Olivia (32 page)

“
So that’s it? Do you have any
lines?”

“
Meow meow meow,” he
says.

“
If you need help learning your
lines...” I tease him.

“
For your information,” Matty says,
“I saw the script, and despite the lack of dialogue, he is the star
of the show. And a real ladies’ man... or cat... I’m not
sure...”

“
Of course he is the star of the
show,” Mom says. “He’s his father’s son.”

“
I know,” I concede, messing up my
brother’s hair. “I can’t wait to come to the show.”

“
There are three shows,” he
corrects me, holding up three fingers.

“
I’ll be at every one of them. On
the front row,” I assure him. He smiles and spears a potato slice
with his fork, stuffing it into his mouth.

“
Jackson, please,” Dad talks softly
to him. “Cut your food first, remember?”

“
Ok, Dad,” he mumbles with his
mouth full.

“
And don’t talk with your mouth
full.” There’s a little frustration in Dad’s voice, but he’s
smiling adoringly at Trey.

A frantic knock at the front door interrupts us all.
“That’s not Jon’s knock,” I say, a little apprehensive. I put my
silverware aside, but Matty stops me.

“
I’ll get it,” he says, standing
up. We’re all quiet, trying to hear who it is. Jon’s face is pale
as he comes into the kitchen. His eyes are red, as if he’s been
crying. He stands in front of the table, ready to address my
family, but he never delivers any words.

“
What’s wrong?” I ask him, standing
quickly to guide him over to a barstool by the kitchen island. He
turns his back away from my parents and puts his head in his hands.
He grips tightly at tufts of hair. “What is it?” I whisper. “Your
mom?”

His single nod is all I need to see to understand.
She’d left the rehab facility on her own two days ago, saying she
was “fixed.” She had moved back into her apartment, ignoring the
suggestion of the doctors that she find someone else to live with
for awhile. Jon had spent the first night with her in an effort to
gauge her state of mind. He’d been disappointed that she didn’t
even call his brothers for a full twenty-four hours after she’d
gotten home.

Will told Jon the eventual call had been brief–and
that their mother had sounded weird.

“
Jon, what’s wrong?” Mom says,
coming to him and putting her hand on his back.

He doesn’t look up as he speaks. “She went to the
bar last night to get her job back, she says. But she’s passed out
drunk at home now... with some man I’ve never seen before. He says
he was one of her regulars, whatever that’s supposed to mean.” My
mom looks at me with concern. I shrug my shoulders.

“
Addiction is one of the hardest
things to overcome, Jon,” she tells him. “If she’s not ready to
accept her treatment, she’s not going to get better.”

“
I know,” he whispers softly. Mom
embraces him tightly, and Jon looks pained to accept her sympathy,
but he does.

“
Have you eaten anything tonight?”
my dad asks, starting to clear plates from the table. We were
almost finished.

“
I’m sorry, I’m late... I should
have called,” Jon says, getting up and acting like he’s going to
leave.

“
It’s okay,” Matty says
assuredly.

Dad smiles at Jon. “Let me fix you a plate.”

“
I’m not hungry,” Jon mumbles. “But
thank you.” His gratitude is genuine, and it makes me a little
relieved to see my dad like this. Jon’s cell phone vibrates in his
pocket before he pulls it out and answers it.

“
Hey, Patty. Yeah, thanks for
calling me back.” Jon walks into our front living room and sits
down on the couch. I follow him, taking the seat next to him and
holding his hand. He recounts the day’s events to his aunt after
inquiring about his brothers. As his frustration level rises, both
of my parents come into the room, taking chairs opposite us. Their
presence doesn’t seem to bother Jon at all. In fact, he seems to
relax more with them nearby.

“
You know, I worry about when I’ll
ever see Will and Max again,” he says. “Like, are they ever going
to get to move back here? Or is this what it’s going to be like
from now on? Because I hate it. I hate that they have to be away
from home, away from me–”

He listens intently to his aunt, his expression one
of resignation. He’d expected his brothers to come home when his
mom had completed her treatment. That time frame was being pushed
further back, and at this moment seems unattainable with his mom’s
behavior.

