Page 49 of Reckless
“It’s okay. I was just getting set up to do some restorative yoga. I can fix your problems while I make myself some green tea.”
I snort. I don’t think anyone can fix this problem in the time it takes to make a cup of tea.
“Why don’t you just sleep in? It’s the weekend.”
She scoffs at me, and I hear a cupboard thud shut on the other end of the line. “I’ll be sure to tell that to the next mother that goes into labor on a weekend.Sorry, doll. You’re going to have to wait until Monday.”
I chuckle because I remember having to take care of my sister at odd hours now and then when my mom would have to rush out to a birth. Or when we were younger, getting woken up so that she could drop us off at a friend’s house.
She did the best she could after our dad’s death. A single mom to two kids wasn’t an easy gig. Though when she got a job teaching midwifery at the college, things slowed down a bit.
“Fair enough.”
Peter lets out a loud snore beside me, not at all bothered by the phone call.
“Oh, is that little Peter?”
Leave it to Rhett to ruin my dog’s name.Little Peterdoes distinctly sound like a penis. But I’m not about to tell my mom th—
“God. Every time I say that dog’s name, I think of a dick.”
I bark out a laugh and the way it jostles my body is enough to wakeLittle Peter.He gives me a dirty look, like I’m the world’s worst pillow, and nuzzles back in. When I picked him up off the street in Mexico, I thought he’d think I was his hero, but the attitudeon this dog is insurmountable.
“It’s true. I hope you didn’t name him after your—”
“Mom.” I close my eyes and rub my fingers against my eyebrows.
“Right. We’re getting off track.” The low rumble of water boiling in the background filters in through the receiver. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
I sigh. “I don’t know ifwrongis the word I would use.”
“Stop beating around the bush, Theo.”
“I have a daughter.” I feel like I’ve shouted the words. Somehow, saying them out loud is very different from being told them or just repeating them in my head.
The line is silent.
“I just found out last night.”
I wait a few beats. Still silent. I flip the phone to check the screen and make sure I’m still connected.
“Mom?”
“Oh, Theo.” She almost sighs it, like I exhaust her. And I’m sure that on some level I do. Choosing to pursue the career that killed my dad might be one of the most thoroughly exhausting things I’ve ever done to my mother, but she still supports me. She always has. I’m hoping I haven’t pushed her too far with this little tidbit though.
“Are you okay?”
A heavy breath I’d been holding leaves me in a whoosh. “I’m...yeah. I think I’m just in shock.”
“How did this happen?”
“Well, Mom, when two people—”
“Theodore Silva. Don’t turn this into a joke to cope with your feelings. Talk to me.”
I hear her pouring water into a cup, taking things in her stride like she always has with us kids. The universe blessed her with two handfuls. Julia is just as bad as me.
“What do you want to know?”
