Derrick, and
slid it onto her finger. Holy crap. She was as fucked up as I was, and I found
it pretty damn sexy. I knew it was messed up.
The three of us talked for hours, discussing stories of the
past and welcoming Andrea into my history. “You know, I bought him his first
camera.” Mom smiled like she was the proudest woman on this planet. It felt
good to see her feeling well.
“Yeah, he told me. He said you inspired him to be great.”
Andrea leaned near my mom, her expression filled with care and compassion. “He
also said you’re the greatest artist he knows.”
“Yeah, well you know. Cooper’s a liar like that.” She winked
at Andrea as we all laughed. I couldn’t think of the last time I was able to
actually sit down and have what felt like a real conversation with my mom.
Sure, she thought the year was 2009, but it was turning out to be the best year
of my life. Who said you couldn’t rewrite history?
“YOU WERE BRILLIANT!” I exclaimed as
Andrea and I walked out of the nursing home. “I haven’t seen her like that
in…forever. Thank you, Andrea.” We walked over to the rental car we picked up
from the airport, and before opening the door for her. I stared at her. She
leaned her back up against the car and her soft lips curved into an easy smile.
I stood close to her and repeatedly kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for allowing me in.” Her eyes shifted to the
ground, and I could tell there was something on her mind.
“What is it?”
“Can I ask what happened to her? Or you can still call panda
on this situation.”
My foot began to tap the concrete beneath us as I started to
relive the accident. It was right after I’d moved my mom away from my dad. I
was out of state doing a photo shoot spread for a magazine and I received a
frantic call from my mom.
My father had showed up and forced her to take a ride with
him in his piece-of-shit pick-up truck. I was sure his breath was drenched in
its normal whiskey cologne. At some point on the line, I could hear my mom
screaming. She seemed absolutely terrified and she dropped the phone in the
car. “I should have been there.”
“You didn’t know. There was no way you knew.”
“Yeah but, didn’t I? I should have moved her out of the
state. Away from him.” I continued to tell her how the truck got wrapped around
a pole and my mom slipped in and out of coma. My father died on impact. And
when she finally woke up, she thought it was 1992. She thought I was her
brother, Travis, and she was so deeply in love with my father and hurt that he
wasn’t there.
“The doctors thought her mind would start to unscramble
itself over time, but after the first year, there was little hope.”
“Is that why you don’t drink?”
No. I didn’t drink because it landed me in the mental
hospital. But I didn’t want her to know that. “Part of the reason.”
“I’m so sorry, Cooper.”
Her blue eyes grew very blue, something that happened when
she became emotional about a topic. The idea of a car accident still had to tug
at her bruised heart. This trip wasn’t about making her sadder, so I needed to
let her know it was okay. “Today was a good day. Let’s hold on to that.”
She wrapped her arms around my back, and pulled me closer to
her. We stood there for a moment, taking in what we had witnessed with my mom.
The nurses glowed with how we left Mom in a better state than she had been in
awhile. I planned to return tomorrow. But right now, all I wanted to do was
hold on to Andrea.
She pulled my lips to hers, lightly kissed me, and nibbled
on my bottom lip. “I’m hungry.”
I raised an eyebrow and felt a sudden twitch in my jeans. “A
soda pop hungry?”
She tossed her head back and laughed as she rolled her eyes.
“I’m hungry, Cooper. Food hunger.” She climbed into the car and I closed the
door for her. Wandering over to the driver’s seat to get in, I couldn’t help
but smirk at her reaction to
slid it onto her finger. Holy crap. She was as fucked up as I was, and I found
it pretty damn sexy. I knew it was messed up.
The three of us talked for hours, discussing stories of the
past and welcoming Andrea into my history. “You know, I bought him his first
camera.” Mom smiled like she was the proudest woman on this planet. It felt
good to see her feeling well.
“Yeah, he told me. He said you inspired him to be great.”
Andrea leaned near my mom, her expression filled with care and compassion. “He
also said you’re the greatest artist he knows.”
“Yeah, well you know. Cooper’s a liar like that.” She winked
at Andrea as we all laughed. I couldn’t think of the last time I was able to
actually sit down and have what felt like a real conversation with my mom.
Sure, she thought the year was 2009, but it was turning out to be the best year
of my life. Who said you couldn’t rewrite history?
“YOU WERE BRILLIANT!” I exclaimed as
Andrea and I walked out of the nursing home. “I haven’t seen her like that
in…forever. Thank you, Andrea.” We walked over to the rental car we picked up
from the airport, and before opening the door for her. I stared at her. She
leaned her back up against the car and her soft lips curved into an easy smile.
I stood close to her and repeatedly kissed her forehead. “Thank you.”
“Thank you for allowing me in.” Her eyes shifted to the
ground, and I could tell there was something on her mind.
“What is it?”
“Can I ask what happened to her? Or you can still call panda
on this situation.”
My foot began to tap the concrete beneath us as I started to
relive the accident. It was right after I’d moved my mom away from my dad. I
was out of state doing a photo shoot spread for a magazine and I received a
frantic call from my mom.
My father had showed up and forced her to take a ride with
him in his piece-of-shit pick-up truck. I was sure his breath was drenched in
its normal whiskey cologne. At some point on the line, I could hear my mom
screaming. She seemed absolutely terrified and she dropped the phone in the
car. “I should have been there.”
“You didn’t know. There was no way you knew.”
“Yeah but, didn’t I? I should have moved her out of the
state. Away from him.” I continued to tell her how the truck got wrapped around
a pole and my mom slipped in and out of coma. My father died on impact. And
when she finally woke up, she thought it was 1992. She thought I was her
brother, Travis, and she was so deeply in love with my father and hurt that he
wasn’t there.
“The doctors thought her mind would start to unscramble
itself over time, but after the first year, there was little hope.”
“Is that why you don’t drink?”
No. I didn’t drink because it landed me in the mental
hospital. But I didn’t want her to know that. “Part of the reason.”
“I’m so sorry, Cooper.”
Her blue eyes grew very blue, something that happened when
she became emotional about a topic. The idea of a car accident still had to tug
at her bruised heart. This trip wasn’t about making her sadder, so I needed to
let her know it was okay. “Today was a good day. Let’s hold on to that.”
She wrapped her arms around my back, and pulled me closer to
her. We stood there for a moment, taking in what we had witnessed with my mom.
The nurses glowed with how we left Mom in a better state than she had been in
awhile. I planned to return tomorrow. But right now, all I wanted to do was
hold on to Andrea.
She pulled my lips to hers, lightly kissed me, and nibbled
on my bottom lip. “I’m hungry.”
I raised an eyebrow and felt a sudden twitch in my jeans. “A
soda pop hungry?”
She tossed her head back and laughed as she rolled her eyes.
“I’m hungry, Cooper. Food hunger.” She climbed into the car and I closed the
door for her. Wandering over to the driver’s seat to get in, I couldn’t help
but smirk at her reaction to
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