Read Online Kismet by AE Woodward - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: AE Woodward
Tags: Contemporary
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on my shoulder.
“I’m sorry, Katie. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have said that otherwise. But regardless, you owe it to them to say good-bye. What do you think?”
I’m wary now he’s broken me down. So many emotions. Too much to handle. With my head still in my lap and tears still streaming down my face, I give a half-hearted thumbs up.
“Is there someone that you feel comfortable taking with you?”
He’s not going to give me a chance to back out of this. He obviously wants me to go now, while my guard is still down.
Without so much as a second thought, I give him another thumbs up. I need someone who knows me. Someone who understands the person I am… well, the person I was. But deep down I know that it can’t be somebody too close. I don’t need my family pawing me, talking to me while I’m trying to say good-bye. I need someone who will understand what I need. And there’s only one person I know that fits all of the above.
“Great, Katie. That’s great,” he says excitedly as he rises from the chair. “I knew you could do this. You want me to go get your mother?” Obviously he would think she would be who I wanted to take me to their graves. But it’s not.
I shake my head. No, not my mother. I grab a piece of paper and pen from the desk and scratch one word across it.
Parker.
I sit on the hallway floor listening to Stevenson speak to my mother. Despite trying to keep their voices low, I still manage to hear what they say. I’m surprised by how well I seem to be taking the whole thing. Knowing what I’ve agreed to do, I figured I’d be having a major meltdown. But I feel nothing. It crosses my mind that I’ve been trying to shut my emotions off for so long that I might have actually succeeded in completely shutting down, and I may never truly be able to feel again.
“She’s agreed to go visit the graves,” he whispers.
I suspect that they realize I’m listening.
“Well, great!” My mother is excited. “I’ll get ready to go.” I imagine her dropping her cleaning and heading for her pocketbook.
“Well, that’s not what I need from you Mrs. Garvin. She’s requested that someone else take her.”
“Well, Tommy’s working,” mother interrupts.
My poor mother has no idea of the bombshell that is about to be dropped. I don’t want any of them to be the ones. “No, not Tommy, Mrs. Garvin, and I’m hoping you can help me with her request. Can you tell me who Parker is?” Stevenson questions.
The scraping of wood on tile lets me know Mom has pulled a chair out from the kitchen table. I imagine that she’s confused by my request. “Parker? He’s Tommy’s best friend. He’s like a brother to Katie. Tommy and Parker were always so good to her, making sure that she was always looked out for, even after her quiet time.” I hear her exasperated sigh. “But why Parker? Why would she want him to be the one to take her?”
“I had been hoping that you could give me some insight on that, but you’re obviously as dumbfounded by this as I am.” Stevenson pauses, seemingly trying to piece things together. “I’m going to venture a guess here, but I think Katie just wants someone that she’s comfortable being around to take her. And perhaps someone who won’t put pressure on her?”
It annoys me how good Stevenson is at figuring me out, especially since I’ve never actually said a word to him. He’s hit the nail on the head. Parker was someone I felt at ease with, but I knew he’d let me control the situation. He was great in that respect. Parker didn’t care about a whole lot. I knew that from first-hand experience.
I expect Mom to start arguing, saying that she won’t pressure me, that she can be that person for me, but she doesn’t.
“All right,” she sighs, “I’ll call Parker.”
In the twenty minutes that has passed since my Mom called Parker, the kitchen has become a hub of excitement and confusion. I’m still sitting on the
“I’m sorry, Katie. I didn’t know. I wouldn’t have said that otherwise. But regardless, you owe it to them to say good-bye. What do you think?”
I’m wary now he’s broken me down. So many emotions. Too much to handle. With my head still in my lap and tears still streaming down my face, I give a half-hearted thumbs up.
“Is there someone that you feel comfortable taking with you?”
He’s not going to give me a chance to back out of this. He obviously wants me to go now, while my guard is still down.
Without so much as a second thought, I give him another thumbs up. I need someone who knows me. Someone who understands the person I am… well, the person I was. But deep down I know that it can’t be somebody too close. I don’t need my family pawing me, talking to me while I’m trying to say good-bye. I need someone who will understand what I need. And there’s only one person I know that fits all of the above.
“Great, Katie. That’s great,” he says excitedly as he rises from the chair. “I knew you could do this. You want me to go get your mother?” Obviously he would think she would be who I wanted to take me to their graves. But it’s not.
I shake my head. No, not my mother. I grab a piece of paper and pen from the desk and scratch one word across it.
Parker.
I sit on the hallway floor listening to Stevenson speak to my mother. Despite trying to keep their voices low, I still manage to hear what they say. I’m surprised by how well I seem to be taking the whole thing. Knowing what I’ve agreed to do, I figured I’d be having a major meltdown. But I feel nothing. It crosses my mind that I’ve been trying to shut my emotions off for so long that I might have actually succeeded in completely shutting down, and I may never truly be able to feel again.
“She’s agreed to go visit the graves,” he whispers.
I suspect that they realize I’m listening.
“Well, great!” My mother is excited. “I’ll get ready to go.” I imagine her dropping her cleaning and heading for her pocketbook.
“Well, that’s not what I need from you Mrs. Garvin. She’s requested that someone else take her.”
“Well, Tommy’s working,” mother interrupts.
My poor mother has no idea of the bombshell that is about to be dropped. I don’t want any of them to be the ones. “No, not Tommy, Mrs. Garvin, and I’m hoping you can help me with her request. Can you tell me who Parker is?” Stevenson questions.
The scraping of wood on tile lets me know Mom has pulled a chair out from the kitchen table. I imagine that she’s confused by my request. “Parker? He’s Tommy’s best friend. He’s like a brother to Katie. Tommy and Parker were always so good to her, making sure that she was always looked out for, even after her quiet time.” I hear her exasperated sigh. “But why Parker? Why would she want him to be the one to take her?”
“I had been hoping that you could give me some insight on that, but you’re obviously as dumbfounded by this as I am.” Stevenson pauses, seemingly trying to piece things together. “I’m going to venture a guess here, but I think Katie just wants someone that she’s comfortable being around to take her. And perhaps someone who won’t put pressure on her?”
It annoys me how good Stevenson is at figuring me out, especially since I’ve never actually said a word to him. He’s hit the nail on the head. Parker was someone I felt at ease with, but I knew he’d let me control the situation. He was great in that respect. Parker didn’t care about a whole lot. I knew that from first-hand experience.
I expect Mom to start arguing, saying that she won’t pressure me, that she can be that person for me, but she doesn’t.
“All right,” she sighs, “I’ll call Parker.”
In the twenty minutes that has passed since my Mom called Parker, the kitchen has become a hub of excitement and confusion. I’m still sitting on the
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