Della

May and Henry Johnson’s bungalow was the picture of Arizona architecture right down to the stucco siding, the red terracotta roof, and the crushed rock in the front yard. They’d owned the same house since Della and Evie were kids though it had been renovated several times since then.

“Thomas! Evie!” May pulled open the door, a wide smile illuminating her face.

Della blinked. She hadn’t seen her mother look so pretty in a long time. She had makeup on, pink lipstick and a touch of blush. Her blonde hair, nearly all turned grey, was curled and bounced around her shoulders neatly. She was wearing a pair of black pants of all things and a red sweater. She was still quite trim thanks to her early morning swims and her mid-afternoon yoga classes and the outfit was stellar, if somewhat strange. Della couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen her mother in anything but yoga pants or jeans.

She’d told Thomas to wear jeans while she herself had dressed down in a denim skirt and a flowy blue blouse.

Della cast a quick glance at Thomas, who shot one back quickly before schooling his features into a neutral position.

“Come in, come in!” May urged them. She opened the door wider and Della stepped in first. She was immediately enveloped in a tight hug and remembered at the last time to stand a little rigid, to feign a second of awkwardness since her sister had never been one for hugs.

“Thomas.” Della’s father, Henry, appeared in the hall behind May. “Welcome back.”

Della nearly winced. Nothing like welcoming my boyfriend back to the land of the living to remind him how much time he’s already lost.

“Dad.” She stepped forward and received a brief hug, as Evie would have. Thomas extended his good hand to her father, which Henry gripped firmly and shook.

“Wait until you see everything I’ve made,” May gushed. She quickly ushered them into the small kitchen.

Della stared in shock at the table. There were four chairs set out, but the table’s leaf had been inserted to make it larger. The whole thing was laden with enough food to feed them for the entire month.

“Mom!” Della nearly gasped. She glanced again at the four chairs set out and breathed a tiny sigh of relief. Her sister had actually heeded her warnings and turned down the dinner invite. “Della isn’t coming?” The question was strange, hearing her own name on her tongue.

Her mother shook her head. “No. She couldn’t make it. I’m sorry.”

“That’s alright. We’ll have a good evening with just the four of us,” Della was quick to assure her mother before she realized it was a very un-Evie like thing to say. She sucked in a breath and waited, watched while her mother eyed her up for a long second, but then she smiled, as though the past months had been hard on them all and maybe some changes were a requirement for them all.

“Sit down, sit down,” Henry urged.

Della quickly complied. Her parents sat at the ends of the table, like they always had, which left her and Thomas to face each other across the table. She caught his eye and gave him a soft, private smile which he actually almost returned.

“So, Thomas…” Della’s father led them right into conversation as soon as their plates were full. “Are you thinking about getting back to work?”

Della nearly groaned. This was supposed to be an easy, lighthearted dinner. She’d told her mom on the phone when she’d called back to accept, that Thomas might not be up to coming when the day actually came. It was a subtle warning to keep things casual.

Her eyes flew to Thomas’ face. He slowly put down his fork and turned to face Henry.

“I have the insurance money from the accident, so I have no need to work at the moment.”

“But surely you want to support my daughter and even if the insurance money does that, you never know. You should get back into the workforce. Get back on that horse after it bucks you off, find something to do to occupy your mind and your time.”

Della literally wanted to crawl under the table. Could it get any worse? Apparently, it could, because at that moment, May piped up.

“Oh, Henry, leave poor Thomas alone. He just got out of the hospital and we all know he’s certainly not ready to go back to work.”

Damn it! Della wished she could kick both her parents under the table. Hard. Hard enough to hurt. They were asking innocent questions with the best intentions. She could see the genuine concern reflected on their faces. Unfortunately, concern didn’t mean that their questions were merciful. They would have been better off to avoid talking about Thomas’ life altogether.

“Mom. Dad.” Della cleared her throat and coughed delicately, a clear sign that they were done talking about that line of conversation.

May turned a bright shade of red and Della’s father quickly glanced down at his plate to hide his embarrassment.

“We were actually thinking about getting a dog,” Della blurted to break the uncomfortable silence.

Thomas sighed. He was the one who kicked her lightly under the table. Her parent’s heads both cranked up so sharply she figured it was a good possibility that they both had whiplash.

“A dog? But I thought you hated dogs!”

“Yes! What about your house and your furniture?”

Della shrugged. She tried to keep a straight face even though her mother’s mouth dropped open and her dad’s eyebrows shot all the way to his hairline.

“Don’t look so shocked,” she said smoothly. She stuffed a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. “Man, these are amazing, mom.” She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed. The silence in the dining room was nearly oppressive. “I mean, people can change their minds, right? I’ve changed my mind. I want one now. I’m home more and we both have time to invest in a puppy where we didn’t before. I think it’s a good idea.”

