“You’re doing that wrong,” he says to me.
My arms drop to my sides with the weights dangling in each furled fist. “I am?”
Gabriel reaches around and lifts my left arm. “Do it this way.”
Like a rag doll, I allow him to position me properly. As he moves my arm upward, our eyes meet in the mirror. We stand locked like that for what seems an eternity, and then he removes his hand from mine and backs away.
I slam the weights back into their grooved housing and turn my continued frustration on him.
“What is your major malfunction with me?” I bite out at him. A couple of the football players stop midlift and turn their attention to the drama unfolding.
Gabriel seems speechless. Or maybe he’s just embarrassed by our intimate moment the other night. Either way, I lay into him much like I did with my sister. Lora’s right. I’m rehabilitating my backbone, as well.
I advance on him. “I don’t understand you, Gabriel. You’re the one person in this whole school who made me feel normal. I thought we shared a... moment . . . the other night. Apparently not. I understand if you don’t want to go out with the bald chick, but I don’t want to lose you as a friend.”
He retreats to the leg press and grabs his towel, swiping it furiously over his face. “You know, Hay, you’ve been hanging around bitches like Chloe Bradenton too long. She’s made you dense as shit.”
My eyes jump open and I bow up. “Excuuuuuse me?”
He slams the towel down. “You heard me.” He closes the distance between us, slants toward me, and lowers his voice. “What happened between us the other night had nothing to do with your hair. Give me a break! Why do you think I kissed you in the haunted house?”
“Wh-wh-what?” I fight to catch my breath at the realization. “That was you?”
Gabriel notices some of the football players taking in our conversation, so he reaches over and grabs me by the hand, tugging me along with him. We climb the bleachers up to the top row where he sits and waits for me to do the same.
I can’t believe he’s the one who kissed me. Not Daniel. Not some phantom, wonderful mystery guy. But Gabriel. He’s the one who thinks I’m amazing.
“Look,” he begins, not looking at me. “I’m sorry about the kiss in the haunted house. I saw you, you were so cute in your zombie outfit, it was dark, and I took advantage of the situation.”
He thinks I’m cute? I smile broadly at him, hoping to ease his embarrassment.
“It’s okay, Gabe,” I say reassuringly. “If you kissed me then, why did you push me away Friday night in the car?”
He shakes his head. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, and it wouldn’t be fair to burden you with my problems while you’re dealing with your own.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, give me a freaking break, would you? In the least, you’re my friend. A friend I’ve missed and one I’m thrilled to have back in my life. If there’s something going on with you, I want to know.” I stretch my hand out to take his. “I want to be there for you like you’ve been here for me.”
He takes a deep breath. “Okay, here it is.”
I brace myself for the absolute worst.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve suffered from petit mal seizures, a form of epilepsy.”
“Ohhh-kay . . .” I say, waiting for something worse.
“That’s why my family left town six years ago.”
I resist the urge to laugh. “That’s your big secret? You have seizures?”
“It’s a big thing, Hay. Remember how we’d be talking and stuff and I would sort of zone out? Those were seizures. The older I got, the more prominent they became, to the point where they’d last like fifteen seconds or more. I’d be in one room of the house and then come to in another one. It was freaky.”
This time, I do giggle. “I remember you did that when we were watching TV one time. I was talking to you, and you zoned out for ten seconds, staring into space. I just thought you were being a boy with no attention span.”
“Yeah, it was getting bad, especially in school. Mrs. Hendrix in fifth grade kept writing me up as not paying attention in class and even went so far as to tell my parents I had ADHD. My mom explained to her what was going on, but it didn’t help. Maxwell just didn’t have the medical personnel to help me out.”
“Do you still have them?”
“I haven’t for a long time,” he explains. “We moved to Cincinnati because Children’s Hospital there specializes in cases like mine. Thanks to the anticonvulsant medication they gave me, we could control the seizures until I outgrew them.”
I play with his thumb, stroking my fingers over it as I take all of this in. “You outgrew them?”
“Pretty much.” He nods. “They mostly last until you’re through puberty. Last spring, the doctors weaned me off the medication, and I’ve been good ever since. We would have stayed in Cincinnati if my grandfather hadn’t gotten sick. But I’m glad we came back to Maxwell. I’m happy I could be here for you.”
His hand caresses mine; his thumb brushing over my knuckles and giving me chill bumps up and down my arms. He likes me. I know he does. That’s what makes all of this so damn confusing.
I cock my head to the side and ask frankly, “So, this is why we can’t date?”
He stammers for a second and then tells me, “I feel too abnormal to get involved with someone. This is, like, hereditary, and I can pass it down the line.”
I laugh at his seriousness. “Gabe, we’re still teenagers. I don’t want to get married and have babies or anything right away. I only want to get closer to you and have fun.”
His eyes soften and he peers out at me. “With everything you’ve been through, I didn’t want to burden you.”
