Ten Tiny Breaths 0.5 In Her Wake (8 page)

So, I slip my fingers within hers, feeling the softness of her skin.

And I say the things I’ve wanted to say for so long. “I’m
so sorry
. For everything. If I could take it back, could change it, I would. I swear it. I’d trade my life in a heartbeat.” And I would, honestly.

Somehow, saying these words doesn’t make me feel better. Not even slightly. So I shut up for the remainder of the drive. It takes exactly fifty-eight minutes to reach Kacey’s house, and I do it with the heat blasting and the radio silent, and holding Kacey Cleary’s limp hand within mine.

She lives in a modest brick bungalow, with small, weathered windows and concrete steps leading up to a two-person porch. A dim light flickers, providing poor lighting for anyone coming home this late at night. The roof’s been replaced and there’s a new blue Camry parked in the driveway.

I let go of Kacey’s hand to shake her shoulder gently. But she’s not waking up. With a sigh, I pull forward until I’m two houses down.

And simply stare at this unconscious girl in my car. How am I going to keep track of her? How can I know this won’t happen again? Right now, I wish I lived in Lansing. I’m too far away from her. Too far away to witness her deteriorate.

Before I can stop myself, and with careful hands, I search her pockets until my fingers wrap around her phone. No password to lock it down. I guess she doesn’t care about someone stealing it. Or some creep invading her privacy.

Like I’m doing right now.

I quickly scroll through her screens, copying down her phone number.

The little email icon stares back at me. I scribble her email address down, too—just in case—and then I tuck her phone back into her pocket.

Scooping her up, I carry her up the sidewalk, up the worn pathway, up the stairs, to the tiny porch, watching for any late-night witnesses. Though no one’s out at this time of night in the middle of winter.

“I’m going to put you down here,” I whisper, setting her down on the concrete floor with reluctance, leaning her up against the brick wall. She hasn’t stirred, hasn’t moaned, hasn’t cracked an eyelid. I wonder what the hell she’s on.

And then I remember that I’m on her front porch, and the last thing I want is for her family to catch me here and begin asking questions. So I ring the doorbell and cross my fingers, my heart pounding the entire time.

Footsteps approach from inside about thirty seconds later. I leap over the railing to duck behind a tree about ten feet away, making it just as the storm door creaks open and her little sister appears, shielding her eyes against the bright light. “Kacey.” She sighs. I was expecting a shriek, a cry. Something to tell me that this isn’t common. “Why do you keep doing this to yourself?” The pain within the whisper is unmistakable. She bends down and places two fingers against her sister’s wrist.

Because that’s what it has come to for this thirteen-year-old.

Their aunt’s head pops out—full of curlers, like you’d imagine seeing on an elderly woman. “How did she get here?” She squints into the darkness, searching, and I instinctively shrink back.

Livie’s head is shaking before the words come out. “Can you help me with her?”

I have to root my feet to the ground to keep from stepping out from the shadows and carrying her in. No good will come of me storming into Kacey’s life like this.

So, I watch a girl in Snoopy pajamas and a petite woman nearing her fifties try to drag a comatose Kacey into the house. It’s futile. As slender as she is, she’s pure muscle. Finally, after a few minutes, a groggy uncle in plaid flannel steps out and lifts her up.

“Come inside, Livie. It’s freezing,” the aunt calls out.

“In a minute,” Livie says over her shoulder as the storm door shuts. Wrapping her arms tight around her body, she drops her head back and gazes at the stars in the clear night sky. It’s dead quiet—so quiet that I’m afraid to move a muscle. “Please don’t let me lose her too,” she whispers to no one. Or maybe to someone. To two people she’s already lost. She brushes her hand against her cheeks, wiping away the tears that have begun falling.

And the weight of what I’ve done to these girls truly hits me.

Kacey’s spiraling. Just like me.

Chapter 12

April 2010

The streetlights flicker on and off as I wait, huddled in the cold. I’ve been parked out on the street for hours, slouched over in my seat, wary of her neighbors. The last thing I need is a call in to the cops about a strange guy lurking.

In that time, I’ve seen the aunt, a mousy woman with black hair and a buttoned-up blouse, come home from grocery shopping. I’ve seen Livie stroll past my car with a book bag slung off her shoulder and trudge up the stairs. I’ve seen the uncle drag his feet up the steps as if his construction boots are made of bricks, a brown liquor bag in hand.

But I haven’t seen Kacey yet.

And it’s eleven o’clock at night.

Granted she’s eighteen, but still.

Two hours later, when the porch light is shut off and I start to think she may not have left the house to begin with, a red Dodge Spirit pulls up to the curb. The sight of her long, fiery red hair as she climbs out of the passenger side lightning-fast, like she couldn’t wait to get out of the car, has me hunching into my seat.

She takes long, even strides toward the path up to her house, the hems of her jeans just barely dragging the ground.

“Hey!” a guy calls out.

Thanks to my cracked window, I hear her mutter a “fuck off.”

A guy in ripped jeans and a chain hanging from his pocket steps out of the driver’s side. “Hey!” he hollers again.

