Kelsey shook her head and Patrick’s frown returned. “Your family?”
She nodded. “My mother.” His brow furrowed even deeper. “She’s rather . . .” Kelsey paused to think of the right word, “. . . attached to Richard. She would’ve blamed me in some way for his outburst and arrest.”
“Why?”
“Why what, specifically?” She laughed bitterly at such a loaded question. There were so many reasons she could give that would answer it.
“Why’s she so attached to Richard?”
Kelsey closed her eyes and frowned. Patrick took her hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “My mother’s father was a lot like Richard,” she began when she reopened her eyes. “He liked to drink a lot and had a temper, and Mom grew up watching my grandmother do whatever it took to keep my grandfather happy.”
Patrick shook his head. “But wouldn’t that make her wary of alcoholics?”
“You’d think, but as a young girl, I’m not sure she realized he was a drunk. But like I said, what Mom saw was my grandmother bending over backward to please him and being rewarded with what she thought was a happy husband.” Kelsey shrugged. “If he did get angry, my mother didn’t understand that it was the alcohol that caused him to lash out.”
“Does your dad drink?”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, he’s the complete opposite of my grandfather. But Mom still interacted with him the way that she saw her parents interact. Dad’s not the abusive type so Mom never had a reason to second-guess her methods. She raised us with the same philosophy.” Kelsey looked toward the window as she continued. “We were always expected to do everything for our brother and father when she couldn’t.” To prepare them for their husbands.
“You have a brother?”
“I had a brother,” she started, then paused again. There was so much she could tell him about her brother. “His name was Sean, and he was three years older than me.” She grinned as her eyes went out of focus. “He’d love to say, ‘Hey Kels, watch this,’ just before he did something stupid that always got me in trouble. One time he said it then took a running leap out of our tree house. Janelle and I screamed when we saw him crumpled on the ground below us. How he walked away with only a broken arm, I’ll never know, but he told Mom I’d pushed him.”
Kelsey shook herself out of her daze and looked at Patrick again. “Mom sent me to my room while she took Sean to the hospital. Janelle sat outside my door and we cried together, not knowing what was wrong. When they got home, Mom wouldn’t let me come out for dinner, so Sean snuck dessert up to me then sat in the hallway and talked to me while I ate it.” She smiled sadly at the fond memory. “If it hadn’t been for Dad, he probably would’ve been a spoiled brat. Dad managed to teach him manners and respect and kept him grounded.”
“What happened to him?” Patrick asked softly as he ran his thumb over her knuckles.
“Sean followed Janelle and Richard to college and picked up some of Richard’s bad habits, especially binge drinking, but then I knew a lot of guys in college who did.” Her voice cracked and she began blinking back the tears. “In the fall of his sophomore year, he moved into an apartment about ten minutes from Richard and Janelle’s. One night while Janelle was at work, Sean was at their apartment, drinking with Richard and some friends.” Kelsey began repeatedly clenching her free fist around the bed sheet. “Around midnight, Sean wanted to go home but no one could drive him. Richard reminded him that they had a spare bedroom, but Sean insisted and Richard let him go. Five minutes down the road, Sean wrapped his car around a tree.”
She choked on a lump in her throat as she remembered the events of that fateful night. The tears burned her eyes and she couldn’t look at Patrick, afraid she’d start to cry before she finished the story. He squeezed her fingers and slid closer
She nodded. “My mother.” His brow furrowed even deeper. “She’s rather . . .” Kelsey paused to think of the right word, “. . . attached to Richard. She would’ve blamed me in some way for his outburst and arrest.”
“Why?”
“Why what, specifically?” She laughed bitterly at such a loaded question. There were so many reasons she could give that would answer it.
“Why’s she so attached to Richard?”
Kelsey closed her eyes and frowned. Patrick took her hand and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “My mother’s father was a lot like Richard,” she began when she reopened her eyes. “He liked to drink a lot and had a temper, and Mom grew up watching my grandmother do whatever it took to keep my grandfather happy.”
Patrick shook his head. “But wouldn’t that make her wary of alcoholics?”
“You’d think, but as a young girl, I’m not sure she realized he was a drunk. But like I said, what Mom saw was my grandmother bending over backward to please him and being rewarded with what she thought was a happy husband.” Kelsey shrugged. “If he did get angry, my mother didn’t understand that it was the alcohol that caused him to lash out.”
“Does your dad drink?”
Kelsey shook her head. “No, he’s the complete opposite of my grandfather. But Mom still interacted with him the way that she saw her parents interact. Dad’s not the abusive type so Mom never had a reason to second-guess her methods. She raised us with the same philosophy.” Kelsey looked toward the window as she continued. “We were always expected to do everything for our brother and father when she couldn’t.” To prepare them for their husbands.
“You have a brother?”
“I had a brother,” she started, then paused again. There was so much she could tell him about her brother. “His name was Sean, and he was three years older than me.” She grinned as her eyes went out of focus. “He’d love to say, ‘Hey Kels, watch this,’ just before he did something stupid that always got me in trouble. One time he said it then took a running leap out of our tree house. Janelle and I screamed when we saw him crumpled on the ground below us. How he walked away with only a broken arm, I’ll never know, but he told Mom I’d pushed him.”
Kelsey shook herself out of her daze and looked at Patrick again. “Mom sent me to my room while she took Sean to the hospital. Janelle sat outside my door and we cried together, not knowing what was wrong. When they got home, Mom wouldn’t let me come out for dinner, so Sean snuck dessert up to me then sat in the hallway and talked to me while I ate it.” She smiled sadly at the fond memory. “If it hadn’t been for Dad, he probably would’ve been a spoiled brat. Dad managed to teach him manners and respect and kept him grounded.”
“What happened to him?” Patrick asked softly as he ran his thumb over her knuckles.
“Sean followed Janelle and Richard to college and picked up some of Richard’s bad habits, especially binge drinking, but then I knew a lot of guys in college who did.” Her voice cracked and she began blinking back the tears. “In the fall of his sophomore year, he moved into an apartment about ten minutes from Richard and Janelle’s. One night while Janelle was at work, Sean was at their apartment, drinking with Richard and some friends.” Kelsey began repeatedly clenching her free fist around the bed sheet. “Around midnight, Sean wanted to go home but no one could drive him. Richard reminded him that they had a spare bedroom, but Sean insisted and Richard let him go. Five minutes down the road, Sean wrapped his car around a tree.”
She choked on a lump in her throat as she remembered the events of that fateful night. The tears burned her eyes and she couldn’t look at Patrick, afraid she’d start to cry before she finished the story. He squeezed her fingers and slid closer
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