And as always, I had trouble trying to gauge his feelings. Luke had said once before that it’s time that heals all wounds, and if Rebecca’s decision had left a scar, I knew that the only thing that would help Luke was a little bit of time. So I remained patient; I didn’t press or ask any questions. After all, that’s what he’d wanted from me all along—to let him come to me when he was ready. So I waited.
“Knock, knock,” I stuck my head inside the house. I wasn’t really sure what the protocol was with things like that. After leaving home, especially under the terms that I left, how did you act when you returned? Were you supposed to knock? Ring the bell? Just walk in? I didn’t know.
Luke stood next to me, carrying the small gift basket we’d put together.
“Hey,” Matt said, coming in from the living room, “I guess you got my message?”
“Yeah,” I stepped in and looked over my shoulder. “Is he here?”
“He’s up in his room,” he said. “He’ll be down soon. I just…” he lowered his voice and stepped a little closer. “I just told him that you and Luke were coming by, and he’s…”
“Mad?”
“It’s hard to say,” he shrugged. “He didn’t really seem to have much to say at all.”
“I’ll go talk to him.”
“Julie,” he took my wrist as I headed for the stairs. “Maybe you should just wait until he comes down, okay? Give him some space.”
Well, if nothing else, I was glad that Charlie had Matt to look after him like that, and I was even happier that Matt had finally come clean to his father. He’d called me earlier in the week to say that Charlie had been moping around the house for days, slamming things around, and mumbling under his breath. He said it was just too hard to watch his dad suffer in silence, so he came downstairs and told him he’d come home. But instead of telling him the whole truth—again, I still wasn’t sure what that really was myself—he just told Charlie that he needed to take some time off from school, come home, and really figure out what he wanted from life. Matt said that Charlie didn’t really react at all; he wasn’t happy, he wasn’t angry, he was just… stoic.
I knew better than Matt probably did that him being home to support Charlie meant more to my uncle than he’d probably ever know. Charlie needed the companionship, and there was no one better to help him through his loneliness than his one and only son.
The house was already buzzing with guests. Lonnie, Grace, and Bruno crowded Derek on the couch, but only because Derek hadn’t let go of his sweet little Zoey (wasn’t that the cutest name?) once since we’d walked in the door. Rebecca and Molly were over in the corner enjoying some quiet mother-daughter time, and it seemed a little odd that she could sit there so distant from her newborn. Was she really going to just let Derek step up and take over? I didn’t understand it; how could she be close enough to touch, and yet so numb to her maternal instincts?
I stopped worrying about it; Derek was a big boy, and he didn’t need me looking out for his best interest. Whatever was going to happen between him, Rebecca, and their daughter was their business, not mine, and I had to stop making it my business. I had to stop stressing about everyone else’s problems. I needed to focus on what mattered most: me and Luke.
Luke dropped the gift basket on a decorated table near the front door. He mentioned to Matt in passing that he’d like to talk to him later about something. I imagined it was just apartment talk, and then he headed to the living room to join his family. Smile and all, Luke crowded in to get some one-on-one time with Zoey, and he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable swooping in and snatching her up. Then he went right into Uncle Luke mode—cute baby voices and all.
I turned to my cousin and paused.
Matt usually took opportunities like the baby shower to really show off his culinary skills, and
“Knock, knock,” I stuck my head inside the house. I wasn’t really sure what the protocol was with things like that. After leaving home, especially under the terms that I left, how did you act when you returned? Were you supposed to knock? Ring the bell? Just walk in? I didn’t know.
Luke stood next to me, carrying the small gift basket we’d put together.
“Hey,” Matt said, coming in from the living room, “I guess you got my message?”
“Yeah,” I stepped in and looked over my shoulder. “Is he here?”
“He’s up in his room,” he said. “He’ll be down soon. I just…” he lowered his voice and stepped a little closer. “I just told him that you and Luke were coming by, and he’s…”
“Mad?”
“It’s hard to say,” he shrugged. “He didn’t really seem to have much to say at all.”
“I’ll go talk to him.”
“Julie,” he took my wrist as I headed for the stairs. “Maybe you should just wait until he comes down, okay? Give him some space.”
Well, if nothing else, I was glad that Charlie had Matt to look after him like that, and I was even happier that Matt had finally come clean to his father. He’d called me earlier in the week to say that Charlie had been moping around the house for days, slamming things around, and mumbling under his breath. He said it was just too hard to watch his dad suffer in silence, so he came downstairs and told him he’d come home. But instead of telling him the whole truth—again, I still wasn’t sure what that really was myself—he just told Charlie that he needed to take some time off from school, come home, and really figure out what he wanted from life. Matt said that Charlie didn’t really react at all; he wasn’t happy, he wasn’t angry, he was just… stoic.
I knew better than Matt probably did that him being home to support Charlie meant more to my uncle than he’d probably ever know. Charlie needed the companionship, and there was no one better to help him through his loneliness than his one and only son.
The house was already buzzing with guests. Lonnie, Grace, and Bruno crowded Derek on the couch, but only because Derek hadn’t let go of his sweet little Zoey (wasn’t that the cutest name?) once since we’d walked in the door. Rebecca and Molly were over in the corner enjoying some quiet mother-daughter time, and it seemed a little odd that she could sit there so distant from her newborn. Was she really going to just let Derek step up and take over? I didn’t understand it; how could she be close enough to touch, and yet so numb to her maternal instincts?
I stopped worrying about it; Derek was a big boy, and he didn’t need me looking out for his best interest. Whatever was going to happen between him, Rebecca, and their daughter was their business, not mine, and I had to stop making it my business. I had to stop stressing about everyone else’s problems. I needed to focus on what mattered most: me and Luke.
Luke dropped the gift basket on a decorated table near the front door. He mentioned to Matt in passing that he’d like to talk to him later about something. I imagined it was just apartment talk, and then he headed to the living room to join his family. Smile and all, Luke crowded in to get some one-on-one time with Zoey, and he didn’t seem the least bit uncomfortable swooping in and snatching her up. Then he went right into Uncle Luke mode—cute baby voices and all.
I turned to my cousin and paused.
Matt usually took opportunities like the baby shower to really show off his culinary skills, and
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