She laughed tearfully. “Fuck, when did you get so smart?”
I leaned down and whispered in her ear, “I set up the trust funds for the kids anyway.”
Aubrey gasped, “You didn’t!”
“I did. I had to do a little sleuthing to get their socials, but I did it, and they have college funds and more set up.”
Her hands covered her face, and I could hear her sobbing. “God, I don’t deserve a brother like you!”
“Yeah, sure you do,” I said with a hip check to her shoulder. “This is what siblings do for each other.” I paused and looked at the picture I had on the wall in the entryway. We were young, probably a year or two before my mom was diagnosed with the uterine cancer that stole her from us. I looked down at my big sister smearing her tears away.
“Did…did you want to say goodbye to Dad?”
She looked up at me sharply. “What?”
“Did you want to go to Dad’s grave? They’re out in Jersey. It’s not a long trip. I don’t go often. They’re not really there. But…if you want to go…”
Aubrey grabbed my hand. “Yes. Not today. But yes, I do want to go. Do you have…”
“All of the photo albums. All of the tapes, all of the stuff that Mom made and Dad kept. All of it. It’s in my study, if you want to show the kids.”
“Fuck,” she gasped and grabbed me to hug me again. “You’re the best brother ever, Austin.”
“Eh, I’m okay.”
She laughed and let me go. “Now, I want you to do me a favor. I’m trying really hard, with my whole heart and soul, to lose all of my bad cultish habits. Using the bad words, like fag and homo, and stop judging people in the moment because I don’t know their whole story. But sometimes I need a heads up, or head smack. Either one, make sure that I’m becoming who I need to be to be your sister.”
I nodded. “I can do that. We can work on this whole gay thing together.”
Uriah
…Three weeks later…
Ipulled the vestdown again. I was pissed that it kept moving out of place. Four hours fixing the damn thing and it didn’t sit right.
It was going in the discard pile at home. This was insane. No good costumer should have to repeatedly tug on their own suit to keep it in place.
The door opened and the perfectly perfect admin walked out, smiling at me. “Mister Orback, come in please. Mrs. Ilson will see you now.”
Nodding, I grabbed my massive portfolio and walked through the door.
Irma Ilson was a tiny little thing. She totally looked like Edna Mode, right down to the haircut. Well, there might have been a bit of Angelica Houston too—but I always thought that Angelica Houston would play Edna in a live action version ofThe Incredibles.
Oh, God, my brain was galloping off in the wrong direction.
I pulled it back and headed for the seat that Ilson indicated in front of her desk. I placed the folio next to me and sat.
“Coffee, tea, Mister Orback?”
“Tea, please.” I smiled.
There was a cup in my hand a moment later.
“Thank you, Tia, that’s all for now,” Ilson said, dismissing the woman. I barely even saw her go, or heard the door click.
“You’re young, Mister Orback.”
“Twenty-nine, Mrs. Ilson. Not that young.”