“
I know. And I feel horrible that
you wasted so much money on that facility, Patty. It will take us
forever to pay you back, but–” He pauses as his aunt talks.
Animated, he continues, “No! I won’t let you waste your life
savings on her! I would have warned you not to do it... I didn’t
think she was ready.” He looks hurt, and lost. “
I’m paying you back, Patty
! You can’t argue. I think
you invested too much in–”

He sits quietly as my parents stare at one another
uncomfortably. Mom looks at the floor and Dad looks at me as he
takes a deep breath. I brace myself.

“
What do you mean?” Jon asks,
lifting his head and staring across the room at my father. He
releases my hand, his motion deliberate and obvious. He stands up,
and just when I think he’s taking his phone conversation to another
room, he hangs up on his aunt and sets the phone down–hard–on the
table by the door.

His angry gaze shifts to me. “I have told you over
and over, Livvy, that I don’t want your charity.”

“
I–” I don’t even know what to
say.

“
I did this, Jon,” my dad says,
getting visibly upset at the tone Jon’s taken with me.

“
But you knew...” He looks at me
pointedly. I nod subtly. There’s no point in lying.

“
She didn’t know the details until
after the decision was made. It was the right thing to
do–”

“
Really?” Jon asks. “Spending
thousands of dollars on an addict who left her two young kids home
alone for
two nights
was the right thing
to do?”

“
She’s your mother, Jon,” my mom
says. “Of course we want her to get better for them, and for you.
We want to help.”

“
I don’t want your help,” he
asserts. “I never wanted it. I never would have asked.”

“
No one needed to ask,” Dad
continues. “I knew of a place, and I talked to your aunt. Yes, it’s
expensive but it’s the best program in New England–”

“
Yeah, I researched it. I’m well
aware of the cost. It will take us forever to pay you
back.”

“
I wouldn’t accept that, Jon. I
don’t expect that from you or her–whether she eventually succeeds
or if she never gets better. What matters is that we do whatever we
can to help.”

“
And we can do a lot,” I speak up
softly, trying to calm him down. He narrows his eyes at me, and I
can tell I’ve said the wrong thing. He picks up his phone and walks
out the door, shutting it hard behind him.

“
I’ll handle this,” Dad says as he
grabs his keys off the same table by the door and walks out. I
stand in the doorway, watching Jon walk down the street while my
father calls after him. Eventually, Jon stops and turns around,
meeting Dad in front of the house two doors down. After a few
minutes, they walk to Dad’s car together, get in, and drive away.
Neither acknowledges that I’m even there.

I shut the door quietly and look over to my mom.
“He’ll handle it,” she assures me. I nod and go downstairs to the
basement.

“
Wanna play some pool, Little Liv?”
Matty asks.

“
No thanks. I’ve got to finish
getting ready for tomorrow’s show with Abram, anyway. I don’t have
time to worry about this.”

“
You want to talk about
it?”

“
I don’t know what there is to talk
about,” I say, shrugging my shoulders. I’m tired of Jon getting mad
about this sort of thing. “At some point, he’s going to have to
accept me for who I am and what I have. This is the life I know,
and it’s the life I have, and I’m not giving it up. I’m not sure he
can continue living his own completely autonomous life without me
ever doing anything to help–”

“
If it was just you, Livvy, it may
be different. It’s your parents, though, and I’m sure he just
doesn’t want to be a burden to them.”

“
They’d never think of him that
way!” I argue.

“
I know that,” my uncle says, “but
Jon’s only been a part of this family for a year. You’ve had all
your life to know how to deal with what you have. Give him some
time. He’ll come around.”

“
I’m sick of feeling bad for having
what I do,” I admit. “I mean, it’s as much a part of me as... I
don’t know, as my artwork. He needs to accept it or...” I simply
sigh, not wanting to finish the sentence.

