something was wrong with my Mom or even us.
Bringing my arm up, I swipe the tears away and then take a deep breath. His letter has actually made me feel better because he’s right. I’ve been slacking on playing my guitar since my mother died along with all of the shit I’ve gone through with Natalie.
I pull my phone out and text Natalie, telling her that I love her. After I send it, I grab my keys and hurry down the stairs of my complex to get to my car and head for work.
****
There are four floors of the museum and I’m covering the first floor today; Mills has the third. It isn’t very busy today which is a good thing because Dad’s letter has been heavy on my mind since I’ve placed it down. It’s not that I feel depressed about it, it’s just weird to know that he knew I would want to stop playing at some point.
I love my guitar but during my stress with Natalie, I hardly touched it. I’ve actually been avoiding being at home just so I wouldn’t come up with a heart wrenching song about me and Natalie’s relationship. I only play when I don’t want to think but thinking was consuming me at one time.
A woman comes into the museum with a pink purse and bold red lipstick. As she removes her scarf, I know exactly who she is. Mrs. Reese. She comes every other Sunday and looks at the same things over and over again. After losing her husband, she’s made it a ritual to show up each Sunday. She told us once before that her husband used to bring her to this very museum once a month on a Sunday. I can’t blame her for continuing it.
“Hi, Mrs. Reese.” I wave as I meet up to her and she smiles, the wrinkles forming around her eyes and cheeks.
“You’re Nolan, right?”
“Yeah,” I laugh.
“Sorry. I always get you and Mills mixed up. You two look so much alike. I think the only reason I can tell the difference is because of your eyes.”
I shrug like it’s no big deal. “You ready to start your tour?”
“Always ready,” she says, hooking her arm through mine. I lead her to the first statue and she stares at it in awe, as if she’s never seen it before. I can’t help but smile down at her because for an elderly woman, she has a fresh soul. She’s still young at heart which is why I enjoy seeing her so much. After her husband died, she was still smiling. She would always tell me everything happens for a reason, whether we’re to understand it or not.
After receiving that check in the mail, I figured it was the reason of my mother dying. It’s a terrible reason because I’d rather be roommates with Mills for the rest of my life and deep in debt than have my mother dead but I’m glad to know we have something to look forward to. All we can do is look ahead. There’s no looking back anymore.
Mills and I have been struggling ever since we’ve moved to Miami. He doesn’t like to talk about it and neither do I because it’s embarrassing to us both. We tried to run from home and act like men but ended up in more debt than we could handle. We have more bills than money which is never a good thing but that check is going to help us out a lot. It’s almost a miracle for us because we’ve been looking for our breakthrough.
With my half, I’ll get an apartment, keep working, and continue school to get my degree. Mills wants to continue being a tourist but he also wants to take up a degree in Law school. He mentioned before that he wants to do it because the world isn’t fair. It’s been one of his goals since our father died to fight against crime and soon he’ll be moving with Lorie back to California.
“You know, you’re a sweet boy, Nolan,” Mrs. Reese says, interrupting my thoughts.
“Why do you say that?” I ask as we make our way to the caveman section.
“You remind me of my son. He’s a handsome devil and has lots of girls calling his phone. I’m sure you have dozens of them chasing you as well, but you’re humble. You’re not cocky, you’re confident, just like he is. I adore that in men. I’ve never liked men that had their