I hold my breath as she spins on the heels of her Converse sneakers and snaps, “What?”

He lifts his arm, a jacket and a plain black backpack dangling from his fingertips. “You forgot your stuff.”

She wanders back reluctantly, holding her arms out. The streetlight casts just the right amount of light to show the white lines running along her toned arm. And the vacant stare in her watery blue eyes.

The sparkle is long gone.

“You just wanted to see me again, didn’t you?” I can only see the guy’s profile, but I don’t like the leery smile that he’s showing her. He probably has no clue that the sparkle is gone. He probably doesn’t even care.

Snatching her bag and jacket from his grip, she blows a strand of fallen hair from her face. “Look . . . what was your name again? Rick? . . . Dick?”

“Mick,” he answers dryly.

“Right,
Mick
. Well,
clearly
you were memorable.” She oozes sarcasm. With that, she turns away.

He throws his hands up. “Seriously? Is that it?”

“What! We burned through a couple of lines and a couple of condoms. To be honest, the former was more enjoyable.”

The guy honestly looks stunned. “You’re a bitch.”

My hands tighten around my steering wheel and I have to remind myself that I’m not supposed to be here.

If she’s bothered by his words, she doesn’t let on, plastering a fake, sickly sweet smile onto her lips. “Oh, I’m sorry. Are you in love with me now? Do you want to hold hands and talk about our future? Should we meet your parents? You can’t meet mine, sorry. Though I’m sure they wouldn’t approve of you, anyways. How about china patterns for the wedding?”

The guy stares at her like she’s lost her mind.

“You should probably get in your car and drive away now.” She turns toward the house again.

“I know what happened to you.”

“You don’t know shit,” she throws back.

“Look, I’m sorry. Maybe next time we can go out and, I don’t know . . .” He scratches the back of his head. “See a movie or something.” I don’t know if the guy’s an asshole or not. If he’s doing lines and then screwing around with her, he’s definitely not a real catch. But right now he seems to be trying to appeal to her softer side.

“I’m not interested in movies or dinner or long walks on the beach. I’m not interested in friends. I’m not interested in getting to know you, or anyone else. And I sure as hell don’t want to talk. So do me a favor, and get into your little car and drive away. Forget about me. I’ve already forgotten about you.” She disappears into the house, the storm door slapping noisily against the frame.

Leaving me staring at the back of the Dodge Spirit, the hollowness inside me somehow growing. This isn’t the real her. It can’t be.

“Is there a reason you’re sitting out here?” a voice beside my window asks, startling me enough that I jump.
Shit.
I didn’t even notice the middle-aged man walking on the sidewalk and now he’s staring at me, his eyes full of suspicion. A Great Dane tugs at his arm, wanting to continue on its walk.

I hold up my phone. “Had to take a call. Turned out to be a bad one and I needed to get my bearings.”

The man’s face softens. “Got it. Sorry, just noticed you here on my way out and, you know, we keep an eye on the neighborhood.”

“Of course. Didn’t mean to scare you.” I crank the engine. He continues on his late-night dog walk, and I pull away.

Meanwhile, Kacey’s completely lost.

Chapter 13

April 25, 2010

The puck sails into the net with fifteen seconds left in the second period, sending the stadium into a frenzy.

My dad slaps my back—just like he always does when the team we’re cheering for scores a goal. Except this time, we’re at Madison Square Garden, watching the game live. “I’m going to run to the restroom before the intermission.”

I watch him weave his way up the concrete steps, noticing that the gray at his temples has spread. The last two years seem to have aged him faster than the ten before.

“He arm-wrestled Tesky in my office for your tickets,” one of my dad’s firm partners, Rolans, calls out from beside me.

“Was he in his suit?” A mental image of my dad, fists locked with the law firm’s token partner—a seventy-five-year-old man who no longer takes cases and simply “counsels” and collects earnings—makes me smirk.

“Sleeves rolled up,” Rolans confirms, adding more somberly, “he almost lost.”

“No.”

“Yeah, I’m serious.” By the look on Rolans’s face, I instantly know he’s telling the truth. “Your dad’s worn out. We’ve tried to force him to take a vacation, but he refuses. The billable hours he’s putting in are fantastic, but they’re going to kill him. This lawsuit is going to—”

“What lawsuit?” I interrupt.

“The one from your
accident
.” He emphasizes that last word in a way that makes me think he has a distinct opinion about it. One that’s not favorable toward me.

“The Turner family? I thought that was settled out of court.”

“No, the Monroes. You know, the teenage girl who died?”

I feel my face screw up. I didn’t even know they were suing.

“They’re going after your dad for more money and he feels guilty enough to pay out. If you had any idea how much he’s already lost in this . . .” Rolans shakes his head, his eyes trailing the Zamboni as it cleans the ice.

“How long has that been going on?” How long has he hidden it from me?

“A while.”

“But the accident was two years ago.”

He glances over at his daughter, April, whose focus is glued to her phone screen, as any typical fourteen-year-old’s would be. “When you lose a kid, two years is nothing. Those parents will be missing their daughter for the next fifty years.” Rolans’s eyes flicker behind me, warning me that my dad is back before he takes his seat, ending all conversation.

