16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler Page A

meaning of life.
    Jake is handling Mom’s condition and recovery well, but Josh seems to be dealing by ditching his ’70s vibe and becoming more responsible. Before Mom came home from the hospital, he shaved off his moustache. He’s selling his classic car and getting a more reliable one. I heard him talking to a girl on the phone and asking her to dinner—a girl he’d already taken out once. And yesterday he was talking to Jake about putting some money into the down payment of a condo.
    Jake was the one who said he didn’t want to move out yet or leave until Mom was feeling better. It’s a role reversal. Josh was always a mama’s boy. Josh is still the one who keeps the lawn trimmed so the neighbors don’t complain, but it’s Jake who doesn’t want to leave me to handle Mom on my own yet. He has no idea how grateful I am.
    Amy spots my mom and me and stops talking midsentence, but Jake doesn’t take his eyes off her.
    â€œHey,” I say. “Amy, this is my mom. You’ve obviously met Jake.”
    â€œHow old do you have to be to cross the border?” Mom asks instead of saying, “Hi, Nice to meet you,” like a normal person might.
    â€œI’m eighteen,” Amy says and straightens her back to stand as tall as she can. She barely comes up to Jake’s armpit. He doesn’t appear to mind, based on the goofy grin on his face.
    Mom shuffles forward and stops beside Jake, leaving just enough room for me to squeeze by them in the hallway.
    â€œNice to meet you, Mrs. McLean,” Amy says. “You look very good for someone who just had a heart attack.”
    Mom glances at me.
    â€œIt wasn’t a heart attack,” I remind Amy. “Just a blockage.”
    â€œOh. Sorry. I knew that. I just meant you’re so pretty and young. My mom looks like she could be your grandma.”
    â€œWell, that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard all day,” my mom says and smiles more genuinely than I’ve seen in a while.
    She’s so easily charmed, but I smile too because, as far as I can guess, Amy wasn’t even trying to charm. She pretty much says whatever is on her mind. She’s not one to lie. Well, except when she made me give her five dollars because she got busted for eating popcorn. There was that. But she did pay me back—with interest.
    â€œIt’s true,” Amy says. “My mom’s hair is gray and she’s round.”
    Jake laughs.
    â€œI don’t mean to sound mean. She is round. She calls herself that.” She shrugs. “We don’t care, my dad and I. She’s big-boned.” Her eyes light up. “Oh. I made you all something,” she says. She reaches into her hoodie pocket and pulls out a handful of something. “Hold up your wrist,” she says to me. I do as I’m told, and she slips a thick, colorful, rope bracelet on it. I turn my wrist over, admiring it. It’s made of soft material, like a T-shirt or something.
    Then she turns to my mom. “Wrist,” she says.
    â€œWhat?” My mom frowns but does as she’s told.
    â€œI had to make one for the whole family,” Amy says and ties a beautiful bead bracelet with a heart pendant on it around Mom’s wrist.
    â€œIt’s really pretty,” Mom says.
    â€œIt’s my hobby,” Amy answers.
    She turns to Jake and puts two dark leather, knotted bracelets in his hand. “I didn’t know if you would wear these, but I didn’t want to leave the brothers out.”
    Jake grins broadly and slides both bracelets on his wrist.
    Amy frowns at him. “One is for the other brother.”
    â€œYeah. Well, we’ll see if he deserves it.”
    Amy smiles and looks to me. “I thought you said your brothers were dorks,” she says without a trace of irony. “He’s not a dork.”
    Jake throws his head back and laughs like it’s the best joke he’s heard in