Breath Of Life

Ollie

“Mom?” I walk inside the house and scan the area. It’s our habit to get together every few weeks for Sunday brunch, just the two of us. We have a family dinner once a month with everyone, but this is our sacred time. Since the robbery, she’s made it her business to check on me two and three times a week. I understand why, but it’s driving me up the wall.

“I’m in the kitchen, baby.?

?

I follow the sound of her soft voice to the island where she’s drinking a cup of tea. Her brunette hair is streaked liberally with gray and the crow’s feet around her eyes and mouth are deeper.

“How are you feeling?” she asks. The kindness in the blue eyes so similar to my own gets me in the gut.

How can I stay mad at her for caring?

“I’m a lot better. Physical therapy is going well, and the soreness is fading. I’ll get the green light to return to work in another week or so.”

She frowns so deep her brows nearly kiss. Here we go. “Should you be rushing back?”

“Mom, I’m going stir crazy. There’s only so much television and books a person can consume for entertainment.”

She sighs. “You never liked to stay in one place doing the same thing for too long. From the minute you were old enough to do things alone, you were always on the go. I wasn’t surprised at all when you left home to go skate around the world.”

“It was my passion. I had to follow it as far as I possibly could, or I always would’ve wondered. Besides, college wasn’t for me. I could never thrive there. Not when I had no direction. I would’ve been going to please you, and in the end, it would’ve been a waste of good money.”

“And I knew that. It’s why I never spoke a word against your decision. It was an incredible opportunity to see the world and do what you love. I was proud of you. I’m still proud. I hope you know that.”

My stomach drops. This sounds like a build-up to bad news. “Mom, are you okay?”

“I am.” She swallows. “When I got the call you’d been shot I thought of all the things I hadn’t said or didn’t say enough.” She sniffs and I walk over to pull her into a side hug. She’s finally breaking down and opening up. I knew this moment would come eventually. In the hospital, she held it together to be strong for me. Now that I’m on the mend, it’s a different story. I know my mom better than anyone else. She hides her feelings until it’s safe in her mind to let go.

“I’m okay, Mom.”

“I was so scared. And your father ...” Her voice shakes. “You should’ve seen his face when he came in. I think ... I think he wants to repair your relationship.”

I roll my eyes. “Mom—”

“No. It made me realize I did you a disservice never encouraging you to iron things out. What he did to me was despicable, yes. But it’s between him and me.”

“Mom, with all due respect, Dad can eat a bag of dicks. It was more than the cheating. We never meshed. I didn’t fit in or live up to his expectations, and he never let me forget it. That’s the base of all our animosity.”

I release her. I knew my dad had come around. I was half awake for one occasion. It had done nothing to soften my heart where he was concerned. It felt like some last-ditch effort to set us straight in case I kicked the bucket.

“Why are we even talking about this?”

She glances at the floor.

“Mom?”

“Because I asked her to invite you here. I knew you wouldn’t answer my calls or come if you knew about the arrangement.”

I glance toward my father who’s coming down the hall toward me.

“You’re damn straight. Really, Mom? I expect this from him, not you.”

“This is about what’s best for you,” she says.

“I’m fine exactly how I am.” I grit my teeth.

“I won’t be here forever. I need to know you have a support system if something happens to me. That robbery reminded me of how unpredictable and short life can be. We need to heal this family.”