Nonverbal - Aria Grace Page 0,4
someday. I just didn’t know I’d throw away the opportunity I’d always dreamed of after just one year. “Unless you like to work alone.”
As if he could read my thoughts and regret, Mr. Brenner interrupted my Lego question to ask me about my startup and why it went out of business. The change of subject was appreciated but I wished it were a different topic. This was a sore subject but one that came up anytime I was around a new group of people. The shame I felt when I admitted to people it was a combination of ego and ignorance that destroyed what could have been a viable company. We had investors and clients but we didn’t have the business sense to hire the right people or to invest in the right innovation.
Mr. Brenner was an investment banker, so I expected some harsh criticism and loss of respect. But he wasn’t nearly as judgmental as I thought he’d be. In fact, he seemed impressed by the fact that I was willing to leave such a prestigious university to pursue my dream.
I didn’t elaborate on the fact that it wasn’t my dream so much as “a dream” that I got caught up in.
By the time I was halfway through my pasta, Liam was sitting in front of an empty plate and staring at me like I had two heads. I tried to make eye contact with him as I was speaking but he never said a word back. He just stared with a confused expression on his face.
My expression was probably equally confused.
“Liam, are you ready to be excused?” Mrs. Brenner reached over and placed her hand on her son’s forearm.
He didn’t respond but he turned to look at her with longing in his eyes.
“Okay, you can go swing and we’ll be out to see you in a little while.”
Liam‘s eyes were back on me as he left the table and walked out of the room. I wanted to watch his retreat, but I wasn’t sure what was polite or not. What I did know was that if I stared too hard, I might drool. There was no way they would hire me if they knew I had the hots for their son.
Besides, I still didn’t even know what his situation was.
After a good twenty seconds of awkward silence, I cleared my throat and folded my hands in my lap before I looked toward Mr. and Mrs. Brenner. “So, what exactly does the job entail?”
“Well, that’s my cue to leave. It was good to see you, Wyatt.” Avery dropped her fork and pushed back in her chair with a flair. “Later.” She grabbed her dishes and went to the kitchen without a backward glance.
When I looked back at her mother, there was a slight flush in her cheeks that didn’t make much sense. Was she embarrassed by her daughter’s abrupt behavior? I wanted to tell her I wasn’t offended, but Mr. Brenner broke the silence before I got a chance.
“Liam was in an accident when he was a boy. Just before his twelfth birthday, he was swimming at the lake and banged his head on a rock. He had been unconscious for at least a minute before we pulled him out of the water, and as a result, there was some brain damage.”
My heart started pounding in my ears as I tried to comprehend the severity of what they were telling me. Liam seemed perfectly normal. Just like any guy I would hang out with. Other than not saying much, I couldn’t tell he had any sort of injury at all.
Mr. Brenner exhaled deeply before continuing on. “We still have hope that he might suddenly begin to make progress, but since he woke up in the hospital, he’s never said a word and doesn’t engage with anybody the way he did before.”
“I see.” I turned to Mrs. Brenner and then back to her husband. “I had no idea.”
She gave me a sad smile and nodded. “We try to treat him as normal as possible, but he seemed to stop developing mentally at that point. He doesn’t like TV, he doesn’t like to hang out with us very often, and most of his time is spent painting or with his Lego collection.”
I tried to imagine why they needed someone like me, but I kept coming up short. He seemed to be just fine in his studio, and he was able to function on his own as far as feeding himself and