Page 150 of The Design of Goodbye
“And bacon, eggs, and—”
“You seriously ate all that?” I asked. “You were almost sick last night from a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”
“Hash browns,” he finished. “I ate a little bit of everything. I couldn’t eat much, but we brought back the rest.”
I finished my doughnut and then asked, “So, how mad are you?”
“I’m mad at my situation,” he started, looking out one of the tiny windows, “but I’m not mad at you.”
I dropped the paper bag in my surprise. “Why not?”
“Because you were right. If someone was hurting you, I would’ve told someone. I can’t be mad at you when I would’ve done the same thing.”
“I didn’t want to tell my dad,” I said, picking up the bag and crushing it into a tiny ball. “I wanted everything to be okay.”
“But it wasn’t,” he admitted. “It isn’t.”
“I think it will be. Eventually.” I wished my words could be a promise. “Was talking to my dad as awkward as I was afraid it would be?”
“At first, yes,” he said. “But he opened up about his parents. They weren’t as bad as my dad, but hearing his story...I don’t know, it helped. It made me feel comfortable, I guess. He’s a good listener.”
“He is.” I smiled. “You guys were gone for hours, though. Did you talk the whole time?”
“No.” He pointed to his feet. He was wearing brand new navy-and-white adidas tennis shoes.
“You went shopping?” I laughed.
He shrugged. “Your dad insisted. I even got some clothes.”
“Well,” I said, “the shoes look great.”
He grinned. “Glad you approve.”
I rested my head on his shoulder. “What happens next?”
“My brother’s coming.”
* * *
That night, the doorbell rang right when we sat down for dinner.
“That’s probably Andrew,” said my dad, getting up to answer the door.
Liam was as confused as I felt.
“You said he wasn’t going to get here until tomorrow,” I said.
“That’s what I thought,” answered Liam. He set his fork down but didn’t move. “Your dad told me he was going to come as soon as he could. I figured he’d take his time.”
Andrew walked through the front door. Other than a shorter haircut and stubble, he and Liam could’ve been twins. Andrew and my dad exchanged greetings, but Liam didn’t move to get up.
When Andrew saw Liam, his face fell. “Hey, Liam.”
Finally, Liam stood. “Uh, hey.”
Andrew closed the distance between them, didn’t hesitate, and hugged his brother. At first, Liam stood there, arms straight at his sides, like they’d never hugged before and he had no idea how to react.
“I’m sorry,” said Andrew, not letting go. “I’m so sorry.”
