Page 11 of Turn

The next morning I never mentioned what I’d seen and wondered if it was a dream, even though my heart told me it wasn’t. Two days later we received the thankful news that the tumor was merely benign and I wept with relief like the rest of the family. My aunt was one of the people I loved best in the world.

My sisters and I escaped to the kitchen and found my mother sipping wine with Aunt Jenny. Uncle Deck’s wife made a fuss over Cadence since she was leaving tomorrow, congratulated Cami for graduating from college and then turned her attention to me.

“There’s a rumor you’re joining the Scratch payroll for the summer,” she said.

“There’s an even better rumor that a hidden pile of pulled pork sandwiches awaits us in the fridge,” I said, taking a seat at the table.

Of course my dad would have discussed the idea of hiring me with Uncle Deck before making the offer. They were partners after all. And naturally Deck would have mentioned it to his wife. As for my part, I was still giving the matter some thought.

My mother produced a plate of sandwiches from their secret location. “They should still be warm,” she said, setting the plate on the table.

Cami grabbed a beer from the fridge but I shook my head when she offered me one and instead motioned to one of the Cokes while preparing to bite into a sandwich.

Aunt Jenny left to go hunt down her husband, who I’d last seen joining the conversation between Uncle Chase and Dalton. My dad poked his head into the kitchen and asked if there was any more food to serve the demanding masses. My mother tossed him a box of Ritz crackers and told him to ration it. Before she ventured out into the living room to assess the situation, she paused to touch the head of her youngest child.

This had to be a bittersweet night for my parents. The return of one daughter and the departure of another. Cadence, the baby. Sure, she’d be back at the end of the summer but then she’d turn right around and sail off to her first year of college.

My sisters and I chewed quietly at the table for a moment once my mother was gone. There were a million memories in this room; meals, laughter, arguments. We’d always had a habit of gathering in the kitchen.

“I’m going to take Dad up on his offer,” I said. “I’ve got to work somewhere and summer options are limited on short notice. Plus it’ll be nice to have a quiet, low key summer among family.”

Cami grinned. “You never know. Last year a summer job changed my life. Maybe this year a summer job will change yours.”

I popped the last bite of shredded pork in my mouth and swallowed.

“That’s true,” I agreed, even though I didn’t believe it. “You never know.”

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