Page 99 of Dear Pink

Giovanna shakes her head. “Well shit, I’ll miss her around here.” She glances around the room as if missing her already.

“Well, another one bites the dust,” Ghita says, rising from the floor. “C’est la vie."

My sisters begin to peel away. What just happened? Is “slow our roll” girl code? Before I ask, Mom pokes her head around the corner.

“All hands on deck,” she calls. My sisters leap to join her, but I stay rooted on the couch. I’m no longer hungry. I could return to the hammock and hide or go for a long bike ride to forget. Though I can’t get on the bike these days without thinking of Hannah.

“Gabe?” My mother reappears with tomato sauce smeared on her apron. “Set the table, lazybones.”

I start to protest, but instead roll off the cushions and stand, my legs heavy with emotional exhaustion. I stomp to the dining room and grab the dinner plates from the china cabinet. While I set the table, Gemma and Gabriela bring in salad and homemade vinaigrette. They give me sad puppy dog eyes.

“Poor Gabe,” I hear them whisper as they take their seats.

Dad enters with a nod to me and pours himself a glass of wine. Giovanna and Gloria come in next with enormous bowls of spaghetti and sauce. They stare at me the same way, shaking their heads. The last to arrive are Ghita and Gina. Gina won’t even meet my eyes when she lays the huge platter of mussels on the table. Ghita looks directly at me and clicks her tongue like I’m the most pitiful person on the planet. I feel pretty pathetic. Why won’t they explain what her words mean?

“What’s going on in here?” Mom holds the French bread like a weapon, shaking the loaf at us. “Sit, Gabe.” She hands her glass to my father for a refill.

I drop into my chair and stare at my empty plate. My sisters whisper conspiratorially.

“Girls?” Mom says. “Did I miss something?”

My sisters talk all at once. Dad raises a questioning eyebrow to Mom.

“Hannah told Gabe she wanted to slow their roll.”

Mom stares at me. “What does that mean?”

I lift my shoulders in question.

“She wants a casual relationship,” Gloria says.

“Basically, Hannah dumped Gabe,” Ghita blurts, serving herself a huge chunk of fresh bread.

“Wait. What?” Mom turns facing me. “Hannah broke up with you?”

“You heard them, Mom.” I close my eyes for a brief moment. “I guess so? She left me a weird note, too,” I mumble.

“Wait.” Ghita scrunches her face. “You didn’t mention a note.”

Gloria passes me the salad. “A Dear John note?”

I lift my head. “No. It was addressed to me.”

“No, stupid,” Gloria says. “A goodbye letter.”

I think about the haphazard note written on the back of a grocery receipt. “See you around,” echoes in my head. The stupid grocery receiptwasa goodbye letter.

Mom walks over to my chair and rests her hand on my shoulder. “Gabe, dear. What did the note say?”

I place my hand on hers and whisper, “Fun time last night. You’re a sweet guy. See you around.” My sisters gulp, and I shove my chair away from the table. “Please excuse me, but I’ve lost my appetite.”

Mom grabs my hand. “Let’s sit outside for a minute.”

I follow her to the patio couch, but I’m in no mood to rehash the depressing Hannah events with her.

We sit, and she takes my hand again, spreading my fingers on top of hers. “When you were little, your hand was so tiny, it fit right inside my palm.” She beams at our hands flattened on top of each other. “Time goes fast.” She pauses and gazes into my eyes.

“Mom, you’re rambling. Is something wrong?” A stone sits in my gut. “Please, just tell me.”

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