Chapter Sixteen
West
I was surprised Nina hadn’t stayed to argue. Then again, my dad wouldn’t be thrilled if Gidget peed on the floor, so it was good that she didn’t always have to have the last word. And this was an argument she would most definitely lose.
Just because a building housed books didn’t make it sacred, or some sort of shrine to literature. There was no reason to hold on to old things when there were plenty of new libraries and books in the world. Sure, people might have to drive a little farther to check out books, but it’s not like there was a shortage. Besides, the company that purchased the building wanted to turn it into a recycling center. That was a good thing.
I may have fallen ass backward into this project because of Charlie, but it seemed like a karmic gift. I dreamt about renting a Dumpster and emptying all the dusty old crap out of my house. If I couldn’t do it at home, at least I could help transform an old building into a place that would help keep things out of landfills.
I grabbed the boxes from the backseat and walked around to the patio doors because there was zero room to maneuver if I went in the front door. And I didn’t want to die in a storage box landslide.
Funny how I’d panicked for a moment when we pulled in the driveway. Almost kissing Nina hadn’t been something I’d planned. The desire to kiss her came out of nowhere. When she’d hugged me it was like everything had fallen into place—kind of like her whole universe theory, which made it funny and annoying at the same time.
I let myself in and the sight of my mom sitting at the kitchen table with two cups of coffee threw me off balance. She pushed the second cup toward the chair I normally sat in. “I was hoping you’d be home before the coffee went cold. Where were you?”
Accusation was clear in her voice, like I’d abandoned her. Maybe if she left the house every once in a while she would find some new people to talk to.
“I ran an errand after school.” I sat and picked up the cup of coffee. It wasn’t hot, but it was warm enough. “Thanks for the coffee.”
“You’re welcome. I thought about making PB&Js, but I wasn’t sure if you were having dinner next door or not.”
“Not tonight.”
“You like her, don’t you?” My mom smiled over the rim of her coffee cup.
“Nina? Yes and no.”
“That’s a strange answer,” she said.
“It’s been a strange day.”
“Tell me about her. What does she like to do?” my mom asked.
“She likes books, Harry Potter, dogs, and moldy old buildings.”
“Those are mostly good qualities.” My mom ducked her head. “I have a confession.”
Oh, hell. What did she do?
“I watch her family from my bedroom window.”
“You do?” That was odd. “I didn’t think you could get to your window.” Most of the windows in our house were hidden behind walls of boxes.
“When they moved in, I was curious, so I shifted things around so I could watch them. It’s more interesting than watching television.”
“Instead of spying on Nina’s family, you could go out and meet them, interact like you used to.”
“I might like that one day.” She sipped her coffee. “But I’d have to talk to your father first. He doesn’t like me to leave the house.”
“He doesn’t?” Was this part of her mental illness, or did my dad actually discourage her from socializing? “It’s nice outside. We could take our coffee on the back porch right now, if you want. No one else has to be involved.”
She adjusted the front of her robe, pulling it tighter “I’m not dressed. Maybe tomorrow.”
The small glimmer of hope that had been growing inside of me fizzled out. “Whenever you’re ready.” My stomach growled. Suddenly, it felt like I was starving. “What do you want for dinner?”
“Whatever you feel like cooking.” She stood. “Why don’t you call me when it’s ready. I’ll be in my room.”
“Sure, Mom.” She padded back down the hallway in her slippers. I closed my eyes and resisted the urge to lay my head on the table. For a few moments, I’d thought she might be getting better…that she was interested in the outside world again…that she might want to go outside and rejoin society or, at the very least, cook dinner, since she was supposed to be the one taking care of me. Sometimes I was amazed by my own stupidity. She wasn’t getting better, and she probably never would. I pushed up from my chair, feeling like I had a hundred-pound weight balanced on my head.
I opened the refrigerator and grabbed a package of Ball Park franks. Gourmet it was not, but I was hungry. I zapped the hotdogs in the microwave and ate three of them before I put one on the table for my mom. My dad could make his own. I headed to my room, stopping for a moment outside of my mom’s door to let her know food was on the table and I was going to do my homework.
Once I was in my room, I put my phone on the charger and pulled a book up on my tablet—the same book I’d been reading this morning when Nina had given me a ride to school. Would she still want to give me a ride to school tomorrow? Then again, it’s not like she had a choice, since she was the reason my car was in the shop.
The next morning, I waited for her in the driveway, reading on my cell just like the day before. She appeared, on time, without saying a word. After she unlocked the doors and climbed in, I joined her. She didn’t try to kick me out, so I guess we were good.