Coast
Page 29
“And did you?” Tommy practically shouts.
“We did. We stayed up and made broccoli trees and carrot stick logs and a pea sea.”
“Pee sea!” He cackles with laughter. “And then what happened, Daddy?”
Mom giggles.
“And then…” I say, my eyes wide. “He said I was a T-Rex and T-Rexes destroy land. And so I opened my mouth wide, and I ate everything on that plate!”
Tommy laughs, loud and free, and I watch, letting the sound of his joy overpower the misery of the past few days. “I want to be a T-Rex, Daddy!”
I stand and move toward him, but the breaking of glass from somewhere outside stops me. Chaz’s screams fill my ears and dread kicks in. I look over at my mom. “Go!” she says.
I slip on my shoes and run to the house, cringing when I feel the glass crunching beneath my feet. The living room window’s smashed, so is a ceramic vase now in pieces on the porch steps. “Get outta my house!” Chaz screams. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
I push the door open with so much force, it hits the wall behind it. “What’s going on?” I take a second and look around the room. I look at Chaz standing there with her hands to her mouth, at Becca crying in the corner, and at Martin standing between them, his hands in his hair.
“She can’t…” Martin mumbles.
Becca cowers even more.
“Joshua,” Chaz cries, moving toward me. “Why are these people in my house?”
“It’s okay.” I hug her to me, but my eyes are on Becca.
“Who are they? They broke into my house and they’re… they’re…”
“It’s okay,” I repeat, slowly guiding her back to her bed. I look over at Martin and point to Becca. He seems to come to, quickly moving to comfort her.
“They’re trying to make me take these damn pills, Joshua. They’re trying to kill me!”
I settle the covers around her and sit on the bed.
There are tears in her eyes, fear in her voice matching the fear in my heart. “What’s happening?”
Behind me, Mom says, “Is everything okay?”
I turn to her, hoping she doesn’t have Tommy because I don’t want him seeing this. She must sense my unasked question because she says, “I set him up on his iPad. I video called Blake and Chloe. He’ll be occupied for a while.”
“Who is she?” Chaz asks. “Who are all these people?”
I take a calming breath, my eyes drifting shut from the sudden weight of the world. Then “Ma’am.” I take her hands in mine, and I pray to a God she so strongly believes in that I say and do the right things. “These people are your family.”
She shakes her head, her dark eyes focused on mine. “You’re my only family, Joshua. I don’t…” Her gaze drops, her tears ripping my heart in two. “I don’t know them.”
“I know. And that’s okay. But I promise, Ma’am, they’re not here to hurt you. They’re here to help.”
“I’m scared,” she weeps, her hand squeezing mine. “I feel like I’m not real and this isn’t real and you’re the only thing that makes sense and that can’t be right, can it? How…” Her gaze moves to the window, both hands covering her mouth. “Oh no! The window. What did I do?”
“Don’t worry about the window. I’ll fix it.”
“You’re always fixing things. Always taking care of me.”
Martin clears his throat, his arms around Becca keeping her upright. “I read that it might be helpful if you talk about something she openly remembers…”
“Who is he?” Chaz whispers.
I sigh.
She cries harder.
I focus on Martin’s words, and take a steady breath, trying to find the hope I felt earlier. “You remember me, right?” I ask.
She nods, freeing the tears from her cheeks. They land on the blankets bunched around her and for seconds, minutes, I watch them seep into the fabric.
I mumble, trying to find strength in my voice, “And you know my son, Tommy?”
She nods again. “Thomas Joshua. Such a beautiful boy.”
“You met us at the store. Do you remember that?”
“Yes,” she sobs, wiping at her eyes.
“I didn’t know you were there watching—watching me with a baby in my arms, struggling to pay for his formula and his diapers and I was so afraid, ma’am. I was so scared because I felt like I couldn’t take care of him the way I should. I was failing him, and I tried so hard not to let it show but you saw it, didn’t you?”
Her lips tremble, her eyes filling again.
