a golf outing the second I arrived. It was a great chance for Charlotte and me to bond. She cooked delicious meals, and we went shopping and watched movies together and did girl stuff, even though, at least according to birth records, you are my actual relative.
Warmest regards from your sister,
June
Dear Bob:
How on earth did you ever get Charlotte to marry you? She’ s so genuine and warm, and I like her a lot. Did you blackmail her?
June
‘ HELLO?’ My mom sounded wary when she answered the phone.
‘ What’ s wrong?’ I asked. ‘ Did I catch you at a bad time?’
‘ Oh, it’ s you, honey. No, it’ s fine. I thought you were somebody calling to cancel. This is always the point when guests start pooping out. The Kolesars just called to say they’ re going up north. Your father and I have been holding this party the exact same weekend for ten years, and they RSVPed a month ago.’
‘ I’ ll be there,’ I assured her.
‘ Well, then that’ s one for certain. Hope you’ re hungry.’
The party was the annual fund-raiser for a scholarship my dad helped start in memory of his best friend, George Ku, a teacher who died of cancer. It’ s fifty bucks a head and all the food and drinks you can stuff down. It usually draws a crowd of a hundred or so. I was feeling guilty because normally I’ d help out with the chopping and dicing and whatnot-I’ m not much of a cook, but I make a fine scullery maid. But I’ d been avoiding my parents as of late, tempted to blurt that I was going to adopt Deedee’ s baby but not wanting to say anything until it was certain.
‘ I know you’ re busy,’ I said, ‘ but can I run something by you?’
‘ Sure. I’ m spinning the lettuce. I can do that and talk at the same time.’
‘ I’ m working on the letter for Bob that I told you about. And I’ m having trouble coming up with memories to share.’
‘ Tell me what you have so far.’
‘ ‘ Dear Bob.’ ‘
Silence.
‘ That’ s it?’
‘ I was hoping you could fill in the blanks.’
She sighed. ‘ Was I such a horrible mother? How could you not have a single happy memory from your childhood?’
‘ I have plenty of happy memories. Remember that time we went to New York and realized that we’ d accidentally left Bob home alone? And then we& Oh, wait& that was a movie.’
‘ You love your brother!’ she insisted.
‘ Sure I love him. He’ s my brother. Only there are times I don’ t particularly like him.’
‘ Bob was a wonderful brother to you.’
My hands were poised at my computer keyboard. ‘ In what way,’ I asked cagily, ‘ would you say he was a wonderful brother? And try to speak in complete sentences.’
‘ Oh, for Pete’ s sake. Okay. How about when he signed you up for softball?’
‘ That was one of the worst experiences in my life!’
‘ I thought it was sweet how he went to all your games.’
‘ He went to my games?’
‘ Didn’ t miss a one. It wasn’ t his fault you were terrible. No offense. I’ m only going by what you told me.’
My fingers typed away: Bob, I’ ll never forget seeing your face there in the stands, cheering me on.& ‘ What else you got?’
‘ Oh, hold on.’ She shouted away from the phone. ‘ Martin! The water’ s boiling!’ Then back: ‘ Let’ s see& there were so many things. You always put on those cute plays for us& charged a dollar admission. And how about that time we saw the movie The Birds? He walked you home from school every day for a week because you had this crazy idea that you were going to get attacked.’
‘ That movie was terrifying!’ As I typed, Bob, you’ ve always been my protector, I made a mental note to never let my child watch such a scary film. What were my parents thinking?
‘ Goodness& Oh, hang on again, the pan’ s boiling over.’ The phone was set down, and I heard clattering and shouting to my dad about whether or not he wanted the stove turned off.
When she finally came back, I said, ‘ Sounds like you have things to handle there. I’ ll let you go.’
‘ I do need to run to the store again.’ There was a pause, and then she said, ‘ But sweetie? Give your brother a chance. I know he wasn’ t always overly affectionate when you were growing up. He could be a bit of a pill. But the two of you had your moments. You were always watching TV or playing games or listening to those albums. You know, he’ s changed over the years. You should see him with Charlotte. He dotes on her, treats her like a queen. I don’ t know, maybe he needed to grow up. And-now, don’ t be mad at me for saying this-but maybe you don’ t always give him a fair shake.’
After hanging up, I went back to typing the letter, wishing I’ d set out to show my gratitude to my brother in an easier way-like baking him a pan of brownies or offering to wash his car. Still, I managed to scrape together a few reasons I was grateful to have him as a brother. Turned out Sebastian Forbes wasn’ t the only one around here who could write fiction.
MRS. MANKOWSKI waved a shrimp in the air. ‘ If I were going to die tomorrow, I’ d go skydiving.’
‘ Good heavens!’ my dad replied, clearly horrified. ‘ I’ d much rather die in my sleep.’
My mom had to explain, ‘ Martin, I believe she meant before she died.’
