The Wish List

To Take A Chance

"We . . . heal ourselves by giving others what we most need."

~Sherry Turkle

By the time we dragged ourselves back out to the parking lot, we were both exhausted.

Ty had been carrying a majority of the bags, since he'd forced me to hand them over, but  didn't look or seem nearly as drained as I was. He kept his head down as we trudged through the light drizzle that would surely turn into a storm later tonight.

"Are we taking these to the kids today?" He questioned, glancing toward the clock above the radio once we were in the car. It was only a little after three, but we couldn't possibly wrap all the presents and go down to the Hearts for Hearts across town before dark.

"No." I shook my head and watched as he started to car and stared at the steering wheel for a moment, "I actually had something else planned for today." I looked away and back down at my lap for a second after the words left my mouth, afraid to say exactly what it was that I had planned.

"And what's that?" He questioned, "Is it something on the list?"

"I want to take you to see Tessie." I said, the name slipping off my tongue hesitantly.

"What?" His head whipped in my direction, his chapped lips parted.

"Your mom said you couldn't see her unless you had a psychiatrist or me with you, so I thought we could go see her. I'll even stay in the car if you want me to." I answered quickly, afraid he was going to flip out. Instead he stared ahead of us, at the small raindrops as they fell and rolled down the windshield.

"I'm the one driving, so you aren't actually taking me to see her." Is all he said, sounding almost as if he were trying to joke.

"I'll force you out of the driver's seat and drive us there myself if I have to." I replied. He stayed quiet for a minute, listening to the faint hum of the radio, before he looked behind us and turned the windshield wipers on.

"Okay." He mumbled, "Let's go."

**

We sat in the car in front of the small suburban house for a while before I finally forced Ty to get out. The neighborhood was a large array of houses designed exactly the same. Two story, small little windows, with a large garage and a fairly small front yard to the left of it. 

"Come on." I urged him, "Let's go." He stared after me as I climbed out before joining me. I waited for him, pulling my hoodie over my head so my hair wouldn't get drenched as we walked up the driveway. He didn't make any attempt to even try to put his hoodie up, he let the rain fall from his hair on to his forehead and down his cheeks in silence.

I knocked on the door lightly, shifting on my feet to keep from getting a wind chill.

"One second!" A woman's voice shouted from the other side of the door. It seemed like hours before the woman finally appeared in the doorway, frowning at the sight of us on her porch in the rain.

I couldn't help but feel my eyes widen at the resemblance between Ty and his mother. They had the same piercing, striking blue eyes. The same high cheek bones and long lashes that fanned them. It was her graying blonde hair and bright red lips that differed from the man in front of her.

"Tyler?" She said, her eyes narrowed as she stepped out on to the porch. There was a genuine look of sadness in her eyes as she stared at her son. Regret soon slipped its way into them as she shook her head slowly.