Page 7 of Don't Let Go

Why was he calling me now? It was late. I didn’t want to talk about anything political. I was always dragged to dinners, speeches, and other social gatherings. My father’s people thought I looked good standing next to him in a suit. They seemed to want me more after my mother died. I wished for the old times when my father was the mayor of Scottsdale and I was only needed for an event once or twice a year.

I ignored Jacob’s call.

Iris pointed to the lights hanging above us on the porch. “I love this song!”

It took me a moment to recognize the pop song. “Let’s dance.”

I swung Iris around and she laughed. We wrapped our arms around each other and moved along with the beat. Iris rested her head on my chest. The music swayed us and I took a chance and spun Iris, and she giggled as I pulled her back. She kissed me, and our tongues tangled. I didn’t want this moment to end.

My phone rang. It was Jacob… again.

“Maybe you should answer. It seems like you’re needed.” Iris pulled away and toyed with her kitty pendant as she looked over at the drink table. “You answer and I’ll go get us some drinks.”

“Okay.” If it made my phone stop blowing up, I’d answer the damn thing. Then, turn it off.

“This better be important,” I barked into the phone.

“Tyler. Can you sit—”

“What?” I plugged my finger into my other ear. I couldn’t hear Jacob over the pounding music. “Give me a second.”

I moved away from the house and leaned against a metal fence. There were two horses in the distance, eating hayand looking pretty upset about the uninvited guests on their property.

“What did you say?”

Jacob cleared his throat. “I said, can you sit down? I need to tell you something.”

“Just tell me,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose.

“Your father is at Grace Medical Hospital.”

My stomach hit the dirt. “Wait, what? What happened? He was fine earlier.”

Voices drifted on the other line, like people talking as they walked past Jacob. His voice cracked as he said, “Your father is on life support. Please come down here if you can.”

My body felt numb. The back of my head tingled like something horrible was about to happen.

“I’m on my way.” I hung up and wiped the sweat from my palm onto my pants.

I took a deep breath, pushing my finger and thumb into my eyes to keep the tears at bay.

My father was fine about an hour or so ago. He wanted us to go out to dinner and now he was lying unconscious in a hospital bed with machines keeping him alive. What the hell? How can this be reality?

I grabbed my keys out of my pocket and bolted for the car. My legs felt heavy and everything was in a haze, as if my head was in a fish bowl. I felt like I was drowning. I’m worrying for nothing. My father is a strong man. This isn’t the end. It can’t be.

4

Aurora

The eggs sizzled in the pan. Everyone liked their eggs cooked differently, but today, I was only serving them one way. When I woke up, my thigh had a hand-sized purple bruise, and add that to a lack of sleep, I didn’t have the patience for what my siblings wanted this morning. They were lucky to be eating at all.

“I wanted sunny side up,” my fifteen-year-old sister, Carmen, whined. She poked at the scrambled eggs like they were caviar.

Franco and Lorenzo frowned at their fluffy eggs. They liked them poached, but they shoveled the food into their mouths all the same. They were good Italian boys who knew not to argue with the cook.

My six-year-old baby sister, Elizabeth, or as we called her, Lizzy, loved anything I cooked. She was my biggest fan andwanted me to open a restaurant. Though I was sure it was so I could always give her something to eat.

“Shut up and eat. We’re leaving in thirty minutes.” I pointed to my brothers. “You’ll be late to work if you don’t leave soon.” I placed a giant plate of bacon in the center of the table before sitting down.

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