Page 53 of Dear Adam
The glow from her front porch illuminates two heads that push back the curtains of the spare bedroom. Dog snouts fog the window, and despite the rough evening, I find myself excited to be reunited with Hank again. That’s the thing about dogs: you can be having the worst day in the entire world but to them, it’s their best day all because you came home.
Aly doesn’t wait for me to open the door for her like I usually do, and the ache in my chest only grows stronger. The entire ride home was full of nothing but “I’m so sorry,” and quiet sniffling. I knew her parents treated her unfairly, but I had no idea how bad it was. I have a feeling that wasn’t even the worst of it.
Once we’re inside, she slumps onto the couch. Before joining her, I let the dogs out and brew some of the lavender tea she loves. A few minutes later, I return with two steaming mugs.
“You okay?” I ask, resting my hand on her knee.
“I just thought they’d be better behaved with you around.” She covers her face with her hands, but I gently pry them away. “Could they have been any worse to you?”
“I’m not worried about me,” I tell her. “I’m worried about you.”
“How could they do that?” she cries. “I can’t believe they used Adam’s absence as another way to try and push me and Hudson together. What do they see in him? And why can’t they understand I'm not interested?”
“Well, he’s wealthy for starters,” I say. “Isn’t he one of the old money Charleston families? He could definitely take care of you.”
“What if I don’t want to be taken care of? What if I want more in a relationship than old money and a good standing in society?” Her flushed cheeks tell me I’ve struck a nerve.
“That’s not what I’m saying, Aly. I’m just saying they see qualities in him that they don’t see in someone like me. Honestly, he’d probably make someone a pretty decent husband.”
“If you like infidelity and constantly wondering what your husband is up to, then yeah. I’m sure it’s a really nice life because who cares? You’ve got plenty of money to blow, you know.” She uncrosses her legs to stand, but I squeeze her thigh, keeping her seated.
“What do you mean?” I ask, afraid I took her last statement wrong. Surely her dad would’ve never…
“Dad had plenty of affairs when we were growing up,” she says quietly. “It wasn’t a secret.”
“I had no idea.”
“You and maybe only ten percent of the city. The rest of Charleston definitely knew. But you want to know the worst part? It was never a big deal to Mom. She’d just spend more money and eventually get over it.”
“That’s awful.” I know I’m one of the lucky ones who grew up with two parents who were a little overbearing at times but loved me and each other.
“Tell me about it. I don’t want that kind of relationship, ever.” She settles back into the couch and folds her arms over her chest. Pretzel jumps into her lap and settles into the space between her knees. “Either way, I’m sorry about tonight. I will never ask you to go to another family dinner as long as I live.” Her eyes grow wide and she adds, “Except the charity gala. Please go to the charity gala with me.”
“I promise I’m okay,” I reassure her. “As for the charity gala, if I’m still here…” I trail off, unsure how to continue. I would love nothing more than to be Aly’s date, to be her rock during this family event and remind her of her strength when she needed it most. The timing for this next job couldn’t be any worse.
“Right,” she says, disappointment etched into the corners of her eyes.
“I’m sorry—” I begin, but she interrupts me.
“It’s fine,” she says and stands, Pretzel yipping as she tumbles to the floor. Aly walks into the kitchen and returns a moment later with a plate of brownies. She offers me one, but instead of accepting, I stand and walk to the front door. “You’re leaving?”
“I’ve got an early start tomorrow helping Dad wrap up a job in Mount Pleasant,” I say, bending to kiss her lightly on the forehead.
“Oh,” she says, her face falling. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
“Yeah, for sure. I’m sorry I have to leave.”
“It’s okay.” She slides the brownies onto the coffee table, then thinks better of it after catching Pretzel eyeing them and moves the plate to the side table. “Thanks for coming to dinner with me tonight. Again, I’m sorry for how it ended.” She rises onto her tip toes and plants a delicate kiss of her own on my cheek. “Be careful tomorrow.”
I walk out to the Teenie Mobile, Hank trotting beside me. He folds himself into the back seat, and I crawl behind the wheel. “What an evening,” I mutter to Hank as I back out of the driveway.
Remember that toy you always wanted as a kid? You pined for it every second of every day until finally, one Christmas morning, you opened a perfectly wrapped package to findthetoy. That’s what it feels like with Aly. When some people look back on high school, they remember their sports team or late nights shenanigans with friends. I remember those, too, but mostly, I remember Aly. I remember an all-consuming crush on my best friend’s sister. A sister who had long, wavy, sandy brown hair, blue eyes, and a tan that lasted well into winter. I remember a free spirited girl with the biggest heart and a smile so contagious, you couldn’t help but smile, too. I remember Aly as she is now, but somehow she’s become more graceful, more caring, and more beautiful in the ten years we’ve been apart.
Now that I’ve got her, I don’t ever want to let her go. I went all the way to California, searching for that thing to complete me. Turns out, that missing piece has been here the whole time. I’ve been missingher. But between her brother, her parents, and my job, I’m not sure how to keep her. I’m not sure if simply wanting to be together is enough.
As I’m lying in bed that night, Adam’s phone lights up on my side table, a new text from Aly flashing across the screen.
Have you ever wanted something so bad yet it feels like the world is against you? I miss you so much, Adam. I won’t fill you in on the gruesome details of “family” dinner tonight but just know that Hudson showed up and I didn’t know he was going to be there. Levi was with me. What a disaster. But I don’t want you to wake up to only the venting texts about Mom and Dad from me, so here’s a picture of cute lil Pretzel bossing her friend Hank around instead. We miss you so much.
