"Does it feel good knowing I'd kill for you, Jamilyn?"
***
Upon the passing of her grandfather, Jamilyn Caswell, moves back to Forks, Washington to aid her grandmother. What she didn't expect was to h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
—
"It takes grace to remain kind in cruel situations."
—
"Mama missed you."
Riley smiles at our mother through abuelas iPad over FaceTime. He repeated te amo, and I miss you back before going on about surfing. "—and then this big wave came crashing over Jamie and me, only I was able to come out the other side while Jamie got swept under."
I scrunch my nose at him for throwing me under the bus and toss a plushie at his head. Riley laughs it off and tosses it back.
"Mi niña, why are you hiding behind the screen?" Mom draws out.
I pause my typing briefly to answer. "Estoy trabajando, mamá."
(I'm working, mom.)
"Aye hija, No seas así y ven a ponerte al día."
(Hey, daughter, don't be like that and come catch up.)
My shoulders bunch tightly, a knot settling in my throat as I release a breath. The cold wood floor greeted my feet, causing goosebumps on my skin with every step. Riley side-eyes me carefully before lightly turning the iPad. Brown eyes that held a newfound easiness within stared back at me, quiet and happy. Mom smiles brightly, her aged lines winking at me. "Hola mi corazon," she says sweetly, tucking a shiny loc of dark brown hair behind her ear. "I miss you so much. How has work been?"
(Hello, my heart.)
A toothy grin I didn't know had risen and widened dramatically at her somber tone. "Good! Busy as always, but good. I suppose you've heard about how lame I am at surfing nowadays?"
She laughs, her chocolate brown eyes twinkling. "Nonsense, Jamie. Nothing some practice can't fix."
"She's gonna need more than a little practice," Riley mumbled not so quietly.
I elbow him, curling my lip in annoyance. Turning my attention to mom, I noticed the sad look she held as she stared at us. Riley, utterly oblivious to it, smirks at mom. "And guess what, mama? Sissy has a boyfriend!"
Red came across my eyes and cheeks as I jerked my head between him and mom. "No, I don't!"
"Do too!"
"No, I fucking don't, Riley!"
"Language hija," mom says, her fist gently knocking on the screen.
We stop our banter, and I manage to convince Riley to bid mom goodbye and leave the room. When the door clicked, I immediately turned to mom dutifully. "You look great, mama," I tell her earnestly.
A sad smile crossed her face, eyes filling with tears. "I missed all that, haven't I?"
I bite the inside of my cheek to prevent myself from crying. "All that doesn't matter anymore, mama."
