Page 27 of Wandering Closer

“Probably,” my dad answers. “River said her name is Lily?”

Of course it came from River. My mom has been pestering him about settling down and making her a real grandma for years. It’s no surprise he pawned that attention off onto me.

“Yep, Lily bought Gary’s old cabin. She’s beautiful, kind, gentle, and loves Shadow. She isn’t in a place to date right now, though. The last guy did a real number on her, and she’s getting a lawyer involved. I was going to call Riv tonight to get the name of a good one.”

Both my parents go still, shoulders stiffening as they sit up. “Anything I can help with?” my dad asks. “I can get a restraining order started tonight, just let me make a call.”

“No, nothing like that dad. Plus, he’s in Arizona, where she’s from. Thanks though.”

“Does she have the support she needs?” I give a warm smile to my mom, ever the counselor and silent protector.

“She has me, and Michele has taken her under her wing, too. Her parents are in Florida, and don’t seem that involved with her.”

“I always liked that girl,” mom says about Michele, sneaking some food down to Shadow. The loud smacking of lips always gives her away. “You can bring Lily here for dinner. We can keep our mouths shut, but sometimes, it’s good to just know people are around.”

“Thanks, mom. I was actually going to ask if I can bring her next time anyway. I think she’d like to see your garden, and she writes those romance books you like.”

“Oh lord, not another one,” my dad grumbles. “Do you know how often I have to hear about what’s happening in her books?”

I can’t help but chuckle. I’ve heard my mom’s ramblings many times over whatever she is currently reading. She gets fully immersed and invested in every book. My dad can gripe about it all he wants, but I know he likes to listen to her recaps. I wonder if Lily is the same. I’ll have to ask her more about what her book is about, besides just baseball.

My mom waves her hand in my dad’s direction, dismissing him. “We would love to have her here. Now, tell me more about what’s going on. Can we help in any way?”

“She dated an older coworker who lied to her, took advantage of her, and then got her fired. It’s a lot more in depth than that, but that’s the gist. She’s going to sue for wrongful termination though,” I say, picking at my plate of food. “I would like to do a lot more than that.”

Both my parents nod at the sentiment. If there is one thing that my whole family shares, it is the fierce protectiveness we feel for those we care about. My parents saw a lot of people get mistreated and neglected through their careers. They always used the walnut analogy with River and I growing up. How, in this world, it is important to have a hard exterior in order toallow others' words and actions bounce off of us, especially while standing up for others who may be missing a hard shell of their own.

With that hard shell, we needed to have a soft inside. An inside filled with empathy, compassion and love. A soft place to feel the way we felt, and to care for others and ourselves. River always preferred the tough shell, but I tried to be the perfect walnut that my parents were. It’s why I feel so strongly about Lily’s situation. I want to be the protective barrier for her to keep her from any more hurt, but also have waiting arms for her to seek comfort in.

“It’s settled then,” my mom breaks me out of my thoughts. “She will come with you next time. Now that we have covered your love life, has River told you anything about Vanessa? The only information we have gotten from him is her name.”

Chuckling, I put my hands up in surrender at her meddling. “I’ll ask for all the juicy details when we talk next, I promise.”

“Good. Your mom bought Shadow three new bandanas last week. She needs an actual grandbaby, and soon,” dad grumbles playfully.

“Oh!” My mom drops her fork, leaving the room and coming back with a bag of goodies. “I forgot about those. They were buy two, get one free. I had to get three of them, David. I also got some new treats but wanted to check with you first to make sure they were okay to give.”

My mom pulls out a bandana with flowers printed on it, before passing me the bag to check the treats. She carefully ties it on Shadow’s neck, then slips her another bite of food. Watching both my parents gushing over my dog and continuing to rib each other over the appropriate spoiling level of a dog, I am hit with a conflicting wave of grief and joy. I am so lucky to have parents who are so involved in my life and care so deeply, but it guts me that there are people like Lily who have no siblings and absentparents. I want her to feel the love and chaos that family brings. She deserves it.

We spent the rest of dinner talking about their garden, and what was growing well this year. The weather has been kind to them and it seems to be flourishing, much to their enjoyment. When our plates were empty and stomachs full, I helped my mom clean up while my dad threw on the sports channel to watch the highlights with my dog.

“Can I steal a few clippings from your lilac bush before I leave? They’re Lily’s favorite, and I told her about yours.”

Mom stops putting the plates away, grabbing the scissors and handing them to me with a smirk. She places her hand over her heart, a twinkle shining in her eyes. “You’ve always been my softie. Never change that heart of yours, baby.”

It’s getting close to the end of season for the lilacs to bloom so I scour through the bush finding the best and most fragrant flowers. By the time I get inside with a handful, my mom is waiting with a small vase already filled with water for me. I say goodbye to my parents, promising to get the inside scoop on River’s girlfriend and to bring Lily by as soon as I can. The heavy set of my shoulders feels lighter when I hop in the truck and head home.

When I pull down Alder Ave, I put my truck in park behind the trees at the end of Lily’s driveway and walk the flowers to her door. Leaving them on her front mat, I knock on the door and run to the woods, hiding behind some trees. Staying put, I watch her open her door in a pajama set, a fuzzy sweater wrapped tight around her. She looks around before spotting the vase of flowers. The smile that takes over her face is enough to light me up for a week. Lily stays on the porch for a minute breathing in the flowers before she giggles to herself and steps back inside. Shadow is impatiently waiting for me in the truck when I trudge back, and we head home for the night.

I change into lounge shorts, grab a beer from the fridge and splay out on the couch. Grabbing my phone, I tap River’s name and wait for him to answer.

After the fourth ring, his loud voice answers, “If it isn’t the god of thunder!”

“Har-har, dickbag. You know my hammer brings the thunder.” I quip back.

“Gross, don’t talk about your dick. How are things? You haven’t called since your date last weekend.”

We usually talk weekly, but it has been a minute. I hate asking my brother for things, and now I am about to ask him for two favors. “Things are going. I do want to catch up, but I also called for a reason.”

---