Page 103 of Freshmeet
“I found Dad.”
All the air vanished from the room. My mom blanched as she stared at Jamie and reached for my hand.
Jamie put his hands up in defense to whatever he saw in my expression. “Just hear me out, okay?” He waited, and my mom gave him a jerky nod, her body language remaining stiff and awkward. “Okay. So, when I was hanging out at Gamma, I found a composite with Dad’s picture. Did you know he was in a fraternity?”
Mom nodded, her lips parting as if she’d seen a ghost.
“Well, I used their alum network and found him. He’s lived an hour and a half away in Columbia this whole time. They even got me his phone number.”
Mom cleared her throat, then picked up her wine glass with a shaky hand and downed the contents in one swig. Sarah silently got up and refilled Mom’s glass to the brim.
“I want to call him.” Jamie’s face fell.
I was struck by fear of the kind of damage that asshole could do to my little brother. The guy had left and never looked back. I could only imagine what he would say to Jamie if he did call. How do you explain abandoning your children?
Taking a sip this time, Mom set the glass down and said, “Okay.” Her voice was hollow, lacking all its natural warmth.Tension settled between the two, notching up with every minute Mom remained silent.
Jamie shrank back in his chair, his own eyes glossy as he chewed on his thumbnail.
I shifted in my seat, wildly uncomfortable with my brother being so upset, but unable to find it in me to soothe him.
Seeing Jamie so distraught snapped Mom out of her trance. “Oh, baby. If that’s what you want to do, I understand.” She grabbed his hand and pulled her chair closer to him, linking the three of us together.
“Thanks, Mom.” Jamie’s voice broke, and Mom dropped my hand. Jumping up, she hugged him to her stomach as he cried.
My eyes burned, and the lump in my throat grew. Just as it became too hard to breathe, the smell of flowers enveloped me as Sarah wrapped her arms around me. Resting her chin on my shoulder, she placed a small kiss on my ear, and the pain eased. I let out a shaky breath and held on to her hands across my chest for dear life.
“What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?”
Tears streamed down Mom’s face as she ran her fingers through Jamie’s hair, whispering, “If he doesn’t, it’s his loss.”
The scene unfolded, and I was just a spectator to my own family’s drama. Guilt and jealousy swirled inside me as I ached to be included. I swallowed thickly, unable to look away as Mom stroked Jamie’s hair, holding him like he was the most important person in the world.
As if sensing my pain, Sarah started to rub soothing circles over my heart with her palm.
When’s the last time someone held me like this?
My vision blurred, and I tightened my grip on her wrist as a silent gesture of gratitude for the support she so naturally provided.
Jamie looked up at Mom and wiped his eyes with his palms. “Did he ever want to see us?”
Mom blew out a breath and shook her head. The sorrow etched into her face tore at me. She’d been through so much because of that cheating asshole.
Jamie pulled away from her and stood up. Nodding, he stormed out of the dining room.
Sarah gave me one last squeeze and let go. Losing her warmth hurt, but it was time for me to play my role.
Slowly, I stood and pulled Mom to my chest, letting her finally cry. As she shook with sobs, I couldn’t shake the déjà vu. This wasn’t the first time I had supported her through a tough time.
When she finally settled down, she asked, “Would you mind checking on Jamie?”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from letting her see how much her words hurt. She never asked if I was okay. It was always about my little brother.
“Sure.” I looked at Sarah, who stood awkwardly to the side of the room.
So much for our family making a good impression.
“Will you be okay?”
