I considered it him thinking with his other nonsensical head.
It whipped at my emotions, but I had to put myself in his shoes. I was tired of beating around the bush, dying for this man to touch me, feel me—do anything that would make me feel something. I just wanted to go back to school, forget I ever came here and saw him again.
Ugh. Men.
Speaking of, my father had trapped himself in his bedroom, refusing his meds again, which eventually resulted in a tough day for us. He called us strangers (as he always did) and even threw one of his trophies at us when we came to bring him lunch.
My day was stressful. Margie had way more patience than I could ever uphold. I wasn’t sure how much more of this I could handle—the confusion from Theo and the stress I endured while putting up with my father. I was a strong girl, but there was only so much I could handle right now.
I sat on my bed a few minutes after I saw Theo entering his home, knees drawn to my chest, tears shedding. A knock sounded on my door seconds later, and Margie walked in with a basket of my folded laundry. Seriously, she was too much. Freaking wonderful. When she caught sight of the tears on my face, she quickly apologized and hurried back out, but I called for her to come back in.
“It’s okay,” I whispered.
“Are you sure sweetie? I don’t want to be a bother.”
“No bother at all.” I swiped my face, clearing my eyes as she placed the basket in front of my closet. “What’s going on?”
“I washed most of your clothes. Thought you could use a little help.” Her smile was complacent. “I also wanted to let you know your father is finally asleep. He ate a little bit of yogurt and some of his banana, so hopefully that’ll hold him over for the night.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. “Thank you so much, Margie.”
“Of course, dear.” She started to turn, but then changed her mind, looking at me again. “I—well, I just wanted to ask you about something.”
“Yeah?”
Stepping forward, she twisted her fingers in front of her and hesitated for a few seconds. “It’s none of my business at all, and you don’t have to answer, but… I saw you coming from across the street the other night? The man kissing you on the cheek?” She blinked, an ounce of overprotectiveness in her eyes. “Is he the reason you’re upset?”
“Oh, god, no!” I slid to the edge of the bed, and she pressed a hand to her chest, relieved. “No. The man across the street is a really good guy. He invited me over for dinner. I’ve known him since I was twelve.”
“Oh. How nice. Does he have children?”
I looked away. “Just one. A daughter.”
“Oh.” Margie’s eyes maneuvered to the picture on my nightstand. The black and white photo of me and Izzy standing right in front of their house across the street. “I’m going to take a wild guess and assume that’s her?”
I glanced up. Margie’s head was slanted. When I didn’t say anything, she walked forward and sat beside me. “Sweetie, you don’t have to talk, but I just want you to know that whenever you think you need to, I’m here. I know your mom isn’t around and your dad isn’t in the very best state of mind to take in your problems on top of his own, so if you need an ear, I’m always here.” Her chubby cheeks spread, grey irises full of kindness.
“Thank you, Margie. I appreciate that.” She nodded but remained seated as if she knew there was more. Surprisingly, I continued our chat. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I have been thinking about Theo—”
“That’s his name?” She pointed towards my window.
“Yes…”
“Ahh. You call him by his first name. I see my eyes weren’t deceiving me. There’s much more to that kiss on the cheek, huh?”
I huffed a laugh. “A lot more. How can you tell?”
“Let’s just say I may have dealt with a situation like the one you’re in. Goodness, it was so long ago, but I can remember everything.” Silence fell between us. I assumed she was thinking of whomever the man was, remembering every single detail like I did every single damn day.
“He isn’t the reason I’m upset, though,” I murmured.
“No?”
“No. It’s just Dad. I feel so awful for him. For Mom not being here, him being alone. It kinda sucks, you know?”
“Oh, honey, your dad will be okay. Trust me, he’s a strong man. Just very stubborn on the days he can’t remember much.”
“Is it supposed to be that way?”
She shrugged and sighed. “It could be worse.”
“I bet you hate your job now, huh?” I laughed, teasing.
“You know… it’s actually not so bad. Mr. Knight is a good guy on his good days, and I was fortunate enough to meet his sweet daughter. I swear I thought I was going to have to deal with two stubborn people when I heard you were coming home. I was kind of scared.”
I snickered. “Nah… I hear I can be pretty laid back like him.”
“You have a lot his traits, but when it comes to love…” Her eyes softened. “I think you get that from your mom. The testing of boundaries, wanting what you know you shouldn’t have. What you don’t need. Trust me, I know.”
I wanted to frown, but I was too stuck on how spot-on she was. She knew so much about us. It was strange. I felt like I’d met her before, a very, very long time ago. Way before my memory could ever be established. “Did you—did you know my mom personally?” I squinted my eyes in her direction.
Margie stood, looking down at me with a faint upward curve on her lips. “Your mom was my roommate in college. We used to hang out a lot even after you were born, but… certain things set us apart.” She sighed. “She chose me to watch over your dad because she trusted me—knew I wanted to be a caregiver and nurse.”
“Wow… it’s kind of like she had this all planned out.”
“Well, I don’t mean to bash your mother or anything, but when it comes to life, she lives it and refuses to have anything holding her back. I’m pretty sure when she heard about your father’s Alzheimer’s, she was already planning how to get out of the situation but still keep the money in her pocket. Why do you think she only has one child? Because she didn’t need more holding her back, but she also wanted to have that experience in her back pocket to talk about whenever the conversations arose with other mothers. Why do you think you’re so distant from her? Why she only gave you an hour of her day when you were young? Why she isn’t here right now?”
“She gave more than Dad could. He was hardly around.”
“Your father worked very hard to provide for you, Chloe. He—” She froze. I could tell she wanted to say more but had to rapidly stop the flow of her words, swallowing hard and holding back. “Anyway, remember what I told you. Anytime you need to talk, I’m here.” Margie moved towards the door, but I hopped off the bed.
“Wait—Margie!”
She glanced back as I stood in the middle of my bedroom. “Mom wasn’t all bad you know?”
“I know, sweetie.”
“And about Theo… well, I’m just a little confused right now, is all. I’m sure I’ll figure that out soon.”
She put on a genuine smile, gripping the doorknob. “That, I’m sure about too, lovely. But I’m also sure you won’t be figuring it out anytime soon.”
I stared at her, unsure of what else to say. This was the most I had ever spoken about boys to anyone older than me. Margie seemed to hold wisdom and understanding. She was a patient woman, and I could use that in my life.
Honestly, it kind of scared me to think about opening up to a woman I’d just gotten to know, but it also thrilled me to know I could come home to someone that would listen and understand. Someone that wouldn’t judge me or think I was insane or selfish for my actions. Someone that understood exactly what I was going through.
We swapped smiles. “Goodnight, Margie.”
“Goodnight, bella.”
When the door shut behind her, I blew out a breath, sitting in the chair in front of my computer. Headlights crossed my window and an immediate frown took over. Hopping from the chair, I rushed to the window, watching as Theo’s Charger pulled in the driveway backwards. He climbed out, and out of the passenger door came the girl with the blonde hair.