“Good. ’Cause I miss my little brother. I want to get together more often. Six months is too long to go without seeing each other.” And maybe Brou will become an additional incentive to get me back in Birmingham more frequently.
“Yes, it is.”
I’m not sure now is the right time to bring this up but I feel I don’t have a choice. “Christie called me.”
“What does she want now? More money?” I wish. It would be much simpler to part with money over what she’s asking of us.
Ollie slams his fist into the couch cushion. “Dammit. I knew we shouldn’t have given her any. It only encourages her to keep coming back for more, which means we’ll never be rid of her.”
“It wasn’t about money this time. She’s in end-stage renal disease.”
“Well boo-fucking-hoo. She did that shit to herself, so she’s getting what she deserves if you ask me.” True. She was an addict and noncompliant diabetic. She wanted heroine more than insulin. Her kidneys couldn’t handle all those years of abuse and unstable blood sugars. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.
“I assume she called because she wants us to help her out somehow. Medical bills?” He’s going to go apeshit when I tell him.
“She wants a kidney.”
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I’m not giving her my kidney.”
He makes it sound like he won’t have one left. “You have two, Ollie.”
“I know and I’m keeping both of them. So are you. End of story.”
I wish she hadn’t contacted me. I should have changed my number after that last round of begging for money. Hearing from her has brought up so much from the past. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about her and our childhood since she asked.”
“Don’t think about that shit, Lawry. No good can come from it.”
“Do you remember the time I wrapped a hamburger in a napkin and brought it home from school for you?” I traded my piece of chocolate cake for it because I knew it would be more filling and nutritious for Ollie’s little malnourished body.
“Yeah, and I also remember her putting me in the corner and making me watch her eat it while she was coming down from a high. I was so hungry my stomach was gnawing my backbone.” That was only one of the many cruelties she inflicted on us.
“I think about that stuff a lot.”
“Keep thinking about it. Remember the kind of person she is. That should help you make the right decision.”
I don’t want to talk about her anymore. “I’ve done my duty by telling you about Christie so enough of that.” What he does with the information is his decision. “Tell me what’s been going on in your life.”
“I’ve met someone I’m interested in.” Ollie’s beaming.
“That’s so good to hear.” A new relationship will help him move on from Eden.
“Tell me about her.”
“Her name is Madison. She’s an addiction and substance abuse counselor.”
“Exciting. Have you asked her out?”
“Not yet. The timing is off but I’m going to soon. Maybe in a couple of weeks.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll say yes when you do. She’d be crazy to not jump at the chance.” I may be biased but Ollie really is a catch. All my friends think so and tell me often.
“I hope so. I think I really like this woman.” He does judging by the goofy grin on his face.
“Tell me what you like about her.”
“She isn’t afraid to challenge me.”
“I bet she likes to talk a lot.” I would imagine a counselor would want to discuss everything. That could get exhausting after a while. Sometimes I just want to be quiet and enjoy silence.
“Yeah, but I don’t mind. I like the things she has to say.”
“I would love to meet her.” I’d like to see for myself she isn’t like Eden. I knew that one was a bitch the moment I met her.
“Let me ask her out first and see where things go.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
“How do you feel about going back to the festival today?”
I know Ollie is anxious to see how things are going. “I’d love to. I had a great time yesterday.” Thanks to Brou. I leave off that part. I don’t want to cue Ollie to our friendship.
“I need to change first.”
“I think I will too.” The outfit I’m wearing is for travel. And now it looks like I’m sticking around a while longer. And I definitely have to get out of these wet panties. Ick.
“Can I use your cell to call a car?”
“Why don’t we just take the company car?”
“What do you mean?”
“Lucas told me you drove the company vehicle to Memphis because the pickup needed to be seen by a mechanic.”
“Um, yeah. But I’d rather not drive in case we have drinks.”
“Did you leave your phone in the car?”
“My phone?”
“Yeah, you wanted mine to call the car service."
"Oh, yes. It's in the car." Ollie looks a little lost. I guess he's driven from Memphis to Birmingham this morning. It's eight now, so he must have left around four. That's enough to tire anyone.
I toss him my phone. “Give me five minutes before you call.”
I decide on colorful printed pants and my peacock colored cropped Lovibond T. It’s going to be another hot one so I opt for a topknot instead of wearing my hair down.
“You look like a damn hippie.” Mission accomplished.
I slip my brown and gold sunglasses into my hair. “Thank you. I take that as a compliment.”
“What kind of pants are those?”
I do a turn to model them. “They’re called harem pants.”
“You do know what a harem is, don’t you?”
“Shut up and let’s go. The driver is waiting.”
We arrive at the festival and the scene is very different than the one I walked into yesterday. “No one’s here.”
“It’s still early. It doesn’t start for a few hours, but I expect a smaller turnout today since it’s Sunday.”
“There was a huge crowd yesterday. The boys hated you missed it, espec
ially after how hard you’d worked to prepare the event.” He would have been so proud.
“They didn’t hate it more than I did.”
“Well, you’re here now.”
“Sounds like you spent the better part of the day with Tap.”
Is he picking my brain to see what I’ll say? “He mostly babysat me.”
“You told me you liked him in your text. And wanted him to kiss you. That’s not a good idea.” Too late, Ollie.
“I’d had a few drinks when I sent those texts. Oops. Party foul.”
“Sure that’s all it is?” I gotta throw him off our trail.
“Absolutely. He showed me kindness, and I took it for more than it was. I’m straight about everything now.”
“Tap is a good friend, but he doesn’t always treat women well. I’m looking out for you by discouraging a relationship with him.”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to explain.” I don’t really want to keep hearing about Brou and other women.
“You’ll find that someone special one day.” I’m tired of hearing that too.
“I’m okay with me, myself, and I for now. Believe it or not, we do okay together.”
“You’re my sister and I love you. I want you to have that happily ever after every woman wants.” He’s my brother so I’m sure he hasn’t considered the possibility of me being okay with a quick fuck with Brou. And I can’t tell him that.
Brou, Porter, and the Lovibond gang are already at the booth when we arrive. “Damn. This looks great, guys. The graphics are perfect. Exactly what I had in mind.”
The boys are talking shop, and it’s a beautiful Sunday morning, so I take the opportunity to walk the grounds. I find an empty bench beneath a tree and decide to people watch. I love doing that. You can figure out so much by seeing what people do when they think no one is paying attention.
A woman speaking sweetly to the dog she’s walking. Animal lover. She has a kind heart.
A man jogging shirtless. He thinks he’s hot shit. And he sort of is.