Such a Beautiful Family: A Thriller(5)

Trevor smiled. “Thanks,” he said before taking a seat at the table in the nook area.

Once they were all seated, Nora looked at her son fondly. “How does it feel to be thirteen?”

He appeared to consider the question before saying, “I feel the same.”

Bridget chuckled.

“You’re a teenager,” Hailey told him in case he hadn’t realized it. “That’s so awesome.”

“What’s so great about it?” Trevor asked as he reached for a slice of pepperoni.

Hailey’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me?” She looked at David for help. “Tell him why being a teenager is so cool, Dad.”

David pointed at his chest. “Me? It’s been a while. I—um—”

“Becoming a teenager,” Bridget chimed in happily, “is a new beginning.”

“That’s right,” Nora said, adding to Bridget’s insightfulness. “It’s a time of hope and optimism as you begin to envision your future and all the possibilities.”

“Well, I don’t know about all that,” Hailey said, “but girls will start to notice you, so you might want to rethink your wardrobe.”

“Hey,” Nora said, offended by the remark, since she was the one who picked out his clothes. “What’s wrong with his wardrobe?”

“A sweater instead of a hoodie, for starters,” Bridget said.

That sounded reasonable.

“A white T-shirt with an untucked chambray would be nice.” Hailey looked at Nora. “Maybe we should go shopping this weekend.”

David looked over at Nora and winked. He was no help at all.

“I’ll think about it,” Nora said.

After they ate pizza, sang “Happy Birthday,” and ate some cake, Hailey brought Trevor his presents. He opened Bridget’s first. It was a black T-shirt with the word DIFFERENT written in a white font, followed by the definition: NOT THE SAME AS ANOTHER OR EACH OTHER; DISTINCT, INDEPENDENT.

Trevor stuffed the shirt back into the decorative paper bag it had come in and said, “Thanks.”

Bridget smiled at him. “You’re welcome.”

Hailey handed Trevor a small box wrapped in comics from the newspaper David still had delivered on Sundays. “Here,” she said. “This is from me.”

Although one arm was in a sling, he was still able to use his fingers. Trevor ripped it open and pulled out a leather necklace that had a hand-carved wooden turtle dangling from it.

“The turtle represents the Hawaiian green sea turtle, the only indigenous reptile found in Hawaii. It’s a symbol of good luck.” Hailey paused in thought, as if trying to remember what she’d memorized. “Aumakua. It’s a form of a guardian spirit.” She gazed upward before saying, “I wish I had given it to you early. Maybe then you wouldn’t be wearing a sling.”

“Thanks,” Trevor said as he used his good arm to slide the leather necklace over his head. “How does it look?”

“Super cool,” Bridget told him.

The last present was from David and Nora. As Trevor opened their gift, Nora thought of how lucky they were to have two great kids. They got along well. She’d heard stories from coworkers and friends about how their kids fought over every little thing.

Trevor opened the box, which was the size of a standard shirt box, and pulled out a manual.

Hailey wrinkled her nose. “You gave him paper for his birthday?”

“Read it,” David told Trevor.

Trevor eagerly flipped through ten pages of pictures and information about the compatible components he would need to assemble his own computer. As far as she and David were concerned, Trevor was a computer expert. He wanted to become a qualified computer specialist, and he was always talking about how he wanted to build his own computer.

Now he would have a chance to do just that. Nora and David figured it might challenge their son and hopefully teach him some valuable skills, too.

“What is it?” Hailey asked.

Trevor’s eyes grew wide with excitement, which was a huge relief to Nora. It was the first time since the incident that her son had shown any real emotion. It made her happy to see him smiling again.

“I get to shop online for all the components needed to build my own PC,” Trevor told Hailey.

Hailey rolled her eyes. “You’re such a nerd.”

Trevor grabbed hold of the turtle pendant hanging from his neck and said, “A lucky nerd.”

She laughed. They all did.

“Thanks, everyone,” Trevor said. “This is the best birthday ever.” He looked at Nora, papers in his grasp. “Can I go to my room and start looking for the parts now?”

David stood, too. “It’s your birthday. Of course you can.”

After the table was cleared, Hailey and Bridget disappeared upstairs, leaving Nora and David alone.

“Listen to that,” Nora said.

David stopped what he was doing and stood perfectly still. “What? I don’t hear anything.”

“Exactly. It’s called peace and quiet.”

David smiled. “Glass of wine?”

“Absolutely.” She went to the cupboard to grab two wineglasses while David opened a bottle of Cabernet. “Did you see the excitement on Trevor’s face when he opened his gift?”