Page 25 of Fragile Kiss (Fragile 2)
“You live in another city, Andrew. Think about it.”
“I would move here. I would ask for a transfer to this factory, here in Hanneston.”
“You don’t even know if that would pan out.” She was trying to get him to think about what he was saying, but realized she was encouraging his ideas. “Listen, it’s not even worth your energy trying to figure it out.”
The sadness in his eyes when he dared to look at her almost put tears in hers.
“I’m sorry, Andrew,” she whispered.
“I shouldn’t have brought it up.”
“It’s okay.”
“It might all be psychological.” He swallowed, and Lillian knew it was the dreaded lump of emotion. “You know the anniversary is coming up.”
All at once, Lillian’s heart stopped. The room disappeared as she realized what month it was.
“I...” she squeaked, but couldn’t say anything.
Andrew cast his gaze out the window at the darkness. “So I might just be missing her. And you’re the closest thing to her that I have.”
She felt the world start to spin and clutched the arm of the chair. It felt like lying down after a few too many tequila shots. No matter how sleepy you are, the spinning makes your stomach churn.
“Can we forget this conversation happened?”
It was a simple question, and asked so innocently. “Andrew,” she whispered, “I’ll be here for you forever. You don’t have to worry about losing me. And you know Amelia is with us, too.”
He shook his head.
“I know she is,” Lillian said, and let out a tinkly laugh. “Whenever I’m losing my shit, I literally hear her voice in my head calling me out on it.”
That brought a smile to Andrew’s face. “Sounds just like Sis.”
“I mean, where would we be today without her voice of reason?”
“Probably still trying to establish a successful dog-walking business,” Andrew said nonchalantly, and at the reminder of their younger days they both laughed. For a split-second, it felt like Amelia was there laughing along with them. The air turned much lighter from its prior negativity.
Andrew started to laugh harder than before, and Lillian wondered what in the world had gotten into him. He was holding his face in his hands, and she quickly realized he wasn’t laughing anymore. He was crying.
In an instant she was by his side, holding him tight and rocking him back and forth. Visions of the three of them together before Amelia was killed haunted her mind, and she was brought to tears. When Andrew felt her wracking sobs, he put his arms around her also.
They cried on the couch together for several minutes, letting their grief separate from them at last. Although they weren’t talking, they both were seeing the same things inside their minds: the three of them walking along an old railroad. Ice cream dates. Stealing beer from the stock in the fridge late at night. Amelia hugging them for good luck before a job interview. Andrew and Lillian waving as she drove off. Coffee at a local place down the street, just the two of them, talking about how well she would do in her interview. The phone ringing an hour later. Rushing to the hospital. Lots of machines with lines that should have been fluctuating. Too many tears to see the rest.
Finally, Lillian pulled back and looked Andrew in the eye. “I think she would want me to take this job. It’s a really good chance for me.”
Andrew, after a long pause, nodded slightly. “If you think you should, then do it. I’ll be waiting for you when you come back.”
THE NEXT MORNING WAS full of phone calls. Lillian called each of her appointments to confirm the week off, and arranged for someone to come look after the cats on the days after Andrew left.
I hope this Katharina girl doesn’t cancel on me after making all these phone calls, she thought after everything was done. She called Katharina, who answered the phone with more of a statement about Lillian coming to Los Angeles than a question of whether she could or not.
The dialogue was short, and the flight was booked within an hour. It was direct, and it was business-class.
Lillian desperately hoped this was a sign that her time in the city would be worth all the emotional drama.
Andrew would be in town for a couple more days, so he would drive her to the airport the next morning. He worked all day, so they didn’t have much time to spend together before she left. Alone in the house all afternoon, she tidied up and packed. The cats knew she was leaving; they circled around her feet and tried to trip her the whole day.
Andrew came back from work late. They ate sandwiches. Drank tea. Andrew crashed in his room before he could manage a shower. The house was quiet again, save for soft, intermittent snoring.
