Page 25 of Letters to Lily

Aug. 2

Time stood still for a while as I cooked the pasta, heated up some sauce, and popped the cheesy garlic bread into the oven before everyone got to the house. I was busy, but almost felt like I was in an emotional limbo. Feeling good for once was almost a foreign sensation. Being able to purge some memories out in a positive way with the letter to my daughter had been freeing. That made this the first day, since before Kade left, that some happiness actually eased my heart and warmed my soul a little bit.

“Honey, I’m home!” Kristin called out as the front door opened. “And I’ve brought guests with me.”

“What’s the news, ladies?” Mal called out as he sauntered into my kitchen like he owned the place. “Damn, it smells good in here. Forget the news, let’s eat!”

“Stop being an asshole,” Brad called out. I hadn’t seen him come in, because I had turned back around to smack the sauce spoon out of Mal’s hands. “Wow, where did you get this print?” He asked, and I turned to see that Brad was staring up at a photo I’d taken when I was in high school. Kristin, Kade, and I had gone hiking and wandered off the trail long enough to find this little hidden treasure of a waterfall. The waterfall itself wasn’t exactly what made the image; it was all the Rhododendron Trees that had been in full bloom surrounding it that made for a truly magnificent study in color and contrast.

“We didn’t buy that,” Kristin threw out before I could even comment. “Sasha took that photo. What was it?” She turned to me for confirmation of the timeline, “Three years ago?”

“Yep,” was all I offered.

“We all went hiking, and being the idiots that we were, we got lost when we strolled off the trail. Then we found this place and it was just stunning. Luckily, that one doesn’t leave the camera behind when we hike.”

“You got lost?” Brad asked, interested to hear the rest of the story.

“Yeah, K…” Kristin cut herself off as she realized she had been about to say his name. “Um, the baby daddy was with us that day, and good thing too. He found some trail tape dangling from a tree and went in search for more. Then he came back and led us to the trail again. If not for him, our dumb butts probably would have been stuck there until a search party came to find us.”

“Looks like the trip was worth it though. That could be hanging in a gallery,” Brad offered as he turned to look at the photo again. “I didn’t realize you were a photographer?” I wasn’t sure if it was a question or a statement, but I answered anyway, more so because of the odd look that settled over his features.

“Yeah, I’ve always been into photography. I just haven’t been able to get out and take the photos I want to lately, because, well…” I pointed down to my ever-growing belly. “I’ve had other things going on.”

“Plus, she’s been focusing on her writing lately. Our girl is a big bundle of talent,” Kristin smiled as she pulled plates down and set the table.

“Seems so,” Brad moved closer to the kitchen now. “Can I help with anything?”

“No, I have it all covered. Just sit. I’m about to bring it all over to the table. Kristin, could you grab the salad?”

I noticed, as everyone dished out their plates that Brad didn’t take as much as he normally would. “What’s the matter, not hungry today?”

“I’m always hungry, Prego, but as luck would have it, I just ate at the diner a couple hours ago with my brother.” The words left his mouth effortlessly, but my head snapped up anyway.

“Brother?” I questioned.

“I didn’t know you had a brother,” Kristin chimed in.

“He’s a cool guy; I saw him earlier. They actually look alike when you stand them side by side too.” Mal spoke around a mouthful of pasta.

“I thought you were from out west though, and you never mentioned a brother?” The questions still hung in the air because I was wondering why Brad never told me about siblings before.

“It’s kind of a weird situation. We share a dad, and never knew about each other until recently. It was actually the first time we got to meet one another. That was my news I was going to share with you today. I never really wanted to talk about him before, because it was like this abstract idea. It was like knowing that someone was supposed to be in your life, but they weren’t really there, so you don’t talk about it?” His babbling words came out more like a question. “It was something I didn’t really let myself get too excited over, just in case he hated me, or wanted nothing to do with me once we met.”

“Yeah, I know all about that,” I tossed out while trying to lose the resentful tone I wanted to put behind my words.

The sad looks I got from everyone let me know I failed. “Please, continue, I want to hear all about this mysterious brother of yours.”

“Well, we got along great, had a fantastic time, and I think I saw that slick bastard taking our waitress home as I was headed over here.”

Mal was laughing, “That doesn’t surprise me one bit. I had him pegged for a player the minute I saw him at the apartment.”

“I don’t know that I would peg him that way, but he was in need of a good distraction from his life, so I hope he did more than just give her a ride home. He’s kind of nursing a broken heart right now.”

“Must be in the water,” I grumbled.

“Funny, that’s what I told him.” Brad chuckled a little and thankfully lightened the mood again before he pounced. “Soooo…” He drew the word out while watching for my reaction.

“So what?” I played along.

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