I pull back and smack him hard on his chiseled arm until we laugh together. “It’s fine.” I think about Mom and Dad and all they’ve been through in their years as a couple, through thick and thin, hard times and good times. That’s what your significant other is for—to be there with you and to share the experiences. Gabriel’s been here with me since my diagnosis, supporting me, encouraging me, helping me get back on my feet—literally. “We’re both survivors, Gabriel,” I say to him, brimming over with happiness.
He snakes his hand out around my waist and pulls me closer to him. “That we are.”
Then he kisses me. There’s no hesitation this time. It’s not a kiss between friends, but between two people who have so much to offer and share with each other.
When we break apart, Gabriel smiles and touches his forehead to mine. “So, you want to go to the football banquet with me?”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Chapter Forty-Three
If you learn from your suffering, and really come to understand the lesson you were taught, you might be able to help someone else who’s now in the phase you may have just completed. Maybe that’s what it’s all about after all.
—Author Unknown
Wednesday evening, Dad walks in the back door and heads straight to the refrigerator. He pulls out a cold beer—one that’s been in there forever since he doesn’t drink much. He sits at the kitchen table and announces, “It’s done. I sold the business and inventory to Homestead Hardware.”
Mom moves to hug him. Obviously she knew this was in the works, but I’m shocked.
“Whuuu... huh?” I stumble out.
Dad sips the brew and relishes the taste as he closes his eyes and sits back. “We couldn’t compete anymore. They paid a fair price for everything, and we should be okay for several months while I start looking for my next job.”
“I got a call back from the law firm for a second interview,” Mom announces. “They’re looking for someone only twenty hours a week, so I think that’ll be perfect for me.”
Dad nods. “I got a call from a headhunter yesterday. Imagine the timing. They’re looking for someone short-term over at Game On. Isn’t that your friend, Ross Scott’s business?”
I sit
up and take notice. “It is, Dad! You should totally go work there. Since Ross is in the hospital, he can’t run everything. I’ll talk to him.”
Waving me off, Dad says, “Thanks, Little Kid, but I’ll take care of it. Go through the proper channels.”
“It’s a good lead, Jared,” Mom says.
Dad reaches for her hand and kisses it. “We’re going to be fine, Nan.”
I know Dad basically told me to butt out. I want to help, though. I can at least put in a good word... something... anything.
“May I borrow the car?” I ask my mother.
“I was just about to put dinner on.”
“That’s what the microwave is for, Nan,” I say with a laugh. “I really need to do something right now. Trust me.”
Dad slides his keys across the table to me. “Take the truck, Little Kid.”
I grab my purse and hustle out of the house. I climb up into the truck, adjust the mirrors and the seat, and then back out of the driveway.
I have one destination and one only.
Maxwell Memorial Hospital.
***
“Were you serious about wanting to talk to my dad about working at Game On?” I ask when I get to Ross’s hospital room.
“Of course I was. Since you didn’t say anything, I figured he wasn’t available.”
“Oh, he’s available. Your headhunter even contacted him,” I say.
“Neal did? Excellent. Seems like it’s meant to be. I’ll call Neal in the morning and get him moving on the interview,” Ross says.
“You’ll love Dad. He’s way smart and he’s a good businessman. He’s athletic, too. At least he used to be,” I say. “We would go water-skiing up at Lake Martin, and he played tennis all the time before he started the hardware store.”
Ross laughs and holds his hands up. “Sounds like we need to get Jared Matthews active again.”
I carefully fling myself onto my friend’s chest and hug him, being sure not to hurt him. “Thank you so much.”
He chuckles. “I haven’t hired him yet.”
“I know. But still. You’re the best, Ross.”
He hugs me back, gripping me to him. “You are, too, Hayley.” When he doesn’t let go right away, I feel his body shake, and I realize he’s crying.
“Oh my God, Ross... Don’t... don’t cry. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Ross’s handsome face is splotchy from tears, and fear outlines his features. My strong friend, the man who climbs mountains and dives with sharks admits, “I’m scared shitless, Hayley. How did you get through this?”
“I had no other choice.”
I get a tissue and wipe his tears away. “Don’t tell anyone I lost it like this,” he says. “Lorraine and Lora wouldn’t let me live it down.”
“We all have our moments,” I say, thinking of the five major times I cried.
“The doctors will know in a week if the treatment is helping.”
“Keep thinking positive thoughts,” I say, trying to encourage him.
“I don’t know if I can,” he says softly.
“Did you not listen to what you’ve been telling me all along? You’re the one who told me to be tough and it was all mind over matter. Ross, I’m just quoting you back to you. I’m just a kid who didn’t know what in the world she was going through. You told me to believe and I did. You need to do it, too.”
“I gave pretty good advice, huh?” he says with a smile.
“The best.”
He really is dealing with a lot more serious shit than I did. At least, it seems that way. All I can do is be here for him and cheer him on.
“I should let you get your rest,” I say.
“We’ll see if your dad’s a good fit,” Ross says, getting his composure. “And Hayley?”
“Yeah?”
“I couldn’t do any of this without you.”
I smile hard. “You don’t have to.”