“And you followed me to that skate shop where I tried to sell my board, and then you followed me again into that alley. I was lost and alone, so alone, and I broke down. And you watched it all. You watched me look at my son, you heard me make promises I didn’t think I could keep, and you saved me. You saved me that day, ma’am.” Now I’m crying, too, our tears a mix of memories and heartache. “And then we went back to the store. Do you remember what you said?”
Chaz inhales deeply before blinking back even more tears. “I said my niece was coming to visit and to get everything I needed for a newborn baby like Thomas.”
“Right. And then you brought us here, led us to that garage apartment and we put away all the groceries you’d bought. Do you remember what you said to me? Because I’ll never forget it, ma’am. Never.”
She sniffs once, holding her breath to stop the cries from forming.
“You took my hand in yours and you said, ‘It’s not much of a house, but you and Tommy, you can make it your home.’ You didn’t just give Tommy and me a place to live. You didn’t just save us. You gave us a family when we had none. And you gave us you. You are our home, Ma’am.”
18
—Becca—
Loud hammering wakes me from my sleep, and I get up quickly and run downstairs to check on Grams. She’s fast asleep, exactly the way I left her in the early hours of the morning. Josh is out on the porch with another guy replacing the window that Grams had thrown a vase—aimed at Dad—through the night before. “Morning, sleepy head!” Tommy calls out, standing in the middle of the driveway with a skateboard in his arms.
I wave to him, just as Josh asks, “You sleep okay?” He’s wearing work pants and work boots, the kind I’d seen him in often, back when we were together.
I nod. It’s all I can do since I left my phone upstairs. Dad’s voice from the other end of the porch grabs my attention. “How did you get a replacement so fast?” he asks Josh.
Josh ignores him, so the other guy—I now recognize as Michael from Josh’s old job—answers. “Josh’s uncle is my boss, and he called in a favor.”
Dad’s eyebrows rise. “A favor?”
“Yeah. Before Josh decided to make us all look bad by becoming a pro-athlete, he worked construction,” he says slowly, like it’s something Dad should know. He pats Josh on the shoulder as Josh hammers at the window frame. “My boss made a call to our supplier this morning and got it cut to size.” Michael shrugs. “Josh can do the install on his own. I’m just here to deliver and get free shirts and shoes.”
“We did. We stayed up and made broccoli trees and carrot stick logs and a pea sea.”
“Pee sea!” He cackles with laughter. “And then what happened, Daddy?”
Mom giggles.
“And then…” I say, my eyes wide. “He said I was a T-Rex and T-Rexes destroy land. And so I opened my mouth wide, and I ate everything on that plate!”
Tommy laughs, loud and free, and I watch, letting the sound of his joy overpower the misery of the past few days. “I want to be a T-Rex, Daddy!”
I stand and move toward him, but the breaking of glass from somewhere outside stops me. Chaz’s screams fill my ears and dread kicks in. I look over at my mom. “Go!” she says.
I slip on my shoes and run to the house, cringing when I feel the glass crunching beneath my feet. The living room window’s smashed, so is a ceramic vase now in pieces on the porch steps. “Get outta my house!” Chaz screams. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
I push the door open with so much force, it hits the wall behind it. “What’s going on?” I take a second and look around the room. I look at Chaz standing there with her hands to her mouth, at Becca crying in the corner, and at Martin standing between them, his hands in his hair.
“She can’t…” Martin mumbles.
Becca cowers even more.
“Joshua,” Chaz cries, moving toward me. “Why are these people in my house?”
“It’s okay.” I hug her to me, but my eyes are on Becca.
“Who are they? They broke into my house and they’re… they’re…”
“It’s okay,” I repeat, slowly guiding her back to her bed. I look over at Martin and point to Becca. He seems to come to, quickly moving to comfort her.
“They’re trying to make me take these damn pills, Joshua. They’re trying to kill me!”
I settle the covers around her and sit on the bed.
There are tears in her eyes, fear in her voice matching the fear in my heart. “What’s happening?”
Behind me, Mom says, “Is everything okay?”
I turn to her, hoping she doesn’t have Tommy because I don’t want him seeing this. She must sense my unasked question because she says, “I set him up on his iPad. I video called Blake and Chloe. He’ll be occupied for a while.”
“Who is she?” Chaz asks. “Who are all these people?”
