Page 86 of Forget About Me

My mom stands abruptly and paces to the sink, looking out the window for a moment before crossing to pull a fat envelope out of the junk drawer. “I’m just going to spit it out. Your dad should be here, but I think you need to hear this now.”

“Is everything okay?” Now I’m worried about her. My hiccups disappear along with any lingering humor. “Are you—are you sick?”

“No, sweetheart, no. Don’t worry.” She sits down next to me, her eyes on the envelope in her hands. “Your father and I have been doing a lot of soul-searching recently. You’re so passionate about the work you’re doing it made us realize that we’ve been stuck. In our grief.” She takes a moment to clear her throat. “We miss Tony every day. But we still have three amazing children.” She looks down the hall toward the front door, like maybe my dad might walk in any minute. “And each other.”

She smooths the envelope in her hands before going on. “A year ago, we got a settlement from the civil suit we brought against the driver of the car that hit Tony’s. We put the money in the bank and just let it sit there. We couldn’t deal with it at the time.”

She shakes her head. “You and Sal and Vinnie work so hard and achieve so much. It’s clear what that money is for. We’re giving it to you kids.”

She pulls papers from the envelope, sifts through them and hands me a savings account statement with my name on it and a number with a whole lot of zeros. “Mom. This is… too much.”

She holds up a hand. “Spend it however you want. Buy a new car, take a trip to Europe, get a pony. Whatever you want. Whatever you need.”

I can’t quite wrap my head around this, not to mention my heart. Guilt pricks at me. I don’t deserve this.

“Lucy, look at me.”

When I do, the fierceness there surprises me. “I don’t want you to feel badly for focusing on yourself and your career. It’s your time.” She scoots closer to pull me in for a side hug. “I mean it. We’ll be here to cheer you on whatever you choose to do.”

Leaning on my mom is good. Even just temporarily. “Thank you so much, Mama. For everything. I love you.”

“I love you too, baby girl.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“Tears of a Clown” - The English Beat

Ben’s Very First Mixtape, Song #2

BEN

Our final performance comes way too soon.

Suddenly it’s time. Time for me to leave town. Time for me to put a whole country between me and Lucy. Time to say goodbye to my new best friend. Squatting, keeping eye contact with Puck, I force my emotions to sit, stay and behave as I speak. “You have my number. If you ever need anyone to take care of him, I’m your man.”

Fred Johnson buckles a well-worn collar around Puck’s neck and hands me the collar and leash I purchased with Lucy. “Thanks for everything. You’re sure we can’t reimburse you for the vet costs?”

I shake my head. “Please don’t worry about it.”

When I stand, Puck whines and walks his front paws up my legs to snuffle his wet nose into my palm. “I’ll miss you too, buddy.”

One last scratch behind the ears, a quick shake of Mr. Johnson’s hand, and I turn on my heel to head back to the dressing room before I embarrass myself. Thankfully, the rest of the cast has decamped to a bar for a closing party, so I can grab my bags and call a cab in peace. My dad offered to take me to the airport, but I didn’t want him to have to deal with the traffic.

After picking up my suitcases from the corner of the men’s dressing room, I head to Janet’s office to use the phone. When I knock, the door flies open. Janet’s office is full of people, and none of them are Janet. Instead, Bella, Will, Jessica and Randall are perched on various surfaces.

Bella crosses her arms over her chest and narrows her eyes at me. “Just what do you think you’re up to, young man?”

“What are you guys doing here?”

She rolls her eyes. “Janet told us you were going to call a cab to take you to the airport. You may be a famous model, but you’ve still got friends who want to see you off.”

Will takes my suitcase. “Yeah. I need make sure that my biggest competition is leaving town.”

Randall cuffs me on the back of the head. “What he said.”

“What about the party?”

Jessica hooks an arm in mine. “Eh, it’ll still be going after we drop you off.”

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