Unbreakable(17)

I’m overcome with gratefulness and nostalgia as I turn back to Will. For the second time tonight, he’s gone above and beyond to bring back a lovely childhood memory.

It’s the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me.

I wipe my tears as they begin to fall. “I can’t believe you remembered. Actually, that’s not true. You never forget a thing.”

“Hey,” he says softly. “It wasn’t supposed to make you cry.”

I fling myself into his arms. “I’m just happy. Seriously, I don’t deserve this, Will. You’re so sweet.”

“Em, you deserve everything that’s good.” He kisses the top of my head before releasing me and guiding me over to the picnic table.

“Figure out what you want to eat while I get a fire going, okay? I’ve got popcorn and other snacks in the tent for later.”

Most people would start with s’mores, but I always save them for last because they’re the yummiest. I set about making a strawberry fruit sandwich to put in the sandwich iron. Ten minutes later, we sit in front of the little campfire, waiting for our food to cook.

“Em, do you remember when Sully decided he was going to put corn chips, chili powder, peanuts, and cheese into his hot sandwich?”

I burst out laughing. “That was so disgusting. He ate that mess, too.”

Will grins. “He had to. He bragged so hard that it was going to be awesome. Remember his face when he bit into it?”

I snicker. “He looked like he was going to throw up. I think he might have later when no one was looking.”

I sigh happily as we watch the fire crackle and spark. After a moment passes, I say, “This is so perfect. I can’t even begin to tell you what this means to me. Words won’t do it justice. I feel just like a kid again.”

“Me, too.” He glances over at me and smiles, but there’s a sliver of sadness in his eyes.

I put my hand on his arm. “As lovely as this is, I don’t want to make things difficult for you. We don’t have to do this. I know memories can—“

He presses his finger to my lips. “I’m okay, Little Miss Worrier. This is fun for me, too.” He shrugs. “Even good memories are going to be a little rough sometimes, but it’s better to have them than to forget. They’re bittersweet, you know?”

“That’s true. And we can make new, good memories like this one.” I lean my head on his shoulder. “Lord knows I haven’t made any good ones in a long time.”

“None?” He sounds surprised.

“Everything’s been so difficult lately. My parents are barely talking to each other. And when they do, they speak through Sully or me. Like, ‘Tell your father this’ or ‘Tell your mother that.’ It’s so ridiculous.”

He shakes his head. “I can’t believe they’re getting divorced. I always thought they were really happy,” he muses. “They used to be.”

“My Dad’s already got a new girlfriend. She’s in her early thirties and owns a chain of yoga studios. Dad thinks she’s perfect. She’s even started emailing me because she wants us to be friends. Can you imagine?”

He laughs. “No, I can’t.”

“My mom cheated on him, Will.” The words rush out, fast and furious. It’s the first time I’m able to say it out loud. “I’ve known for a while, now. Even Sully doesn’t know. But I accidentally found the emails.”

He rubs my shoulder and gives me a sympathetic look. “That sucks, Em. I’m really sorry.”

“I thought Dad would be the one to cheat, you know? All of those business trips and times he left her alone. I guess she was lonely, but that’s not an excuse. He’s still really pissed about it. Sometimes…”

Will gives me a curious look. “Sometimes what?”

“Sometimes I think Dad’s extra hard on me because I look like her. He gets frustrated at me and then becomes irrational and mean. The last time I tried to have a civilized discussion with him, he told me to get the f*ck out of his face. He said that he couldn’t even stand to look at me.”

Tears fill my eyes again, and I brush them away with the back of my hand in a hurry. I don’t want Will to see me break down.

“What? That’s f*cked up.” He looks completely stunned. “What were you guys talking about?”

“I’m having a lot of trouble at school. I like New York, but I’ve been there for two years taking classes for a degree I don’t even want. And I miss all of you guys.”

Will pulls me close. “Hey. It’s okay, Em. You’ll get it all figured out.”

I shake my head and cry harder. “No, I won’t. Dad said I need to keep my ass in New York and finish what I started. That tuition is expensive, and he’ll be damned if I give up a good career just because I’m having ‘one of my whims.’ That life is hard, and I need to toughen up. You know, all the clichés.”

“Jesus Christ,” he mutters. “That’s pretty harsh. If you’re not happy now, why the hell would you be happy later? Two years is a pretty fair shot if you ask me. If you don’t like it, then you don’t like it.”

“I tried to explain that to him, and that’s when he told me to get out of his face. He said that I’m just like my mother, that I have no follow through.”