“So, you think I’d volunteer to hike back up that mountain again?” I asked with a dramatic look on my face.
“I think you’ll do it for me.”
His smile was irresistible, and I couldn’t help but say yes to the man. I was even a little excited to have a second go at the mountain. My mind hadn’t been totally in it the first time and now I knew how darn good it felt to be on top and look out over everything, so I wanted to do it again.
“Yeah, I’ll come. But not if you’re going super early.”
“How’s ten o’clock work for you, sleeping beauty?”
“Perfect.”
We walked over to the main dining area and both grabbed a seat as we continued our conversation. Part of my job was to interact with the patients, so it wasn’t unusual for me to hold conversations with them. Plus, I had felt Brianna’s eyes on us the whole time, which made me extremely nervous considering what had happened the night I had slept with Erik.
“So, tell me more about your family.”
Erik didn’t look like he was all that interested in talking about them, but he humored me a little. I appreciated that.
“The story I used to tell was that my father disowned me when I went off to college,” he said.
“That’s horrible!”
“But that was my skewed version of the story. The truth is my mother passed away and left my father alone to care for two teenage boys and run the family funeral home. He was overwhelmed and ill equipped for the job. He loved us, but he couldn’t handle it. So, when I decided to leave and go to college on the West Coast, he was devastated.”
“He was angry that you wanted to go to college?”
“He had planned on my helping to run the family business. He was exhausted and desperate for a break. I think he was hurt that I left, but it came out in anger.”
“What about your brother?”
“My brother had never planned to stay in town. He had his own dreams, and when I left, he watched our father struggle and he gave up his dreams to stay there with him.”
“Wow, that’s big.”
“I know. The shitty thing is I never visited them. I never called. I kept playing this narrative in my mind that they were wrong and I was right. I was so angry that I never gave our family a chance to heal back together.”
“And now?”
“I think we are on the right track. I genuinely think that I can look at the situation and appreciate the sacrifices they both made which enabled me to be where I am. I told them both that when Jarrod met with us. And they told me a whole heap of stuff I wasn’t ready to hear, but I’m going to work on.”
I had to laugh at the idea Erik really had no idea what his brother and father were going to say he had to work on. Even I knew the areas I had short comings. I knew I was a mouthy brat sometimes and complained about things I had no reason to complain about – it was something I had been working on since my own treatment.
“Don’t laugh. It was serious,” Erik said as he dramatically dropped his head into his hands.
“So, you’ve got a couple weeks left here; what are you going to do with yourself?”
“I’m going to the spa,” he announced a little too loudly as everyone in the room turned around to look at him.
“Shhh.”
“Sorry, I’ve been thinking about a massage since the day I checked in and I’ve been too busy to get there. So, this afternoon, I’m actually going to get a massage.”
“Good for you. Maybe you should get a manicure and a pedicure, too, while you’re at it.” I laughed.
“Maybe I will,” he said with a huge smile on his face.
It was clear that Erik’s life was coming together, and I was happy for him. But there was a twinge of worry that he would finish treatment and move back home without ever seeing or talking to me again. That would be a nightmare. I wanted Erik in my life, even if it was as a friend. I needed someone who had my sense of humor and quirkiness to guide me through a little fun and excitement every now and then.
Chapter Twenty