Page 127 of Drop Three

Lucky for me, Gwendolyn beats me to it. “If it weren’t for your egg donor’s despicable behavior…yeah, you’re right. But let her take the blame, Bodhi. Let it be her fault, not yours.”

I never once considered casting the blame on my mother.

I’ve always held myself to a higher standard and been accountable for my actions. Even though I know I’m at fault for drinking and driving, my mother stirred the pot.

She chose to cheat and leave our family like ashes in the wind.

She chose to abandon my father for his brother.

Shitty people deserve shitty consequences.

If I can gain even a sliver of peace from putting the unspoken guilt on her, it’s worth it.

After all, I served my time.

“You’re right,” I tell Gwendolyn.

“I know I am,” she responds.

“I’ve been seeing a therapist, and it’s helped me a lot.”

“That’s great, Bodhi. I’m happy to hear you’re finally taking care of yourself. That’s important after everything you’ve been through.”

“Were you okay…after it happened? I feel stupid even asking you that,” I exhale. “I told Penelope I didn’t want to know. It was selfish of me but too painful to let myself burn that deep. I wasn’t sure I could handle what she would tell me.”

A small laugh comes from the other end of the line. “Yes, Bodhi. I was okay. I had some cracked ribs and a broken nose, but other than a few scratches, I made it out just fine. I knew it could have been worse, so I counted my blessings.”

Fuck.That’s a relief.

I anticipated much worse and I’m happy to hear Gwendolyn confirm that’s not the case.

“Thank fuck. I was prepared for the worst,” I tell her.

Gwendolyn chooses not to respond and murmurs, “I’m glad you called.”

I smile to myself. “Yeah…I’m glad I did, too.”

“Hey, Bodhi?”

“Yeah?”

“If you ever need to talk…I’m here. Don’t wait so long to call next time. Life’s too fucking short to not speak up.”

“I will. Thanks for hearing me out. Oh, wait!”

Gwendolyn waits for me to continue. “How’s your family doing? Penelope said they moved?”

She giggles softly. “Yep. Dad retired and thought buying an RV and traveling the country with my mom was a good idea. So far, they’ve only made it to Louisiana. I’m not convinced it’ll last but we’ll see.”

I smile, remembering all the times her dad sprung crazy ideas on her mom and she would laugh it off like they’d never do it. Now, here they are—doing it.

“Sounds like nothing has changed,” I say.

“No, it hasn’t.” I can hear her hesitate for a moment. “It was nice talking to you, Bodhi. Take care.”

“You too, Gwen.” And she hangs up the phone.

38

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