“
Let Jacks talk some sense into
him. You know he has a way with words.”

“
I know.” Smiling weakly, I head
back into my room and stare at the paintings that are propped up
along the wall of my studio. Abram had asked me to put together a
collection of six pieces that felt ‘calming’ to me. A spa owner was
looking for new artwork for her lobby and waiting areas. She had
contacted Abram after seeing a painting at a friend’s house and
wanted a private meeting. Glancing around, I realize one
piece–arguably my favorite of the collection and the one I thought
would probably sell first–is not here. We had taken it to the loft
for decoration.

“
Mom!” I call out from my room,
knowing she won’t hear me because she never does from one floor
away. Walking through the media room, I wonder if she’ll let me
have the key. “Mom?” I yell again, coming up the stairs.

“
Yeah, Liv?”

I follow her voice to the casual dining room table,
where she’s helping my brother with his homework. “Mom, I forgot
that one of the paintings I wanted to take for Abram is at the
loft.”

She turns around in her chair. “I saw what you had
down there in your studio. I think you have six pieces to
take.”

“
No, but you know that one above
your chair...”

“
Honey, I can’t go get it
tonight.”

“
No, I know. Can I have the key? I
swear, I’ll just use it after school tomorrow to get in, grab the
painting, and get out. You can call Francisco and tell him he has
to go up with me if you don’t trust me. But the show’s at four. I’d
only have a few minutes anyway. There’s no time for me to get into
any trouble–”

“
Stop rambling, Livvy,” she smiles.
“I’ll give you the key, but I honestly think that Abram will be
happy with the selection you have downstairs.”

“
I already know he wants that one.”
We’d discussed it while looking through my portfolio.

“
Okay. I want you to come home
right after the show, though, and I want the key back.”

“
I promise, Mom.” I look at her,
and I know she can tell I’m feeling a little helpless. “Jon may not
even be talking to me tomorrow, who knows?”

“
Oh, don’t overreact. He’ll be
fine. I’m sure Jacks just drove him back to his dorm and talked
some sense into him on the way. He’ll probably be calling you any
minute.”

“
Thanks, Mom.” Hopeful that she’s
right, I return to my room and make sure my phone is turned on. He
hasn’t called yet, but I’m sure he will.

After an hour, I decide to take a bath and get ready
for bed. I need to get up early so I can spend a little more time
getting ready for school. Since I won’t have time to come home
before the show, I’ll need to bring a change of clothes and makeup
to freshen up before I meet Abram at the temporary studio space. I
spend some time comparing outfits, trying to decide what image I
want to project. Do I want to look professional? Or creative? I
narrow it down to two different dresses, hoping that I’ll be able
to make a decision in the morning.

“
Hey, Liv?” Mom asks quietly from
my doorway.

“
Yeah?”

“
Have you heard from
Jon?”

“
No, have you not heard from
Dad?”

“
He called me about thirty minutes
after he left, saying that it might take awhile. I haven’t heard
from him since, though. I called, but he didn’t answer.”

I pick up my phone and call Jon. It goes directly to
his voicemail. I shake my head at her. “Should we worry?”

“
I don’t think so,” she says,
sounding genuinely confident. “I know if it’s something important
to Dad, he’ll have the conversation with no distractions.” She
smiles at me. “Especially if he knows you and your brother are safe
at home, which you are. You should get some sleep. You have a big
day tomorrow.”

“
I know. I think I’ll try.” Mom
hugs me tightly and kisses my cheek before leaving my room. “Night,
Matty,” I tell my uncle, who’s still in the media room watching a
movie. “Hey, Matty, will you wake me up when Dad gets
home?”

“
Sure thing, Liv.”

“
Thanks.”

My sleep restless, I hear my uncle come in some time
later.

“
Liv,” he says, gently touching my
shoulder as he sits down next to me. “I didn’t want you to worry,
but your dad isn’t coming home tonight.”