Page 113 of Tear Me Apart
Juliet shrugs. “Unfortunately, I don’t get to work on any of this, so I don’t know. Woody will be back with us soon, I’m sure. My assistant is doing a double-check run of the evidence the Nashville cops brought. By the way, Jasper and Lauren lawyered up. Do you feel like you need legal representation? I know some people.”
He sighs. “I figured that was coming. They’ve been too kind. It’s one thing to acknowledge the man who fathered your child, but when push comes to shove, the reality of losing Mindy was always going to cloud their judgment. I have a lawyer in Nashville. I’ll let her know what’s happening, see if she wants to coordinate. But Mindy is the one who gets to make the decisions here. I’ve already told her I won’t stand between her and her parents, but that I’d like to be a part of her life.” A smile now, at last. “Silly kid said I should move out here, that I could get tenure at the University of Colorado in Boulder and we could all live together.”
“It’s not a terrible idea, you know. I mean, it’s not like they have ski slopes in Nashville, and Mindy will never be separated from the mountains. They’re as much a part of her as her hands. If you want to be near her, Colorado it is.”
He plays with Kat’s lead. “We’ll see.” His watch chimes. “We should probably go in. My next infusion is in fifteen minutes, and I’m not looking forward to it.”
“Zack, wait. How is Mindy doing? Since she seems to be confiding in you...”
“Honestly? She’s pissed. She wants the dog, but the doctor won’t let her.” They laugh together for a moment, easier with each other.
Over Zack’s shoulder, Juliet sees a news truck glide into the parking lot.
“We better get inside. The hordes are arriving.”
67
Mindy, stuck alone in the clean room while her immune system is crashed in preparation for the possible life-saving treatment, tries to wrap her head around her new normal. There has been so much to absorb, so many lightning-fast changes, that she hasn’t had time to process any of it. Her biodad, her mom’s weirdness, the letters...they are important. Why else would her mother have them stashed away?
Mindy didn’t have a chance to get them back to their hiding spot. She’d spent hours in the bathroom, hiding from her mother, reading through them several times, practically committing them to memory.
Now, the more she knows about Zack, the more disturbing the letters become. She recalls the last few, worrying a nail.
August 1996
V,
Sorry it’s been so long since I wrote. I’ve been having a long summer. Mood swings galore, and I’ve been pretty down. I have to go back on medication, or my mother threatened me with a weekend visit to the local nut ward, which I refuse to do. So back on the soul-sucking drugs go I. It’s fine, though. I need to get myself together. Before I fell down the rabbit hole again, I was accepted to an art college here. I must have been high to apply, but I was trying to impress a current boyfriend, who was very insistent that I must have a “life plan.” He didn’t understand why I wasn’t interested in the whole go to college, pledge a sorority, major in MRS thing. I’m dumping him before I leave, for sure.
But here’s the deal. I’m concerned about my privacy at this new school. So if you write, can you please not mention anything about where we met? I’m not ashamed, I just don’t feel like it’s anyone’s business what happened. Cool?
Love you,
Liesel
September 1996
Liesel,
You mean you want me not to mention we were both locked in school that taught us exceptional coping mechanisms and bitchin’ art skills, with an emphasis on interpersonal relations so we had the best chance in life to succeed? Copy that, Starbuck! (wink wink)
In other news, Ratchet’s having another kid. Still no ring. Mystery semen!!
Love,
V
January 1997
Hey V,
I have an email address!!! Now we can write immediately instead of waiting months between letters. My address [email protected]
Hope you’re doing well–what’s been happening lately? It’s been a while–
Email me!
Love,
