Page 24 of Drew
“Well…” Trying to remember his exact words, I rub my chin and look out the window. “I believe he said something along the lines of, ‘I have no idea where that condom came from, but since this is only our first date, I doubt we’ll be using it.’”
“Oh. My. God. He didn’t say that.” Abby’s jaw hangs as she waits for my response.
“Yep. He sure did. Everyone burst into laughter, including Grey and me. Of course, all DeShawn had to do was look at us and realize we were behind the condom fiasco. He’s yet to get even, but I’m sure it will only be a matter of time before he does.”
“Wow. Did you know he was going to meet her parents?”
“Nope. Not a clue. Fate just intervened.” I shake my head and relax into the car seat once again as I chortle at the memory.
After a short period of silence, Abby states quietly, “You have a great laugh.”
God. I’ve been laughing. And it feels good. Going with the assumption that no news is good news about my parents, it’s a relief to feel the tension lighten up. Apparently, Abby’s more of a distraction than I realized. “Thanks,” I whisper.
“How are you really doing?” Her voice is laced with genuine concern.
I’m about to lie and say I’m fine, but she interrupts with, “Seriously. You’ve hardly spoken since you got the news, and it’s not good to keep things bottled up.”
“Sorry about freaking out,” I say sheepishly. Fuck. Here I am wanting to be a doctor and at the first sight of bad news, I freak the fuck out. I shake my head, disappointed in myself.
“You were in shock, Drew. There’s nothing to apologize for. I would’ve probably started bawling, so you handled it way better than me.” She squeezes my thigh in assurance. And I pick up her hand to hold between mine.
“Yeah, but I probably could’ve handled it better,” I admit.
Abby side-eyes me with a grimace that levels me as she shakes her head. She can see through my shit from a mile away. I might as well tell her the real reason I freaked the fuck out.
I take a deep breath, and let it all out. “My sister died when I was sixteen. If I lose my parents, other than my aunt, I have no family left.”
Abby takes in a measured breath and slowly releases it. Her hand on the wheel tightens, as she squeezes my hand in reassurance. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thanks.” I’ve heard that phrase a million times, and it still reminds me of my numbness when Summer passed. Shaking my head to rid myself of the dark memories after her funeral, I realize I’d rather tell Abby what happened than make her ask what always follows that statement.
To keep my emotions at bay, I stick with the basic facts as I explain Summer’s death. “When Summer was eight years old, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s. By the time she was ten, she was in remission, and my family couldn’t have been happier. But it returned with a vengeance shortly after she turned twelve, and she didn’t survive.”
“Oh, Drew.” Abby’s voice sounds gravelly, as if she’s holding back her emotions. “That must’ve been so hard.”
My chest aches, and the muscle in my throat squeezes tight. I force myself to clear the lump in my throat before I can acknowledge her words and admit, “It was.”
We ride for a few miles in silence as I get lost in my head. Fuck. I still remember vividly when my parents sat me down to tell me the news that her cancer had returned. My heart aches at the memories of Summer going through her treatments. She was so small and weak at the end, but her personality was bigger than life.
Abby’s quiet for a few more moments, but when she breaks the silence, her voice is filled with compassion and interest. “Tell me about Summer.”
Where do I begin? “Summer was the type of girl whose personality would light up the room. No matter what was going on in her life, she always stayed positive.” A memory of her trying to hang out with me and my friends flashes through my mind, and I can’t help but share. “Sure, she was a pesky little sister and was annoying as any little sister can be. She wanted to be one of the big kids. When she was learning to ride a bike… gosh, she must’ve been four at the time, she insisted my dad take off her training wheels. She pointed her finger right at his face and said in the sassiest voice you can imagine, ‘I just like Drew. I don’t need training wheels. Drew doesn’t have training wheels, I ride with him.’”
“So, what did your dad do?”
I shake my head and left the memory. “He gave into her. She’d been riding a balance bike for a couple of days well on her own. It took her a couple of hours, but she was determined. The next thing I knew, she was screaming down the street, ‘Drew! Drew, look at me. I’m big like you.” I smile at the memory and notice Abby doing the same.
“She must’ve been excited,” Abby guesses.
“Yeah, it was an incredible day. She rode her bike everywhere. For weeks, she made me take her around the block as often as possible. My buddies liked to jump their bikes off ramps we had built, so I usually found a way to ditch her to go with them. One day, she followed me, and the next thing I knew, she was jumping off the ramps like a pro.”
“I’ll bet your mom was excited about that.”
“Nope. Can’t say she was.” I chuckle at the memory. “Mom just about had a heart attack when she saw Summer go off a two-foot ramp and fly through the air, landing it with grace.”
Abby cringes. “Holy crap. Your sister was four?”
A light laugh escapes at Abby’s reaction. “Yeah. Summer was as tough as nails. There was no stopping her once she got something in her mind.”
