Page 72 of Puck Drop
“She’s a bit depressed about life right now,” I explain to my friend. “She has no patience, and she doesn’t want to understand that this whole thing with her art will take time. One art gallery showed some interest. She expects for that to generate her some income, stat. It doesn’t work that way.”
Sebastian chuckles in amusement. “Listen to you all knowledgeable about the art world.”
I push at his shoulder, causing him to fall a bit into the wall. “It’s just common sense, dude. Besides…” I grin at him. “I googled about this.”
“Ha, cheater!” He yells after me just as I open the door to the locker room.
We both take our time removing our gear before heading to the showers.
“It’ll be okay, dude,” he assures me, sounding a lot more concerned now. “Things happen sometime. Life is hard, and she’ll learn.”
My biggest fear is that she won’t want to wait around while she’s learning. It would be so much easier for her to go back to her father and everything he can provide for her. I don’t say this out loud, but it does eat at me.
I decide that a change in conversation is due. “When are you leaving for New York?” I ask Sebastian.
He looks happy to talk about his plans for when he flies back home. “On Saturday morning,” he tells me. “Thank fuck that we only play on Friday this time. I’ll be there until Monday morning, then head back here.”
“That’ll be a nice little break,” I nod. “It’ll be good to see all the guys again.”
I have this small sense of betrayal in a way that he’s going to our former teammate’s bachelor’s party in New York, and I’m not. I was invited and I chose not to go, but now I feel like I’m about to miss out on something big.
“Yeah, I talked to Aunt Kathy to make sure she can see me on Sunday. I’ll have dinner with her and spend the night at her house, then she’ll take me to the airport on Monday morning.”
“Nice,” I grumble as I step into the shower stall.
He yacks away about his plans while he’s in New York, all the things he wants to do, and some ice cream shop he wants to make sure he hits up before heading back to Austin.
At some point, I stop listening and focus on my own problems. This thing with Elizabeth is messing with me in a bad way. She hasn’t been the same since she had that breakdown in my spare bedroom. I seriously debated if I should call nine-one-one because she was scaring me. Especially when she started writing all the gibberish on the pad she had up on the easel in the corner.
I held her until my arms went numb. Once she calmed down a bit, we both got up from the hard floor. I suggested a shower, implying that it would be together, but she just kissed me on the cheek and said she needed some time alone.
It’s been days since then, and nothing’s changed. She walks around like a zombie. I have no idea if she eats while I’m not there. I can say that I haven’t seen any food missing from my fridge, so I’d guess that she doesn’t.
I told her she should make use of the pool during the day. She nodded and said she would, but I doubt she even stepped a foot outside.
Everything that’s happening with her is very unsettling. I don’t want to pressure her either because I don’t want her to cry like that again. It’s all such a cluster fuck.
“You wanna go for a bite to eat?” Sebastian asks me when we’re out of the shower.
The offer is tempting, but I remind myself that Elizabeth has been home alone all day, and she needs some company.
“Nah, I’ll pass. I got food at home.”
His eyes about pop out of his head. “You got food at home? What are you, a father of five? Who talks like that?”
He teases me mercilessly while we’re getting dressed and all the way out in the parking lot. The only time he stops is when we get stopped by a small group of fans who ask for pictures.
“See ya, dude,” he calls out to me when we’re finally free to go.
I open the back door to my truck to throw my bag in there, then get in the overheated cabin, regretting that I didn’t start it sooner with my key fob.
All the drive home, I am consumed by thoughts of Elizabeth. I need to come up with a way to cheer her up, remind her that we are together, and that we can make this work. I probably should’ve talked more with Sebastian about it since he was bragging about his infinite wisdom.
I pull into my driveway and take a moment to stare at my house. While it’s not in a ritzy neighborhood like all my teammates live, it is a mansion in my world. I am proud of myself for being good with the money I make.
A fleeting thought of my mother crashes into my head out of nowhere. I haven’t thought of her in so long. I wish I could show her what I was able to accomplish on my own. I think she would be proud if she could even process the world around her. But she’s never changed since I was a kid. She bounces around a lot now that she doesn’t have the responsibility of a kid to worry about.
I sigh and open the door to get out of the truck. Dragging my feet, I grab my bag, then walk toward the front of the house. Assoon as I am inside, I let out a sigh of relief when I feel the cool air against my skin. It feels different than the AC in the truck.
