Page 76 of Noah

Brody walked into the kitchen and started making coffee. "That's different. That wasn't here. We lived in a condo back then and Bentley was the only pet I had. Ricky didn't like animals."

"How can you not like animals?"

"I'm glad we're on the same page with that one," Brody replied, flicking the coffee pot on to brew. "In the second bedroom, I have a hedgehog and a gecko."

Cool.

"I've never been around either one of those animals. Can I see them?"

"After I make us some breakfast." Brody proceeded to gather up the makings of bacon and eggs. I took a seat at the kitchen table. I knew absolutely nothing about cooking. I ate at the pub.

"Do you like cooking?" I asked.

"My mom and I cooked together when I was a kid. Still do."

"That's a nice memory. I'm glad you have that with her."

"Me too. We're close now."

"Now?" Brody's back was to me as he fried the bacon, but I could see his body tense. I'd hit on something he didn't want to talk about. "Never mind. I didn't mean to pry."

"No, it's all right." His shoulders rose and fell. "We weren't close for years."

I wanted to ask why not but decided to stay quiet. If Brody wanted to tell me he would. I played with the stack of placemats in the centre of the table as I waited.

"My mom and dad lied to me when I was a kid," he said as he lifted the bacon from the frying pan and set it on a plate covered with a paper towel. He opened the carton of eggs then cracked four of them into the pan and put some bread in the toaster.

"My dad used to be away on business during the week," he said. "At least that's what we were told. He'd be home every weekend to hang out and play with us. Happy family stuff."

He looked over his shoulder at me. "Over easy?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"When I turned nineteen, they told my brother and me the truth." He flipped the eggs. "My dad hadn't been on business trips during the week. The truth was he had another family."

"What the fuck?" I slapped my hand over my mouth. I hadn't meant to speak and throw him off. This was heavy stuff. Brody plated our food and brought it to the table.

He sat down across from me. "My parents weren't together anymore. They'd divorced when I was six. Somewhere in their fucked-up minds, they decided it would be better for us kids if they pretended they were still together. Kept up the ruse of my dad only being home on weekends."

"And his other family?" I needed to know.

"They thought my dad did his business on the weekend."

"That must have been exhausting." Not to give his dad any kind of pass, but holy shit, the effort to keep up that kind of lie for thirteen years must have been insane.

Brody shrugged. "Never asked him."

"Where is he now?"

"In Ontario with his other family none the wiser."

"Jeezus, Brody." I reached across the table for his hand. I felt relieved when he took it. "Did you see a therapist about this? That had to have fucked you up."

Brody shook his head. "I'd rather forget. But it makes it hard for me to trust people."

I squeezed his hand. "No wonder you didn't want to answer my questions that first night."

"I didn't know you. And I was too distracted by you to read you properly."

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