Page 90 of Taming Liberty

See you soon, Robert.

20

Angel

The air conditioner in Julia’s car sounds loud in the silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Sam fidget in the passenger seat, but I don’t turn my head his way. I look out the windshield at the heavy, dinner-time traffic while pretending not to feel the nervous energy he puts off.

The sun is already beginning to set, making the sunglasses hanging off Sam’s nose seem superfluous. He leans forward and stabs a finger against the stereo’s power button. Spanish music blares through the speakers, and he sits back in the seat.

“Why are you driving like a grandma?” he grumbles.

I glance at him, then go back to the road. He doesn’t even look intentional about his comment, doesn’t even realize that maybe I’m not the person you want to be in a car with altogether. It’s like he doesn’t even remember who I am, what I’m supposed to be to him. How his father died…

He doesn’t blame me. Julia wasn’t lying about that.

My grip on the wheel loosens, and I press on the break when the stoplight ahead turns yellow.

He holds his hands out in disbelief as a car blows past us and one behind us honks. The light is red before we come to a full stop.

“Dude, what the fuck?”

“I don’t like to drive,” I say with an even tone and leave it at that.

As much relief as I feel from one bratty comment, I’m still fucking terrified of getting so much as a parking ticket with Dario’s son in the passenger seat. So we’ll be stopping at yellow lights.

He bounces his knee, his arms crossing over his chest. “Did you call ahead?” he asks, although I’m sure he knows the answer to that. “They could be having dinner.”

“I don’t think they eat at a table as a family. It’ll be fine.”

He drags in an exaggerated breath, sucking up the air in the car with him, and when he lets it out, there’s a nervous hum that goes with it.

I shift in my seat, trying to think of some kind of reassurance to give him. It’s hard when I need reassurance myself.

Last night after I went back inside, Julia had already gone back to bed. She’d been waiting at the door when I went in to get the car keys, her robe pulled tight and her lips pouting as her eyes conveyed concern. She seemed to take the explanation that we had a fight well enough, and she gave me her phone without question. All she’d asked was, “Do I want to know?”

I shook my head and walked the phone and keys out to Lib. When I went back inside, Julia was gone, but Sam was sitting on the couch.

He seemed less interested in my fight with Lib and more interested in having a conversation about his dad. He’d been giving me the cold shoulder all day, but with the way he sat straight, hanging on to my every word, I got the impression he’d been thinking about having this conversation for a while.

Going to my childhood home was his idea. He didn’t outright beg, but he got as close to it as a prideful teenage boy can, so even though the idea made me want to vomit, I agreed.

“Sorry about your girlfriend,” Sam says. I’m not sure if he’s trying to distract himself from his own nervousness or if he’s naturally uncomfortable with the silence.

I take a turn, my eyes fixed on the road in front of me. It’s enough to go through with showing up at my family’s house with a kid they disowned. Thinking about Lib makes breathing hard. “Thanks.”

He drums his thighs subtly with his palms. “You think she’ll come back?”

I sigh. “No.”

“That bad, huh?”

“You can’t even imagine, kid.”

He nods, his chin extending unnecessarily like he’s listening to his favorite song. A minute passes. “I just went through a breakup too.”

I didn’t know it would be possible today, but my lips tug into a half smile. “Oh yeah?”

“Yup.”

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