***
The chilling winds of December sweep through Maxwell, dumping a foot of snow on our lawns and giving us a beautiful white Christmas. There aren’t as many presents under the tree, but we’re together. Cliff and Lily drove down last night from Birmingham and brought a truckload of baked goods that Lily made for us. Mom cooked a spiral ham with pineapple and honey glaze and sweet potato casserole. The house is filled with the scents of the holiday, mixing with the spicy candles and the minty greens hanging on the mantel. Even Leeny, wearing a red bow that I put on her, seems in the Christmas spirit as she sits underneath the tree and watches us open our few presents.
Mom got a new coffeemaker, a scrapbooking kit, and a simple gold tennis bracelet. Dad got a new job. He and Ross and the headhunter finalized everything last night, and on January first, Dad starts his new position as Associate Vice President of Management at Game On. Ross has someone he can trust, and Dad has a new lease on his professional life.
My parents deserve good things because they’re good people.
I got some movie DVDs, new clothes, and the dangly vintage earrings I’ve been jonesing over from the antique shop next to the hardware store.
“You forgot one,” Dad says, pointing to a small box toward the back of the tree.
“I couldn’t see it for Leeny.” I move the kitty aside and reach for the pretty blue package.
The card reads “To Hayley, from Santa.”
Really? I can’t help but laugh.
I rip off the bow and paper and then peel back the lid of the box. There’s a mound of cotton on top and then underneath . . .
“Car keys?” I dangle the large black key with an H on it. We don’t own any Hondas.
“Let’s go outside,” Dad says with a wicked grin.
I’m on my feet in a heartbeat. “What?”
My heart stutters with excitement as we make our way down the hallway and out the door without a coat. I scream out when I see what awaits me.
“Is that for me?!”
Parked behind Mom’s car in the shoveled driveway is a silver Honda Civic.
“Merry Christmas,” my parents shout out.
“But... how... how did you afford this?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Dad says as we all head down the steps.
I round the car and take it in. So cute. So perfect for me.
I shake my head, though. “This is too much, y’all. I don’t want you to spend too much money on me after everything.”
Dad tweaks my ear. “Be quiet, Hayley. Besides, we knew you needed a car for college, so we got this used for a good deal,” Dad tells me. “It has about forty thousand miles on it, but it’s in great condition and should serve you well.”
“I can’t believe . . .”
“Show her the best part, Jared,” Mom instructs.
Dad opens the door, and I climb inside the black interior, squiggling into the driver’s seat that now belongs to me. I glance down and see the manual transmission.
“Stick shift?”
Dad smiles. “We thought it would be a great way to exercise your leg.”
I’ve only driven a stick a few times, but this is going to be great. I crank it up and test out the air conditioner and CD player first.
Cliff snickers. “You’re such a girl. I’m surprised you didn’t look to see if there’s a mirror on the driver’s side sun visor.”
As Lily smacks him, I say, “Good call!” I flip the visor down and lo and behold, there’s not only a mirror, but one with a light on it.
I crawl out of the car and gather both of my parents into one gigamonic hug. “Y’all are amazing! Thank you soooooooo much!”
Mom kisses my cheek while Dad pats me on the back.
I don’t know how this Christmas can get any better.
Just then, an unfamiliar white car turns into our driveway.
“Expecting more company?” Cliff asks.
Mom tents her eyes with her hand and looks out over the glare that’s bouncing off the fresh snow. The car door opens, and we all collectively gasp when we s
ee who’s here.
“Hi, guys,” my sister Gretchen says.
My heart feels as if it’ll burst out of my chest. I rush over to my sister and hug her with all my might. She holds me tight and then rubs me on the head. “Look at you,” she says in a whisper.
“I’m so glad you’re here. I’m so sorry about—”
Gretchen stops me with a gloved finger over my lips. “You were right about everything.” Hand in hand, we walk toward our parents. “I hope you have room for one more.”
Mom is reserved, but her smile is genuine. “You’re always welcome here, Gretchen.”
Cliff claps his hands together. “It’s frickin’ freezing out here. Can we have this reunion inside?”
“I agree!” I say, leading the way. I can play with my new car later.
Inside, Lily, Gretchen, and I help Mom get all the food on the table. Cliff tends to the drinks, filling everyone’s glasses with iced tea for our meal. Dad carves the ham, and we’re ready to eat.
“Let’s pray,” Mom says.
We all join hands—Dad to me to Gretchen to Mom to Cliff to Lily and back to Dad. I bow my head and listen as Dad speaks out as the head of the household.
“Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for these blessings we are about to receive. Thank you for the struggles we have overcome this year with your help and through the love of your Son, our Savior. Bless us and keep us safe this coming year. Amen.”
“Amen,” we all echo.
I’m in full reach of diving into the sweet potato casserole when Gretchen speaks out.
“I have something I’d like to give you,” she says, looking back and forth between our parents. “It’s long overdue, and I hope it will help me make my way back into your lives... and your hearts.”
Tears fill her eyes as she passes over a white envelope to my dad. He reaches into his front pocket for his reading glasses and then peels open the packet.
“Well... shit,” he exclaims when he glances at my sister’s offering. “Gretchen, where did you get money like this?”
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