Watch Us Rise(34)

When the commercial break comes on, Dad lets out a deep sigh. “She didn’t sign up for this,” he says. It almost sounds like he doesn’t remember I am here, that I can hear him. But then he turns to me and says, “I know our vows said for sickness and in health, but we assumed sickness would come much later. Much, much later. I just wish—” Dad’s voice cracks. It isn’t until I look at him that I realize he’s crying. Actual tears. I have never in my whole life seen my father cry. Just the sight of it makes me crumble to pieces. I don’t know what to say to him—the man who always, always knows what to say to make me feel better. I can’t just let him sit in the bed crying, alone and full of frustration. I get out of my chair and sit on the edge of his bed. I take his hand, hold it in mine. Just as I squeeze his hand, my phone buzzes. It’s sitting on the windowsill, so the vibrating is loud and obnoxious.

“You can answer it,” Dad says. He sniffs his sorrow, clears his throat, and sits up stiffer.

“I know,” I say, but I don’t move.

We watch the show together.

My phone buzzes again.

And again.

My phone is shaking and spasming on the windowsill.

“Whoever it is, is just going to keep calling until you answer,” Dad says.

“I know,” I tell him. I turn the volume up. By the time the show ends and the commercial comes on, Dad has fallen asleep. I let go of his hand, but I stay in the bed with him.

A nurse comes in, my favorite one, Ann. She smiles at me like nothing is wrong, which is actually more comforting than sad smiles that are full of pity and worry. “You’re on overnight duty tonight, huh?”

“Yeah. My mom needed a break, and my brother needed to go trick-or-treating.”

“I’ll bring a cot and some blankets.”

“Thanks.”

When Ann comes back, she’s also brought a few boxes of apple juice and packets of saltine crackers. “A little midnight snack for later,” she says.

I’m two more episodes into the marathon of A Different World when Dad wakes up. He coughs the sleep out of his throat. The first thing he says is, “Is that your phone again?”

I didn’t even notice it buzzing. I forgot all about it. I go to the window, pick up my phone, and look through the notifications.

Dad asks, “So who’s that calling? Got a new boyfriend you haven’t told me about?”

Isaac comes to mind, and I look down hoping maybe it’s him that’s been calling. “You’ll be the first to know,” I tell Dad. Well, Chelsea will. And then Mom, but Mom and Dad are basically the same people so he’s high on the list. I look at my phone: sixteen text messages; five missed calls.

Something is up.





How do I look?” I ask, studying myself in the full-length mirror in the hallway.

“Well, you look good, but I’m still slightly confused,” my mom says, looking me up and down. “What’s with the cat ears? I thought you weren’t planning to dress up this year.”

“Mom, it’s catcalling. See? I have a telephone. And I just couldn’t let a Halloween go by without being in costume. It’s one of my things.”

“Okay, I see that now, but that’s why I thought you were a phone booth. Geez, Chelsea, it’s a little confusing.”

“Ah, Mom. I’m not a phone booth. Those don’t even exist anymore.”

“Well, I thought that was why it was funny. Is it supposed to be funny?”

“No, it’s supposed to be thought provoking.”

“Oh, it’s definitely thought provoking,” she says, pulling me in for a hug.

“It is! See, I’m actually a cat calling, and the joke is that this is the only kind of catcalling that should be allowed in the world. An actual cat calling someone, and not, ya know, catcalling.”

“Right, yes, I do see it. I’m just sorry you and Jasmine couldn’t go as Gloria Steinem and Dorothy Pitman Hughes. But I am glad she’s with her dad tonight.”

“Me too. And there’s no way I could go as Gloria without my partner. It would’ve been totally confusing.”

“You’re right. This costume is much clearer,” Mom says. “Enjoy your night. Are you meeting Isaac and Nadine?” The door buzzes just as she asks, and they walk in, both dressed as their favorite superheroes. Isaac is Black Panther with black pants, a black T-shirt, and his hair slicked back, and Nadine is Katana from the Suicide Squad. She has on black jeans, a leather jacket, and Katana’s mask that has the Japanese flag across it and is holding a fake samurai sword that looks pretty real to me. They both look amazing.

“You two look so good,” I say, standing back to take it all in.

“You too,” Nadine says, “I love it. You’re a cat in trouble, right? Like a cat in a tree?”

“What? No, I’m catcalling. See? I’m a cat. And I have a phone. So I’m catcalling.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not totally clear, Chels, but don’t worry. We’ll be with you tonight. We’ll help get that message across,” Isaac says.

“Great,” I say, “always misunderstood. I should’ve gone as a big question mark.”

“Now that woulda been funny,” Isaac says. I roll my eyes and push them both out the door. I don’t want to miss any of the dance, and I definitely don’t want to miss seeing James. Ever since the open mic, I’ve been feeling even more like something could happen between us. I know he’s sort of dating Meg, but for some reason, I feel like that’s gonna be short lived, especially since we’ve been talking more and more, and even though our month of runs is over, we’ve already made plans to get coco helado next week. Things could still happen.