I take a calming breath, my eyes drifting shut from the sudden weight of the world. Then “Ma’am.” I take her hands in mine, and I pray to a God she so strongly believes in that I say and do the right things. “These people are your family.”
She shakes her head, her dark eyes focused on mine. “You’re my only family, Joshua. I don’t…” Her gaze drops, her tears ripping my heart in two. “I don’t know them.”
“I know. And that’s okay. But I promise, Ma’am, they’re not here to hurt you. They’re here to help.”
“I’m scared,” she weeps, her hand squeezing mine. “I feel like I’m not real and this isn’t real and you’re the only thing that makes sense and that can’t be right, can it? How…” Her gaze moves to the window, both hands covering her mouth. “Oh no! The window. What did I do?”
“Don’t worry about the window. I’ll fix it.”
“You’re always fixing things. Always taking care of me.”
Martin clears his throat, his arms around Becca keeping her upright. “I read that it might be helpful if you talk about something she openly remembers…”
“Who is he?” Chaz whispers.
I sigh.
She cries harder.
I focus on Martin’s words, and take a steady breath, trying to find the hope I felt earlier. “You remember me, right?” I ask.
She nods, freeing the tears from her cheeks. They land on the blankets bunched around her and for seconds, minutes, I watch them seep into the fabric.
I mumble, trying to find strength in my voice, “And you know my son, Tommy?”
She nods again. “Thomas Joshua. Such a beautiful boy.”
“You met us at the store. Do you remember that?”
“Yes,” she sobs, wiping at her eyes.
“I didn’t know you were there watching—watching me with a baby in my arms, struggling to pay for his formula and his diapers and I was so afraid, ma’am. I was so scared because I felt like I couldn’t take care of him the way I should. I was failing him, and I tried so hard not to let it show but you saw it, didn’t you?”
Her lips tremble, her eyes filling again.
“And you followed me to that skate shop where I tried to sell my board, and then you followed me again into that alley. I was lost and alone, so alone, and I broke down. And you watched it all. You watched me look at my son, you heard me make promises I didn’t think I could keep, and you saved me. You saved me that day, ma’am.” Now I’m crying, too, our tears a mix of memories and heartache. “And then we went back to the store. Do you remember what you said?”
Chaz inhales deeply before blinking back even more tears. “I said my niece was coming to visit and to get everything I needed for a newborn baby like Thomas.”
“Right. And then you brought us here, led us to that garage apartment and we put away all the groceries you’d bought. Do you remember what you said to me? Because I’ll never forget it, ma’am. Never.”
She sniffs once, holding her breath to stop the cries from forming.
“You took my hand in yours and you said, ‘It’s not much of a house, but you and Tommy, you can make it your home.’ You didn’t just give Tommy and me a place to live. You didn’t just save us. You gave us a family when we had none. And you gave us you. You are our home, Ma’am.”
18
—Becca—
Loud hammering wakes me from my sleep, and I get up quickly and run downstairs to check on Grams. She’s fast asleep, exactly the way I left her in the early hours of the morning. Josh is out on the porch with another guy replacing the window that Grams had thrown a vase—aimed at Dad—through the night before. “Morning, sleepy head!” Tommy calls out, standing in the middle of the driveway with a skateboard in his arms.
I wave to him, just as Josh asks, “You sleep okay?” He’s wearing work pants and work boots, the kind I’d seen him in often, back when we were together.
I nod. It’s all I can do since I left my phone upstairs. Dad’s voice from the other end of the porch grabs my attention. “How did you get a replacement so fast?” he asks Josh.
Josh ignores him, so the other guy—I now recognize as Michael from Josh’s old job—answers. “Josh’s uncle is my boss, and he called in a favor.”
Dad’s eyebrows rise. “A favor?”
“Yeah. Before Josh decided to make us all look bad by becoming a pro-athlete, he worked construction,” he says slowly, like it’s something Dad should know. He pats Josh on the shoulder as Josh hammers at the window frame. “My boss made a call to our supplier this morning and got it cut to size.” Michael shrugs. “Josh can do the install on his own. I’m just here to deliver and get free shirts and shoes.”
