A silence fell over the conversation. I knew it was about to take a turn for the worse, and I wasn’t sure if I was ready to go there. I knew Drew didn’t see them at the memorial service, and I knew he wanted to ask me why.
I wasn’t ready to give him the answer.
“I mean, that’s cool, I guess,” he said. “I just don’t get why they hate you.”
“It doesn’t really matter,” I said.
“Yes, it does. They’re your parents. They’re supposed to love you.”
“Yeah, and they’re supposed to attend memorial services, be reminded of the best in their family, and bury their dead. But they don’t do any of that shit. Like I said, it doesn’t matter.”
“Take it you had a rousing conversation with them?” he asked.
“Look. It doesn’t matter what I do. I’m blue-collar, you’re blue-collar, and to them, that shit’s beneath their reputation. They’ll always despise us for that, so I stay out of their way.”
“I mean, I don’t like your parents any more than you do, but don’t completely write them off. They lost a son, dude. In a bullshit and terrible way. They’re hurting, too, even if they don’t show it like you do sometimes.”
“They didn’t even come to the burial. They’ve been to none of the memorials. Every time I bring them up, you know what they call him?”
“What?” he asked.
“‘Nothing more than a junkie. Like a junkie was all he ever was.”
“Just don’t write them off completely. Don’t become like them,” he said.
“Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” I said, murmuring.
“I’d like to think your family tree sits on a hill,” he said, grinning.
“Am I obsessing over my brother?”
It was a valid question. He’d been gone for years. Five, to be exact. That was plenty enough time to push past all this and to move on and release the anger and resentment I was carrying. But I hadn’t.
At least, I didn’t feel I had.
“We just had the remembrance or whatever. Give yourself some time, dude. You’re too hard on yourself.”
I nodded and looked out the window toward the abandoned building across the street. I took a sip of my milkshake as my burger and fries were set in front of me. I saw a movement in the window and paused. A little purple flutter that kept walking back and forth. I felt my heart seize in my chest, the blood rushing through my ears.
Was that her?
Was that the purple-haired woman from the bar?
But as quickly as I’d seen it, the color vanished. No shadows were walking around in the building, and I slowly sat back into my chair. Now I was really losing it. Seeing things that weren’t there. Imagining people walking around in some abandoned building. I had to find a way to decompress from all these emotions. I had to find a way to get a decent night’s sleep.
I had to fucking get ahold of myself.
Chapter 6
Hailey
It had been a week since I’d talked with my sister. She drew up the documents, and we’d gotten them signed, eating at the diner across the street. They had a fabulous milkshake that was to die for, and I ended up getting another one to go before I headed back over to the building. I showed her around for a bit, telling her all my plans while she nodded and smiled, but the dust soon got to her, and she had to leave.
She told me she would get the paperwork filed and send over the official copies once everything went through.
I’d spent the past few days trying to clean it up. I swept out all the dust, splashing water everywhere as I tried to capture it all. I scrubbed the walls and hoisted out the trash, peeling back wilted sheetrock whenever it was necessary. I had to purchase goggles and something to cover my face while I was doing everything, but it was obvious I would need to call one of those contractors back. There were some structural damage and electrical issues that needed some serious updating, and I didn’t have nearly the type of skills needed to tackle these problems.
Sweat trickled down the back of my neck as I sighed. I was really hoping I could forego hiring contractors and do this myself. I could repair and replace anything topical, but plumbing and electrical issues I knew nothing about. I figured I’d just have to flip a switch on a circuit breaker somewhere and turn on a massive nozzle for the water, but that most certainly was not the case here.