Rick stood up and walked over to his dad, taking him in for a big hug.
“I’m sure mom would be proud that you’ve finally moved on,” he said.
I couldn’t tell from the distance, but I thought I caught a glimpse of tears forming at the edges of his eyes.
I stood and joined my mother. I had questions that needed answering.
4.
“It was incredibly cute; we were at a singles dance night at the community center. My partner had wandered off and was flirting with another girl, so I found myself raiding the punch bowl.
“While I was over there, I noticed Bill looking over his shoulder to make sure nobody was looking. I did my best to look like I hadn’t noticed but apparently he knew I was watching.
“He pulled an entire bottle of Vodka from his coat and dumped it in the bowl. I laughed so hard that people started staring. And, when people started staring at me, they saw Bill still pouring the bottle.
“We ended up both getting kicked out of the dance, but we still spent the evening talking about old times.”
My mother kept her gaze on Bill the entire time she told the story; I did think it was, at least, a little cute. Still, they’re getting married, and that was difficult to wrap my head around.
“Why are you guys getting married so quickly? It’s only been a couple of months,” I asked.
“When you start getting up to my age, you start to realize that every second you have is a gift, and getting to send all those seconds with people you care about is worth more than gold,” added Bill.
I toyed with the glass of wine my mother poured for me for dinner. I hadn’t had any alcohol since my escapade at school, but I made a special excuse to drink with her as a toast.
“I’m happy for you, mom, I really am. But, this is going to take a little while to get used to. I think I’m going to turn in for the evening. Goodnight everyone,” I said.
Mother cleared her throat.
“Sweetie, Bill and the kids are going to spend the night tonight. Don’t be surprised if you wake up to strangers in the night,”
I sighed deeply.
“Would you prefer I sleep in my car,” I asked.
She shook her head.
“No, you sleep in your bed. I just want you to know that the toilet seat might be left up, so you should keep an eye out.”
“Goodnight, mother,” I said while rolling my eyes.
She giggled and sipped on her wine, as I made my way back upstairs.
5.
I woke to a cry in the next room over; it was Trenton in the guest bedroom. I heard Rick’s voice softly speaking in the darkness to his brother, but couldn’t make out what he was saying. I stepped from my bed and leaned against the door of my room, hoping to make out what he was saying. It was no good; there was too much between us.
I creaked open the door of my room and tip-toed down the hall. Every step made raised the volume of the voices.
“So you’re having a bad dream, buddy,” I heard Rick’s voice say.
“I swear I heard a monster under the bed, can you check again,” Trenton asked.
I heard shuffling around the bedroom.
“I saw one, but I scared it off with my ugly face. Most monsters are scared of me.”
Trenton laughed in the bedroom.
“Alright, get some sleep, pal,” Rick added.
I heard footsteps coming towards the door of the bedroom, and turned to rush back to my room, but I was unfortunately caught. The door to the guest room screeched open in the dimly lit hallway, exposing me in my pajamas.
“Casey?”
I stood still, hoping he hadn’t seen me, but my better judgment helped me realize that was impossible.
“Rick,” I stated casually, “I was on my way to the bathroom when I heard you guys talking. I didn’t hear anything, I swear.”
He exited the guest bedroom and pulled the door closed.
“Hey, when you’re done in the bathroom, do you think we can talk?”
“I don’t really need to go to the bathroom,” I said sheepishly.
He nodded and wandered down the nearby staircase, I followed. I had a lot of questions for him that I needed answered as well.
He propped himself on the couch, and I in my favorite chair.
“I don’t know what to say,” he started.
“I’m going to make some tea,” I said as I stood up and made for the kitchen.
“What happened to your dad,” he asked bluntly.
I hadn’t thought about it since it happened, and it felt odd talking about it with him. But, I think he knew loss about as well as I did. He might be one of the few people to understand.
“My dad always had a weak heart. It was a matter of time before the stress caught up with him. He passed away from a stroke a few years back. Mom’s always kept jobs for herself on the side, so it wasn’t hard for her to step up and take over the finances.