Touch The Sky | ✓

Twenty-Two

The rest of the week flies by in a flurry of trying to catch up with things at work. Each day, I don't leave work until at least six o'clock and I arrive home absolutely exhausted. Given that I hardly have time for anything before going to bed, other than a phone call with Katie, it's Thursday by the time I manage to see Terry.

He, too, has been wiped out from the weekend, so, upon deciding we're both too tired to actually cook ourselves a nice meal, we agree to grab a take-out from just near my work and sit in a park to eat it. Luckily, the weather is nice enough that we are able to do that.

Terry sits opposite me on the picnic bench, tucking in to his fully loaded Mexican burrito, a satisfied smile on his face. 'Here's the thing,' he tells me after swallowing his first mouthful. 'The best thing about having dinner together like this is that I can actually eat some meat while you're around.'

I clutch my own veggie burrito in my hand and laugh, despite his teasing. 'Ah, yes, does it feel a bit more democratic now?'

'Definitely,' he agrees. 'We should do this more often.'

With that agreed upon, we finish our meals without talking, letting the hustle and bustle of the busy city around us fill the silence.

My brother finishes before I do and uses a spare napkin to wipe his mouth. 'That was so tasty,' he sighs contentedly, resting his elbows on the table and cupping his face with his hands.

I smile fondly, deciding not to reply, given that I've got a mouthful of food. Despite her flaws, our mother raised us right in that department.

Our mother does have to feature in our conversation, though, so once I've finished eating, I raise an eyebrow at the man in front of me. 'So, how was everything after I left?'

He nods, his hands gripping his water bottle. 'Yeah, it was hard. As you know, it's been really tough on Katie and Stephen.'

Images of their broken-hearted faces flash before my eyes and I wince.

'But, having Mom and Dad there was really good, I think,' he continues, his voice catching ever so slightly. 'I think that as parents, they had more of an idea of what to do than I did.'

Instinctively, I reach over and wrap my hands around his. 'I think that having you there was really important to her, too.'

'I didn't know what to say to her,' he admits quietly, his expression ashamed. 'Especially without you there, too.'

I often felt the same thing – that I was completely out of my depth. I know that's not all there is to it though. It was just important for us to be there for her.

'I really don't think that you need to have all the right things to say,' I counter. 'In those kinds of situations, there is so often nothing to say, because nothing can really make any of it better. You just have to be there for her, which you were.'

Terry shoots me a small smile. 'Right.'

I pause, taking a deep breath. 'How, um, how were things with Mom?'

He laughs. 'I mean, the weekend ended with her speaking to me, so that can only be a positive thing, right?'

His bitter tone doesn't bypass me. My poor brother, who had to watch the whole weekend while our Mom fussed over her daughter, forgetting that her son also needed her love and affection just as much, is still hurting.

'How did that conversation outside go with Dad there too?'

I didn't really have time to dissect that with Terry, especially because Mom and Dad were right there the whole time. Even once they'd gone back to the hotel, we were both so exhausted that we didn't talk a huge amount.