Page 19 of Sparrow

“Mom and Dad are still going strong. Wild as ever, especially my mom. It’s like the older she gets, the fewer fucks she gives. It’s entertaining.” I lean against her counter, crossing my arms.

“She hardly gave any when we were teenagers. I can’t imagine her now.”

“She gave enough fucks to keep me in line, that’s for sure.” I chuckle.

An extended silence fills the room and we just stare at each other. It’s like there’s this instant connection, almost like no time has passed.

I want to know how she spent the last fourteen years. I want to know everything about her. Who she is now. What her favorite movie is. What her favorite song is. Is her favorite food still cornbread pudding? Does she still squeeze lime into her ice water? I want to get to know her again.

“Mills, I’d like—” My phone ringing interrupts my sentence and my train of thought. I pull the phone from my pocket and see it’s my boss. “Sorry. I need to take this.”

“No worries. Take it.”

I step into the next room and answer the phone. I am listening to him while he rattles off information, but my eyes are focusing elsewhere.

The house is still mostly unfurnished, like she moved in with very few possessions. Everything she does have is clearly brand new.

She’s starting over.

What happened to you, Mills?

After finishing my call, I step back into the kitchen as she is pouring some sweet tea in a plastic tumbler, snapping a lid onto it.

“I heard you saying you’d be there as soon as you can. I don’t know where there is, but I do know, I can’t ignore my Southern roots and not offer you an ice-cold sweet tea for the road.” She extends her hands out, holding the tumbler in them.

“We’d have to confiscate your ‘Southerner Card’ otherwise, and we can’t have that.” I take the cup. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure, Gray.”

“Well, duty calls down on the River Walk. Apparently my boss is short a man and needs me on site ASAP. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to start the installation.” I take a sip of the tea, and of course, it’s perfect.

“Bright and early. I’ll try to have my coffee first so I’m not a monster.” She sinks her teeth into her bottom lip then speaks again, “It was really good to see you, Gray.”

“You’ll be seeing more of me. That’s a promise.”

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