These Days

“You want to do what?” my father gapes at me from across the huge conference table.

I sigh and look to my brother for help. I knew he would react like this. Mom had only taken a little persuading, and though I’m sure she’s still confused about my adamancy about going to Thunder Bay, she had let it go once I had assured her I could take care of myself.

Dom squeezes my hand beneath the table and straightens up. Unlike me, he didn’t have any interest in what our parents did and instead had gone to law school. He was always poised and ready for an argument. “It’s what Grandma GiGi wanted. Bri’s just trying to honor her last wishes. She was your mother. Wouldn’t you want her to know we still respected her?”

“That doesn’t mean I have to send my daughter off to another country on her own!” I had gotten my stubborn streak from my father.

“It’s not some other country, Dad,” I protest. “I lived there for a decade-plus of my life.”

“You wouldn’t be able to handle a construction job like this,” he insists, doubting me. As usual, I should add.

“You act like the house needs tearing down,” I shake my head. “It can’t possibly be that much work.”

“You don’t know that,” my father points his finger at me.

I sit back in my chair, refusing to take defeat, but willing to bide my time. With a glance to Dom, I can see he is also evaluating the situation. He wants me to go. He even thinks it’s a great idea. Hell, he’d been the one to go to the bank with me this morning to get the money.

When Grandma GiGi had said there would be enough money to cover the renovation, she hadn’t been kidding. There was cash in envelopes filled by the hundreds and checks with too many zeros made out to me. I still have no idea where all this money came from exactly, but I suppose it doesn’t matter.

“I’ll go with her,” Dom offers up. “Just for a few days. I’ll take a look around, decide if it’s something she can handle.”

I beam at my big brother and he winks at me. Whether he thought I could completely handle it on my own wouldn’t matter. Dom would lie to Dad for my sake.

“Maybe it would be a good idea for Brianna to do this,” Melanie places a hand on my father’s arm. She’s been all but totally silent for the ten minutes of our meeting with him and I wished she’d stayed that way. “Let her get some closure.”

‘And away from you,’ I add mentally. But I have to hand it to her, she’s helping my case. If there’s one person that my dad can’t say no to, it’s her. And by look on his face, he’s about to agree.

“Alright,” he concedes. “But one condition.” He stops my celebration before it can begin. “I’ll be coming up before the summer is over to see the house. And if things have gone awry, then you’ll continue your schooling here in New York.”

Even that can’t bum me out.

******

I plow past my brothers, tapping Eric’s hand, and watch him sprint off across the field with Jordan hot on his heels. The hot summer sun beats down on our necks and I can’t wait get something to drink. It’s too hot to be running suicide races, in Eric’s opinion.

“You’re movin’ today,” Marc bumps my shoulder as our brothers start running back towards us. “Got your eyes on somebody from that party?”

I rolled my eyes. Somehow, they’d found out I’d been out the night before and hadn’t stopped chirping about it.

“For fuck’s sake,” I groan. “Can you drop it? I told you asshats, I didn’t meet anyone and even if I had, I wouldn’t do anything about it. This summer is all hockey. I’m coming up next season.” It is a big assumption to make, but I am ready. I’m tired of living in my older brothers’ shadows.

Marc nods. “Okay then.” I know he isn’t done teasing me, but hopefully he’ll keep his trap shut for a little while.

Jordan bursts past us, beating Eric by centimeters, and he and Marc whoop.

“Are we done for today?” Eric asks, squinting up at us from his bent over position as he catches his breath. “Or can we just do something else?”

“You guys go do whatever,” I shrug. “I’m gonna do a few other things.”

“Not too hard, Jare,” Marc pats my shoulder as he passes me.

“Sure thing,” I say, watching them troop towards the house. Marc, Lindsey, and Michael had just arrived today, so they will surely stick around for dinner. Eric will probably be heading home to my sick nephews. Jordan and Heather- I don’t know what they’ll do. They come and go as they please mostly.

I do a shorter suicide run, dropping to a series of push-ups and then back again. I’m the tallest of my brothers and probably have the longest limbs, making me look gangly. Objective number one for this summer- more muscle.

I work for another half hour before the sweat dripping down my face is uncomfortable. I troop into the house, where my mother throws me a water bottle, and pushes me into the bathroom to shower.

“No sweat on the couch!” she yells, walking away.

I grumble before draining the water and starting up the shower. Lunch had been on the table when I’d walked in and my stomach was growling already.

******

“Ready to go?” Dom slams the lid to his trunk down.

I smile and throw my arms around his neck. “Yes! And have I mentioned that I loved you?” In only two days, my brother had cleared his schedule and made time to drive me up to Thunder Bay.

“GPS?” he asks as I clamber into my own car.

I roll my eyes playfully. So I had gotten lost on my first time driving into the city from Long Island- big deal. “Yes, Father. And I’ll be right behind you the whole time.”

“Once my shadow,” he ruffles my hair. “Always my shadow.”

With final goodbyes to our mom, we pull out of the parking garage and onto the street. I smile, looking up at the skyscrapers through my sunroof as I cruise through traffic. My summer was ahead of me and if I knew my grandmother, she had all sorts of surprises left behind for me.