Page 37 of Charming Like Us
“You know my Uncle Scottie?”
“Yeah…” I’m caging breath.
“I’ve been visiting him in prison, and I finally got him to let Farrow and Maximoff adopt Ripley. So I brought the papers to the lake house.”
“What?” I’m choked.
Emotion tunnels through me. Warring together. I clasp a hand over my eyes that well. Happiness for my best friend.Farrow and Maximoff are adopting their son.Deep weighted concern for my other best friend.What the hell did Donnelly do?
“Paul…” I scrape my hand from my eyes to my mouth, and my chest collapses. I don’t want to diminish the magnitude of what he did for Farrow, who’s practically the reason Donnelly is living and breathing—though Farrow willneversay this to anyone.
I hear him sniff, choked too. “Don’t call me that, man. The name’sDonnelly.” His voice is trying to lighten.
“It’s amazing…what you gave him.”Motherfuck,I’m crying. I wipe my face. “But, bro, what’d you do?” My chin nearly shakes.
He comes from a meth-addicted family. All of them are in prison, except for his father who was recently released.
All I can think is that he convinced Scottie to terminate his parental rights by agreeing to something. So what exactly did Donnelly agree to?
“It’s alright,” he says. “Like I told Farrow, I’m good. You don’t need to worry about me.”
“Now I’m worried,” I tell him. “He didn’t ask you to push drugs?”
“It’s not anything with drugs. I’m good. It’s all good. Nuthin’ I can’t handle.”
I rub my wet eyes and swallow the rock in my throat. “Can we do anything to help you? I get you keeping shit from Redford while he’s on his honeymoon, but I’m on a motherfucking plane. I can’t kick your ass if I’m in a different country. Bro, this is the perfect time to come clean.”
He laughs softly, but the noise fades.
Leaving heavy silence.
I close my eyes slowly, my grip on the cell intensifying. He’s not going to say anything. “Donnelly—”
“It was worth it.”
Is that the measure of our actions? Whether they’reworthsomething for the people we care about?
A text pings my phone the same time he says, “I’ve gotta go, Oscar. I’m on-duty soon, and I need to check in with Thatcher.”
“Call me tomorrow?”
“Sure thing. Hey, have a crepe for me. Miss those fuckers.” Only Donnelly would call a crepe afucker.
We say our short goodbyes, and I check my text messages.
Cancelled the Craigslist meet-up. Still looking around for places. Know anyone in NYC?– Baby Sis
I mutter to myself, “What is it with these teenagers and Craigslist.” Between her and Tom,Christ.I formulate a text. I already called my sister and talked her out of the Craigslist roommate.
And I learned she doesn’t want to live at home anymore because she’s A.) nineteen, and B.) employed as a pro-boxer, and C.) sick of our strict dad who pushes her too much as her trainer and father.
Mostly, it’s C.
Her going head-to-head with our dad concerns me, so I want her out of there too. It’d be healthier for both of them.
Which is why I said,come live with me, again.
She said,you live down the hall from the most obnoxious Cobalt boy. I’ll pass.I thought she meant Charlie, but then she told me,Beckett.
