Like To Be You ✓

forty three

*unedited

o-o-o

My mother calls Harvey Jacob that evening.

After realisation dawned on us, I drove us to the office, and my mother sorted through each and every file while I dove into Dad's old office laptop.

Harvey and Mom stand to one side as Mom shows him a printout of Dad's blood report. I watch him pull at his hair over the screen of the laptop.

"I'll get in touch with them." He tells Mom, referring to the clinic.

"How did the police not get a hold of this?" My mother says, a fierce scowl marring her face.

"I don't know, Maira." Harvey says. "Maybe they didn't go through his computer properly. Maybe they .... It could be anything. Have you informed Lopez?"

"Yes." My mother says, and runs a hand through her hair, exhaling harshly. "I want that that woman behind bars, Harvey. If she did anything to Robbie---" She stops, inhaling a faltering breath. "These people made my husband suffer. I can't tolerate that." Her eyes are pleading now as she looks at Harvey. "She ruined him, Harvey. She ruined him."

Then my mother puts a hand to her eyes, and I push away from the laptop and put my arms around her. Her tiny frame shudders.

"He'll get justice, Maira." Harvey says. "I promise you he will."

"God, I really hope, Harvey." Mom says. "I really do."

x

After dinner, I watch a few episodes of The Office before going down to the gym in the basement. I haven't been there in ages, so I start out slowly on the treadmill as I blast on Taylor Swift. An hour later, my mother finds me lifting weights, rivulets of sweat flowing down my face and arms, while Taylor tells me all about knowing how I was trouble when I walked in.

"Tired yet?" She says, sitting on the exercise ball and bouncing on it.

"No," I say in a strained voice, clearly tired. I heave a breath and place the dumbbells back, reaching for a towel and wiping sweat off. On the counter, my phone vibrates with a text notification. It's Zayne.

Zayne: yo Esmeralda and I are going to get milkshakes at milkyway you wanna come?

Zayne: nvm im picking u up anyway

Zayne: be there in 5

Me: I literally just worked out

Me: also, milkshakes at 10 pm?

Zayne: no judging bitch

I look up at Mom and find that she's looking at me with a wistful smile on her face.

"Mom?" I say when she keeps looking at me like that. The clouds in her eyes clear.

She laughs softly and twists the wedding band on her finger. "You look like Robbie from this side. Same nose, same cheeks, same..." She thinks of the right word, "...arrogance."

"Excuse me?"

My mother laughs, showcasing all the beautiful white teeth of hers. "It's the way you squint. And that nose. So Greek." She rises to her feet, smoothing her dress pants. Then she sifts a warm hand through my sweaty hair and says, "But you're still my baby boy." And I swear I melt.

That is, until my phone rings at the same time the intercom does.

"What?" I hold my phone to my ear.