“Good morning, sweetheart!” my mom trilled. “Did you sleep okay?”
“Like a rock,” I lied through my teeth.
My mom jumped up as I limped over. “Oh, here. Let me help.” She pulled a chair out for me right next to her. There was already a place set with a big cloth napkin draped over the plate.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Hope you’re hungry!” She lifted the napkin with a flourish.
I choked on my own spit.
Right next to my juice cup was a tiny clay ambulance. A giant asterisk was painted along the side in bright yellow; the staff and snake were drawn in the center in white.
“Are you okay?” My mom tilted her head to the side as if to get a better look at me. “You look a little green.”
I scowled at Aunt Dinah. “Why?”
The old woman returned her coffee cup to its saucer. “Charles said it was an apology. He seemed to think you would understand.”
“Well, I don’t understand. What’s with the yellow? Why is it all yellow?”
I clapped a hand over my mouth. Yellow. It was one of my favorite Coldplay songs. Charlie had printed it out, along with many others, to create the paper roses currently sewed into my bed canopy. And now he was using it to tell me what he was feeling.
It was so freakin’ romantic; I could hardly stand it. My hand was shaking when I lowered it.
“Esmer?” my mom asked softly.
“Should I have said ‘no’ to Charles?” Aunt Dinah asked.
I looked up to see sympathy on the old woman’s face. “I don’t know.”
“What happened between you two last night? Was it—?” My mom cringed as if bracing herself for bad news. “Was it Hunter? Did he insult your boyfriend?”
As much as I wanted an excuse to remind her how terrible her husband was, I couldn’t bring myself to lie. “No. It was just a stupid misunderstanding. Can we talk about something else, please?”
I settled into my chair and dug into my breakfast. My mom had made my favorite; blueberry pancakes with two sunny-side-up eggs on top. The fruit piled neatly on the side was no doubt added by my great aunt, who believed humanity could live forever if they would only eat enough fruits and vegetables every day. A crystal syrup dispenser sat beside the ambulance. I carefully lifted it away from the little clay car and drowned my pancakes and eggs in syrup.
My mom and great aunt shared a look. Aunt Dinah was the first to shrug off her concern.
“If that’s what you want, hon,” my mom finally said before she sat down again. All too soon, she started talking about the things she wanted to do. Like visit Pike Place Market, go to the top of the Space Needle, and shop at Wallingford Center to name a few. “You should come with us, Dinah,” she added. “We could make it a girls’ day!”
“I’m afraid I’d only slow you down.” Aunt Dinah glanced at me before cutting into the last bit of her pancake. “Besides, someone has to stay behind and keep an eye on Hunter.” Like he was a puppy that hadn’t been house trained yet.
I grinned.
“Speaking of which…” My mom stood with reluctance. “I should probably go check on him.” She waved a hand at my plate. “Eat up, Esmer. We have a big day ahead of us.” She took a few steps toward the stairs before turning around. “Oh, I almost forgot. Do you know where I could rent a wheelchair, Dinah? That way I’ll be able to push Esmer around when she gets tired.”
“I don’t need a wheelchair, Mom,” I said, already feeling mortified at the prospect.
My mom gave me a look which clearly said, “Don’t try to be a hero, Esmer.”
“There is a company that rents out such equipment,” Aunt Dinah said with a nod. “I’ll give you the phone number.”
“Thank you.” Then she hurried up the stairs.
I sighed and went back to chewing. The egg yolk, syrup, and blueberry combination was reminding me of Saturday mornings in Boston. When I was a kid. When my dad was still alive. My brother, Robbie, would make gagging sounds while he watched me eat.
It had been forever since I’d given my brother a second thought. He was the college graduate, the big success. Which meant, of course, that he didn’t have time for us. Every once in a while, my mom got a Christmas card or an edible arrangement on Mother’s Day from him. But maybe it was a good thing he wasn’t around. He and Hunter could’ve been best friends or archenemies, and I wasn’t sure which would’ve been worse.
Damn, my family was messed up. Well, not all of it. I looked up at my great aunt.
“Thanks for last night.”
The old woman gave an innocent, “Hmm?”
“You didn’t call Charlie out when he talked about the internship or when he forgot to mention he had a twin sister.”
“Yes, well, I understand his need to leave a good impression on your mother.” Aunt Dinah dabbed her mouth with a napkin even though there wasn’t anything there. “I didn’t think it was my place to bring up Jasmine, especially given her…condition.” She straightened her spine. “Not that there’s any shame in having a medical condition. It’s only that I realize Charles is a lot like me; he doesn’t like answering personal questions when they’re being asked by people he isn’t comfortable with.”
“I knew there was a reason why you guys got along so well.”
The old woman scowled.
“You handled Hunter like such a badass,” I added, grinning at the memory.
“Watch your language,” was the automatic response. But then she lowered her utensils over her plate, murmuring, “I can’t believe he treated Charles so poorly. After everything that boy has done for you…I had half a mind to kick Hunter out of the house.”
The protectiveness in her voice made me smile even wider. My eyes strayed to
