"Nathan left the band, didn't he?"
"No." She sighed quietly. "They kicked him out. And it was my fault."
It was like a blow to my chest.
They'd… kicked him out.
Because of his mom? Because she was sick?
"They weren't very good friends to my son," she said. "They weren't very understanding. He had to take me to all my appointments, he had to stay home sometimes to take care of me. They didn't think he was committed to the band." Her eyes glittering with unshed tears. "So they kicked him out."
I felt sick. I felt nauseous. I felt like I was going to throw up any second.
This explained so much. It explained everything.
The swirling turmoil in my stomach began to congeal into a hard lump.
"Becca, dear, I'm sorry." Helen reached out to take my hand. "I shouldn't have told you all of that. I've just been feeling so guilty for so long. It felt nice to finally tell someone."
"It's okay, Helen." I couldn't feel my fingers. I couldn't feel her fingers on mine. I pulled my hand back. "Why don't I go get the party supplies and we can keep working on those hats?"
She looked at me oddly before nodding. "Of course, sweetie."
I got up from the chair and headed toward the door. I'd just pulled it open when I smacked face first into someone's chest.
"Nathan!" his mother cried. "You're not supposed to be here for another few hours."
Nathan looked down at me. I stared up at him.
"We decided to finish early today," he told his mom without taking his eyes off me. "What are you doing here?" he asked.
"Volunteering," I managed to say.
"Do you two already know each other?" Helen asked, confused. "Sweetie, why didn't you say so?"
"You've met my mom?" Nathan asked.
"I didn't know she was your mom until just now."
He look chagrinned, before letting out a rueful laugh. "Well, might as well do introductions, then."
I shook my head. "No."
His lips quirked as he whispered to me. "Worried about meeting the 'rents? It's okay, she'll love you. Mom," he said in a louder voice. "This is the girl I've been dating."
Helen looked confused. "You're dating Becca? What happened to what's her name? Stephanie or Bethany? Oh, wait, it was Tiffany, wasn't it?"
Nathan flicked his eyes to me, looking embarrassed. "No, those… those are over. Becca and I have been dating for a while now."
"Really?" she looked utterly confused. "I had no idea you two knew each other."
"We met at the hospital, actually," he said.
"And you're serious about each other?" she asked.
"Mom!" Nathan looked embarrassed.
"I'm just saying, honey, you don't have a very good track record, and Becca is a lovely girl."
