Page 79 of The Leaves In Autumn
She’s getting pissed.
“Don’t you want to be here when your sister has the baby?”
“Sure I do. I also want to live my dream. I’m going to do it now, before I lose the courage. Why are you two so interested?”
Pull back. We need to figure out where she stands, not make her take out a restraining order.
“Just making normal conversation.”
Barbra rises and puts her purse over a shoulder.
“I’ll be back.”
We hold the silence the required time and distance. Sam holds out his palm.
“She’s not into him. Pay up.”
Sometimes I want to smack Sam. Except for the fact he’d win in a fight.
“We don’t know that yet. I still have time.”
“The bet wastheyare into each other. You’re the one who said yes.”
“I know what the bet is. But I still have time.”
“Tick tock, mofo. I’m winning this one.”
“He’s into her. This is the girl.”
“She may be the girl, but he doesn’t sound like the guy. She’s moving to another continent!”
“Details.”
“That’s a pretty big one, dude.”
“Layla is the only other person that would know for sure.”
“You can’t ask her. She’d tell her sister.”
“I’ll think of something.”
Sam takes a huge bite out of the sandwich we complained about waiting for. All of a sudden, I’m not hungry.
“I thought you were starving.”
“Changed my mind.”
He pauses and rewraps the sandwich. Unspoken sadness is something he knows about. Losing both parents at twelve shaped the man. I remember him saying it took Parrish to get him to talk about what he was going through.
“What’s bothering you?”
“I’m worried about my dad. He needs to find someone good. I thought Barbra was going to be it.”
“It isn’t over yet. I was just messing with you. She could be into him.”
“Every time she’s around, he acts different.”
“Like his old self?”