The third period begins.

But in my head, it’s already over.

■ ■ ■

“Good game, right?” my dad hollers from the kitchen.

I don’t answer, simply taking in the wall of pictures. A shrine to our family. Some I recognize from the living room wall of the house my parents shared. Some must have been dug up from the shoe boxes my mom kept under her bed. The three of us together, my dad and me at hockey and football practice, my mom and me on the beach. Sasha and me in the backyard. My parents’ wedding photos.

The full bottle of Johnnie Walker that sat on the bookshelf three nights ago when I arrived at his house in Astoria now sits half-empty. I guess leaving my mom didn’t break him of his newfound vice. In fact, I think it has only amplified it. For a guy who preaches letting go and moving on, he sure as hell doesn’t seem to be following his own advice.

“I had to fight Tesky to get those tickets,” he jokes, stepping into the room, a glass of scotch against his lips. “It’s not often a client hands us box seats to a play-off game, no matter how much they say they like the firm.”

“I haven’t seen a Rangers game in years,” I acknowledge.

“Yeah, I think you were fifteen or so, the last time?” Scratching his stubbly chin in thought, he murmurs, “I can’t believe how fast the time has flown.”

Fast, and yet painstakingly slow. Two years ago, today, I was sitting on a couch in Rich’s house, pounding beers. In a month, I can say my parents have been separated for a year. They just filed for divorce. Rolans is right. My dad has lost so much, and not just the money.

“You still love her, don’t you?”

My dad sidles up beside me, settling his eyes—eyes I inherited—on a grainy old picture of my mom at sixteen, sitting on a set of wooden steps that lead to the public beach on the Cape, where they first met. I’ve heard the story a thousand times. My dad was tossing a Frisbee to his brother and my mom—oblivious—walked straight in between the two of them and took it in the head. And then she just started to laugh.

“I’ll always love your mother.”

“Can’t you work it out?
Things
are . . . better now, aren’t they?” There’s nothing about what goes on in my head and heart on a daily basis that could be considered better.

“I guess our marriage finally faced a test that it couldn’t pass,” is all he finally says.

A car honk sounds outside. “That’s my taxi. I’m going to head into the office for an hour or two to finish up some work. If you’re fine with that.”

The last time I glanced at the clock above the TV, it was almost eleven. On a Sunday night. When I haven’t seen him since Christmas. I’m tempted to ask him about the lawsuit, but I don’t. I simply nod as the door swings shut behind me.

I wonder if this is about those billable hours, making up all that he’s lost for the firm and for himself. Or maybe he’s simply drowning his sorrows over my mom in work. Or maybe he wants to get away from me for a while. There’s no doubt that my dad loves me. But he’s also got pictures on his wall of three little boys’ smiling faces, their arms roped around each other’s waists. I don’t know a lot of dads who would include his son’s friends on his bachelor pad wall.

Unless his son’s friends were like second sons to him.

I reach for the bottle of scotch.

■ ■ ■

A soft ballad over the radio mixes with the low purr of the engine to create a soothing ambiance in my dad’s crammed single-car garage. I let the darkness envelop me, my dashboard a blurry haze of green lines.

Her smile shining brightly up at me from the screen on my phone as I hit “call.”

She answers on the third ring, shouting a “Hello?” into the receiver above the loud laughter and music on the other end. She must be at another party.

I close my eyes and cherish these few seconds connected to her, as I did the other three times I called. I had my number blocked so she can’t read my name—not that Trent Emerson would mean anything to her.

“Who the hell is this?”

I really should stop doing this, or else she’ll change her number.

Not that it matters anymore.

“Listen, you creeper . . .”

Is she drunk? I think I detect a slur. But maybe it’s just me who’s drunk. And,
damn
, I am fucking loaded. I can’t even focus on the steering wheel in front of me. But I have to say it. Just once, when she’ll hear it, even if she doesn’t remember tomorrow. “I’m sorry.”

There’s a long pause. “For what?”

I open my mouth but I can’t bring myself to say the words, and so I say nothing.

“Drop dead, you douchebag.” The phone clicks.

It has taken almost two years and the half bottle of scotch that I just downed, but everything is suddenly so obvious.

I wasn’t meant to survive that night.

The emptiness that I’ve been living with—so utterly consuming—is what’s left of a person when he dies and yet still breathes, facing each day with nothing at the end of it. When he exists, but cannot feel beyond his own misery. There’s an endless weight on my chest that I will never be strong enough to lift off.

It’s crushing my will.

And I finally accept that I’m done with this. I don’t want to feel like this anymore.

So, I close my eyes and settle my head against the headrest. Just like I remember doing in the SUV that night.

And breathe in and out, slowly, heavily, over and over again. Inhaling the fumes pumping in through the garden hose that hangs over the cracked window, the other end stuffed into the car’s muffler.

The first genuine smile that I’ve felt in almost two years touches my lips.

A smile of relief, because peace is finally coming.