gave him really good advice. About listening and not passing judgment. And loving me for who I am.”
Midge set the picture down, reached across the table and squeezed my hand. “It was years ago, but I still remember how nervous he was. He told us everything about your mom and the cheating. All the fights. He never said the exact words, but I think he felt guilty about all of it. He wanted to do this one thing right for you.”
I couldn’t speak for a second, so I twirled my spaghetti until my throat opened. “He did it right. More than right,” I said, voice thick. “Thank you for being so open and vulnerable with him. I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but coming out and having him as my dad made the difference for me. Especially since my mom—”
“Is a real piece of work?” Midge said harshly.
“Midge,” Dean whispered.
“It’s okay, really,” I said, starting to laugh into my glass of wine. “Those are nicer words than Kathleen uses. And it’s true.”
Maria looked thoughtful as she folded her hands over her plate. “Midge and I were lucky in so many ways. Her father had passed years earlier, but her mother and my mother and father were supportive when we came out and when we got together, in a way we never imagined.”
