Page 51 of To Belong Together
Mom lifted another bite. “No need for one more mind to worry over a problem that can’t be stopped or changed.”
“But you can’t do this alone.”
“I don’t. You help. So do Susanna and others from church.”
“But when you tell me not to come, it’s because he’s having a bad day, right?”
Mom finally laid down the fork. “This disease is … I won’t have it cripple you as well as us.”
“How is it crippling you?” In theory, Erin knew the role of primary caretaker took a massive toll, but Mom never spoke about the burden.
Mom ran the tines of her fork through the sauce on her plate, drawing a red line across the porcelain. “I don’t want you to feel responsible for him or for me. That’s all.”
“But we’re family. We are responsible for each other.”
Mom huffed and laid her paper towel over her lap. “You two have always had a special bond.”
“He’s the only person who never made me feel like I had to split myself in half. I could talk about boys and fix cars, be both a girl and a tech.”
“Of course you can be. That’s who you are. I think it’s great.”
Erin lifted an eyebrow, keeping it light, though Mom’s tone held an edge of offense. “You tried to talk me into going out for cheerleading.”
“You wanted friends. You weren’t going to meet them in a garage.”
“I made friends.”
“With the boys.” Mom chuckled. “But they weren’t really friends, were they? You liked so many of them.”
Erin faked a smile in return. She’d talked to her mom about boys a handful of times in high school. Had that been enough to garner this comment?
“Your dad told me.”
“Oh.” None of those crushes had amounted to anything. Her only kiss had been in tech school with another automotive student. The next day, he’d acted as if it hadn’t happened.
Mom’s expression turned nostalgic. “I had so much fun shopping for a homecoming dress with you.”
“I enjoyed that too.” Though she couldn’t trace how the conversation had gotten there.
That day, she’d believed herself beautiful and hoped the boy she’d liked would agree once he saw her in the dress.
Instead, he’d ignored her.
What about now? Did John think her beautiful?
“A man asked me to go car shopping with him tomorrow.”
Mom cocked her head. “A date?”
“Not quite, but … He seems … He’s the first guy in a long time that I would consider dating.”
Mom’s smile seemed lighter than anything Erin had seen from her in ages. “What are you going to wear?”
She guffawed. “Car shopping?”
“Clothes send a message. If you’re interested, I hope you’re putting in some effort. Wear a nice blouse.”
Erin snorted at the mental image. “Too much effort, and I’d probably weird him out.” Besides, her effort had been for naught at homecoming. A makeover now would only make her vulnerable and end in disappointment. “Most times he’s seen me, I’ve been wearing my uniform. Speaking of, did you hear about the mix-up with the shop’s laundry service?”
