“David, he will kill me,” Grant sighed.
“You wrecked the general’s car?” Melissa asked in a whisper.
“Yeah,” Grant sighed. “My life is pretty much over.”
“You can say that again,” David agreed.
“David, try to be positive,” Melissa insisted. “He didn’t steal a car; he just borrowed Randy’s. I’m a little relieved to tell you the truth.”
“I’m sorry,” David rolled his eyes, “have you met my father?”
“Please tell me that you didn’t touch the Corvette,” Melissa gulped.
“The red one that stays in the garage, rarely gets driven and gets shined on a daily basis?” Grant nodded.
“You didn’t?” David sighed.
“Wreck the general’s dream car?” Grant nodded.
The color drained from David’s face. “You’re telling me that the obsession of the general’s midlife crisis is no longer in mint condition?”
“Are we still talking about the car?” Grant mumbled under his breath.
“What? What did you say?” David insisted. “You know I can’t stand it when you mumble.”
“Nothing,” Grant rolled his eyes. “Can we go and get the car, please?”
David reached for the phone again. “I’m gonna call Mom and let her know that you’re staying here,” David sighed.
“Go look in David’s closet and find yourself a shirt,” Melissa instructed Grant as she carried the blood-stained shirt to the laundry room.
“Hello?” Nora answered chipperly, as though she had not been awakened from a deep sleep.
“Hey, Mom,” David replied less enthusiastically. “I just wanted to let you know that Grant spent the night with me. I don’t know if he remembered to tell you, and I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Well, a sleepover is just what the two of you needed,” Nora smiled. “He really loves spending time with you, David.”
“Okay, I’ll talk to you later, Mom,” David grumbled as he hung up the phone. He turned and faced his wife. “You know,” he said seriously. “I love my mother to death, but she is really blinded when it comes to her baby boy.”
“Well,” Melissa added. “you and Joanna work overtime to make sure her illusion isn’t shattered.”
“It’s just unfair to her,” David acknowledged. “She was a good mom.”
“He’s a good kid,” Melissa sighed.
“He’s his own worst enemy,” David gulped. “I mean the fire, the fights, the lies, the drinking, the expulsions, the disappearing acts, and, to top it all off, he crashed the general’s prized possession. He’s headed down an ugly path, Mel, and there is nothing I can do to stop the speeding train.”
When Grant woke up on the couch the following morning, he found company gathered around the kitchen table. “Joey?” he sighed as he threw the covers off of his legs. “What are you doing here?”
Joanna turned to him as she took a bite of bacon. “Good morning,” she smiled. “Melissa invited me to come pay my final respects before Dad finds out what you did and eliminates you from the planet.”
Grant chose to ignore his sister as he walked over and reached for a piece of cheese toast.
“Fix yourself a plate,” Melissa urged. “There is a little of everything.”
Leah was sitting in the chair next to her mother. Though she had a plate in front of her, she had not touched it. She stared at the wall as she sipped apple juice from her sippy cup. Leah was six years old; she had thin, strawberry-blond hair, porcelain skin and translucent blue eyes. Leah had never spoken a single word; she did not play with her toys, despite her parents’ efforts; she just stared at the wall or at the floor, refusing to make eye contact with anyone.
Grant smiled at his niece as she sat there in her dainty, pink nightgown. “Leah,” he said sweetly, as he bent down and kissed the top of her head. While she had resisted human touch in the past, she seemed to appreciate it now. Leah reached for the sleeve of the shirt that Grant was wearing and balled it up in her frail fist.
Grant cradled her close to his chest as he carried her into the living room.
“Who loves you, Leah?” he asked as they sat down on the sofa.
Melissa smiled with pride as she watched her little girl move her hand to her heart and sign the letter G. “Have you seen her do that, Joanna?” Melissa beamed. “Have you seen what he taught her to do last week? Ask her again, Grant! It’s amazing!”
Grant nuzzled his nose against Leah’s cheek. “Who loves you?” he asked.
Leah giggled as she signed the letter G.
“Oh my goodness,” Melissa jumped and clapped with joy. “David, did you hear that? She giggled! Our daughter just laughed!”
“That was awesome,” David said, his mouth open and his eyes wide.
Leah burrowed herself into Grant’s chest, as if refusing a repeat performance.
During breakfast, Leah sat on Grant’s lap, holding a slice of gluten-free toast in one hand and her purple, princess sippy cup in the other. Grant was very attentive, feeding her and wiping her hand each time she sat her piece of toast on her plate because he knew she didn’t like to have grease or crumbs on her hand.
