I loved the way they accepted my mom for who she was. The way they loved Rose. If only my dad’s parents could have been so loving. Like God. I believed God loved everyone. It was just what felt right to me … when I started thinking for myself.
Thanks to Fisher.
“I have a boyfriend.”
Rory and Rose visibly stiffened.
“And where is he today?” Grandpa asked.
“Having Thanksgiving dinner with his family.”
And his fiancée.
“Will we get to meet him before we go home?” Grandma asked as she wiped her red painted lips with her napkin.
“I’m not sure.” I used my fork to fiddle with the remaining food on my plate.
“What does he do?” Grandma kept coming with the questions.
“He works in construction.”
“Oh,” she replied quickly. “Rory, doesn’t your old landlord do that too? What’s his name?”
Rory grabbed another dinner roll and took a generous bite while nodding. “Fisher,” she mumbled over the roll.
“Does your boyfriend happen to know Fisher?”
I grinned. “He does, actually. They’re really close.”
Rose cleared her throat and fisted her hand at her mouth to hide her unavoidable laughter. Rory didn’t find it quite as funny.
“That’s nice, dear. Is it serious? Will I be attending my granddaughter’s wedding soon?”
“It’s serious, but no wedding. I’d like to finish school first.”
Rory …
The epitome of a mother waiting for her daughter to get her heart broken. And she wasn’t wrong. There had already been a lot of heartbreak with what felt like unavoidably more to come.
“Well, I do hope we get to meet him.”
“Me too.”
“Speaking of Fisher …” Grandpa spoke up, and for a second I’d forgotten that Fisher’s name was just mentioned. I thought my grandpa magically knew or figured out my secret. “How’s he been since the accident?”
“Yes,” Grandma jumped in. “Has he remembered his fiancée?”
“He’s doing well.” Rory plastered on a believable smile. “Getting back a few missing memories, but not enough to remember being engaged to Angie. So that’s been a little rough. And I’m not sure if they’ll stay together, to be honest.”
“Why is that?” Grandma questioned.
“There might be someone else in the picture.”
“What?” Grandma’s hand pressed to her chest on a gasp.
“It’s complicated at the moment, but we highly suspect he has found someone else.”
“Well, someone needs to talk some sense into that young man. He can’t just abandon his fiancée. And what kind of woman would even dream of swooping in and stealing another woman’s man after a horrific accident?”
Rose eyed me like an older sister who just realized her younger sister was about to get in trouble.
“Well, Mom, in all fairness to Fisher and this other woman, if there is another woman, he doesn’t remember Angie. She’s basically been this stranger claiming to be his lifelong friend and the love of his life. We can’t totally blame him for not feeling what he doesn’t know he’s supposed to feel and therefore finding it easy to … get distracted by someone else.”