Page 86 of Famous Last Words
Me: Yeah, I was sure to tell your mom just how wet I was ??
Robbie: ?? How’s she doing?
Me: She’s good. She loves watching you play.
Robbie: You good if I go for a drink with the guys?
Me: Of course. Everything is fine here. Have fun.
“Is that my son?”
I snap my head up to see Vicky smiling at me, a knowing look in her eyes, and I feel my cheeks turn an obvious shade of pink.
“Oh…” I laugh, nervously tucking my hair behind my ear. “Uh, yeah.”
Vicky hums. “I’ve never seen him like this before. Not like he is with you.”
I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t stop myself from prying. “He said he’s never had a girlfriend,” I say, adding quickly, “before me.”
She shakes her head, a wistful smile playing on her lips. “No. He was always popular with the girls at school. But then hockey became the most important thing, and girls took a backseat.”
I nod because I remember just how serious Robbie was about hockey when he was at Belmont.
“I worry that my illness has had a lot to do with him staying single over the years,” Vicky continues. “He’s been so focused on hockeyandme, and I feel like he never allowed himself the time to date.” A sadness suddenly washes over her as she looks down at her hands, and I wonder if Robbie ever told his mom about what happened in Minnesota. Somehow I don’t think so, and that makes my heart hurt for him even more.
“Sometimes I think he’s scared he might end up like his father.” She glances at me, obviously tentative. “Did he tell you about his father?”
“Not a lot. Just that he wasn’t a nice man,” I say reluctantly. “And that he took off when Robbie was young.”
With a solemn nod, Vicky presses her lips together. “He was horrible. An alcoholic. Drugs. Robbie saw some things no child should have to see.”
I reach over the arm of the sofa and gently grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.
“I tried to leave. Take Robbie and run away.” She glances at me, and I see something that resembles guilt flicker in her gaze. “But he said he would find me.Us. And that I’d be sorry.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “What made him finally leave?”
She scoffs, shrugging her shoulders. “Your guess is as good as mine. I returned home from work late one night to find Robbie in the house all alone at eight years old. Thankfully he was unharmed and asleep. But his father had ransacked the house, taken everything of value. He’d even snuck into Robbie’s room and took his piggy bank that probably had no more than six dollars in quarters.”
I wince.
“He left that night, and we haven’t seen or heard from him since. The first year was hard because I was terrified he was going to show back up. But then, as time went on, I realized…” She looks sad for a moment but then scoffs. “He was probably already dead.”
“I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I’m sorry that happened to you and to Robbie. But if anything good can come out of something so horrible, you need to know that you raised an amazing son.”
She smiles, flipping her hand over so we’re palm to palm, her fingers intertwined with mine. “I’m glad he has you.”
I’m already more than a little taken aback by her words, but then she continues.
“Promise me you’ll make sure he’s okay… when I’m gone.”
Tears sting the backs of my eyes as a heaviness settles like lead in my chest. The lump in my throat is back, and it’s almost impossible to breathe around it, but I manage a smile despite the guilt coursing through me because the truth is, I absolutely would promise her that. But the question remains; when all is said and done, will Robbie still want me around?
The energy in the room suddenly shifts as Rhonda plows in from the kitchen like a ball of uncontainable energy. She’s adorable. Mid-sixties. Less than five feet tall. With bright red lipstick, dark purple hair coiffed to perfection, and neon-pink spectacles dotted with diamantes.
“You ready for your nightcap, V?”
Vicky suddenly looks a little sheepish, glancing at me with a slow smile.
