Camila cast them an envious eye.
“I almost wish we were staying,” she said. “We could get lit and talk about our first boyfriends.”
The pub was the kind of place that drew you in. There was a happy buzz of conversation. Hannah felt another little knot of tension unravel.
“So tel me about U Maine,” Camila said. “Are things very different from UVA?”
Hannah finished her last mouthful of crab cake. “Not as much as you’d think,” she said. “But I’ve only got a couple of classes. I’m just doing enough to stay on top of things for next year.”
Camila nodded, eyes hooded. “So being here, for you, real y is about your mom, huh?”
Hannah nodded, and just like that the tension was back. She pushed her plate away. “Did you see the carrot cake up there? I’m going to get some, and maybe some coffee. Can I get you anything?” Camila didn’t take much convincing. By the time Hannah had been to the counter, ordered, and returned, Camila had finished her crab cakes, but the conversation hadn’t moved on.
“It must be difficult for you,” she said. “Do you have other family?”
Hannah hesitated. “Nope. No other family, real y. Or I suppose there is, but we’re not in touch.”
“Not with anyone?” Camila asked.
“Wel , my mom’s mom is dead, and she hasn’t been in touch with her dad in years. My father’s family didn’t want anything to do with us. He was . . . I guess he was wealthy, and my mother came from nothing, so . . .” Shit. It was hard to keep Camila at bay. She was good at asking questions, probing away gently until your back was up against the wal .
“Man, that’s real y tragic,” Camila said, brow furrowed.
“What about you?” Hannah asked.
Their conversation was interrupted briefly by the waitress, who delivered two slices of cake and two cups of coffee. Both women were quiet for a moment as they ate. The cake was incredible, the coffee even better.
“Wel , my dad bailed when I was twelve,” Camila said. “He lives in LA now, I think, although the last time he was in touch was a phone cal maybe two years ago? But my mom remarried and I’m real y close to my stepfather. I think of him as my dad, real y. My mom’s a nurse and she works two jobs. I’ve got two sisters and she is like, determined, that we are al going to set the world on fire. She never let us get weekend or evening jobs, you know? It was always about study, study, study.” Camila’s tone was chatty, very friendly, intimate.
Hannah told herself to be careful not to be fooled. They weren’t going to be friends. “I had to maintain a perfect GPA or man did I get it. I got financial aid for undergrad and grad school, obviously, otherwise there’s no way. But the deal is when I start earning, I start contributing to the family finances. I guess it’s a form of financial indenture. I don’t know how many years I’l have to serve. That depends on my sisters.”
“What are they like?” Hannah asked, drawn in despite herself.
Camila put her head to one side. “Pretty good. I mean, we fight, sometimes, you know, sibling stuff, but we’re close. They know if they need me I’m there, every time, and I guess I know they’re there for me too.”
“Right,” Hannah said, nodding as if she got it. She thought of the home she grew up in, one that had alternated between chaos and silence, and imagined a mother who worked two jobs and pushed you to achieve. It was a stray thought, but guilt fol owed hot on its heels. Laura struggled sometimes, but she had good reason, and she had always done her best. And sisters might be nice, but there was no way Camila’s relationship with her mother came near the bond Hannah shared with Laura.
“Has your mom been sick for long?” Camila asked.
Hannah looked down at what was left of her cake. “Her health has never been great. She’s had a tough road.”
“Is she expected to stay in remission?” Camila asked.
Hannah swal owed. “Do you mind if we talk about something else?”
“Of course,” Camila said. “Of course, sorry.”
Fifteen minutes later they made their way to the car. It was a thirty-minute drive from Yorktown to Sophia Prosper’s address. They talked on the drive about how to approach the conversation, but real y, it was difficult to know what to do or where to start until they got there and got the lay of the land. They pul ed up outside the home, and sat in silence for a long moment.
“Jesus,” Hannah said.