“Oh, kid.” She places her arms around me and hugs me tight.
“I’m okay, Mom.”
“You look like shit, Noah,” she says without holding back.
“Geez, thanks.” I throw my bag toward the corner of the room and head to the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, I stand in front of it for minutes contemplating what to eat.
Somewhere in my self-absorbed bubble, I’ve failed to notice the moving boxes scattered around the room.
I grab an apple, taking a bite. “Am I missing something?”
“Sit down,” she tells me. “I’m glad you’re here, so we can talk in person.”
Pulling out a stool, I sit with my elbows resting on the countertop while I wait for her to explain.
“I’m moving to California.”
“Come again?” I ask, confused.
“Max and I—”
Quick to stand up, my eyes widen in shock as I almost choke on my apple. Pacing the room in confusion, my anger quickly erupts. “Max, as in Morgan’s dad, Max?”
“Yes, we kind of started a relationship.”
I stop just short of the counter, watching as Mom leans with her back against the countertop. In my entire life, she only ever brought home one man—Josh—a divorcée who owns a hardware store in town. I was nineteen at the time, and they dated for almost a year. I liked the guy, he had my approval, but they ended up parting ways because Mom said the spark was no longer there.
I had no idea what a spark meant, nor did I care to ask. It’s difficult for me to remember that she’s still young, and that most of her life was dedicated to raising me and not living her life like most teenagers or young adults should. And when you see her, you can tell she still looks youthful and nothing like me. She’d always tell me I look just like my dad. It was something she struggled with as I grew older. Her memories of him aren’t fond, but like everything, she made sure I wasn’t affected by his absence.
“But Max is old,” I blurt out, not thinking clearly.
“I’m old.” She laughs. “I know it’s a change, Noah, but you have your life, and I’m forty-four. I need this change.”
“And Max is fifty-two. Isn’t that illegal or something?”
She grins, walking over to where I stand and pats my hand softly. “He treats me well, Noah. We’ve really bonded.”
I let out a sigh. “He’s a good guy. But don’t you think it’s a big deal moving across the country for somebody you’ve known for like five minutes?”
“Yes, I’m scared but excited. Sometimes, when it comes to love, you take risks even if there’s a chance your heart will get broken.”
“Love?” I almost yell.
She never said anything about being in love with him. I thought they were just screwing around. Even then, that thought sends me into a blinding rage. Argh, I can’t win either way. Karma really has her foot in my ass right now.
“I also got that job, so if things don’t work out, I can still stand on my own.”
I sit quietly and process her news. No matter which way I turn, Morgan will be in my life. Mom and Max’s dating will no doubt make it difficult to avoid her. There’s no escaping her.
“Mom.” I keep my voice low. “What do you know about autism?”
She pulls a bottle of bourbon out of her kitchen cupboard, pouring us a glass. We clink our glasses together, then let out a rasp at the same time. It’s something we occasionally do when life kicks our butts.
“My friend, Sandra, has an autistic son. I don’t see her that often anymore, but when he was younger, we used to meet for lunch. He was high-functioning. It meant that he could do what most kids could do but had challenges in certain areas.”
“Like?” I ask, feeding off her knowledge.
“He was a whiz on the computer. Really smart and somewhat obsessed with being on it. When Sandra got a new job, he couldn’t cope with the change… her being gone at night. It was difficult for them because she needed the money.”