Della’s parents couldn’t have been more flustered if she’d told them she had just grown a third arm or leg. They looked at each other and then finally back at their plates.

She occupied her eyes by glancing around the living room. Not much had changed since she moved out after high school. The kitchen had last been updated in the late nineties. The wood grains and fluorescent lighting and laminate countertops were definitely in need of a fresh look. It was open concept though and the small dining area was right off the kitchen. A set of patio doors let in the beautiful Phoenix sunlight. It was bright and cheery and that made the small area feel larger than it was. The floor was tiled in some awful shade of salmon, but it went with the beige walls and cactus décor that Della’s mother loved so much. She collected them. Cactuses. In all shapes and forms.

“How have you been faring since you got out of the hospital.” May cut in.

Della nearly choked. They apparently couldn’t make it five minutes without a bomb going off. She stared down at her plate, not wanting to keep staring at Thomas and make him even more uncomfortable.

“I’ve been a disaster,” Thomas admitted bluntly.

Della nearly laughed at the image of the broken dishes and all those smashed drawers in the kitchen. It hadn’t been funny at the time. It wasn’t funny now, but Thomas’ statement, the understatement of the century, made it almost comical.

“I’m getting better though. Slowly. Della suggested that I try a therapist for PTSD. I’m going to give it a try.”

Della was privately shocked that Thomas admitted so much. She dared another glance at her parent’s faces, first her mother’s then her father’s. She was surprised and warmed to see them both smiling.

“I think that’s a great idea!” May exclaimed with a smile.

“Yes. Good for you, son.” Henry nodded once before he shoved back his chair. “I’ll get the dessert.”

Della’s mother scurried out of her chair to help her husband over in the kitchen. Even though it was only a few feet away and Della could see them the entire time, she felt a little relieved that the tension of dinner was pretty much over. They just had to make it through dessert.

May set down a cherry pie a few minutes later as well as a flipper for serving and several side plates.

“That looks great, mom.” Della received her piece and dug in. She nearly died as the sugary cherries and flaky crust burst over her tongue.

“Thank you, sweetie. That’s very kind.” Her mother blushed a little before she handed Thomas a plate, dished out one for Della’s father and then finally served herself.

Della remembered, belatedly, that Evie was rather tight-lipped when it came to compliments. She would never have told her parents straight out that she was thankful or pleased with something they had done for her. She would have shown it, in other ways, but outright compliments and affection weren’t her way.

“It’s too bad Della couldn’t be here,” May said softly. “Cherry is her favorite. She said she was coming, but she canceled at the last minute. I guess she had plans with friends that were more important.”

“Oh,” Della muttered. She had no idea what Evie would say in this situation. Probably nothing, so she remained silent.

“I think she always thought of you as such an inspiration, Thomas,” May rambled on, to Della’s complete and utter mortification. “She always speaks so kindly about you.”

To hide her blazing red face, Della studied her pie like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Thomas said nothing at all. Thank god for small mercies.

The rest of the evening passed by, thankfully, without any further mortifying comments or inquiries into what they were going to do with the rest of their lives. Della had never been so relieved to exit her parent’s house before. She normally loved going over. She knew they meant well. She just hoped Thomas knew that.

She waited until they were halfway home before she was brave enough to broach the subject. Thomas stared straight ahead, a blank look on his face, as though he saw nothing at all.

“I’m sorry about what my parents said. They didn’t mean anything by their questions. They love us and they just want what’s best for us.”

“I know.” Thomas’ voice was surprisingly even.

“Really?”

He finally turned to face her, just for a second. “Yes. I expected a lot worse, to tell you the truth. Neither of them stared at me. Your dad shook my hand and looked me in the eye like he always used to. Your mom gave me a goodbye hug. They both came and visited when I was in the hospital when my own mother didn’t come once. It’s nice to hear that they’re concerned about us and our future. I would be too if it was my daughter. They know the accident changed everything for us and they’re just trying to figure out what that means going forward.”

Della was more than impressed with Thomas’ insight. She knew that and she knew what he said was true, she just didn’t expect him to know that.

“What?” Thomas frowned. “You didn’t think that I would be able to process that rationally?” His lips curled up into a ghost of a smile to soften his words.

“I… I’m just proud of you. That’s all.” Della reached over with her free hand and rested her hand gently on Thomas’ bad hand. It was resting on his knee, warm, comfortable, so very alive. She left her hand on his, soaking up the heat. She hoped her touch provided reassurance.

Oddly enough, she felt like everything was going to be alright. That moving forward, Thomas would be able to move on with his life. That he’d get it together and be happy again. That his heart would mend. She couldn’t imagine walking away from this, the life that they were rebuilding together. She was going to have to though. She knew her sister was waiting for an update and Evie’s patience only extended so far.