Call Me Lucy by Rania Battany

Author:Rania Battany [Battany, Rania]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780648431169
Published: 2019-12-04T16:00:00+00:00

10

Him

Lillian packed the dishwasher, then wiped down the benches like she was trying to strip the laminate.

‘Is this something you have to do? Come here, bring food, and clean?’ I asked bluntly.

‘You’re my brother. Is it such a big deal that I take care of you?’

I hated how she always shrugged that off.

‘Believe it or not, but my arms still work—even after I broke my leg. And besides, don’t you need to get back to the office or something?’

She didn’t respond. She was manic, stacking plates so they crashed against each other, dropping forks onto the ground, darting all over the place. She’d seemed fine when the three of us were having lunch, but the moment Lucy left, her mood had flipped like a switch.

I really needed to talk to Lillian about Lucy, but this wasn’t the time.

I could tell something was bothering her.

‘So, you must be happy about your leg.’ She pulled out the cleaning spray and squirted it all over the stovetop.

I released an exaggerated grunt and took the cloth from her hand. ‘What the hell is going on?’

Her face flushed a deep red, and she gritted her teeth. ‘Why can’t you just leave it alone!’

‘What the hell are you talking about? You were laughing at lunch fifteen minutes ago, and now you’re cleaning my kitchen like you’ve lost your mind. What’s going on?’

Her eyes glazed, and she exhaled a defeated sigh. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a large white envelope containing a thick document.

‘He’s formally filed for a divorce.’ The first of her tears came, and she wiped them away. ‘How can he give up on us that easily?’

The way her lips quivered broke my heart. There was nothing I could say to make her feel better, and I felt as useless as I did when I first broke my leg—unable to take care of her the way a brother should.

‘You’ll get through this, Lil.’

She nodded like everything was all right. But it wasn’t, and dropping her face into her palms, she began sobbing. Lillian never let go like that, and all I could do was hug her. She buried her head into my chest and heaved. I clenched my jaw to hold off from spitting out all the profanities I wanted to hurl at her ex.

If I ever saw him again … God help him.

Looking up at me, she offered a gentle smile, and it lit up her face despite her tear-drenched cheeks and bloodshot eyes.

‘Where would I be without you? Mum is always trying to feed me, as if food will somehow fill the void he left. But you … you just let me break down without saying much.’

‘That hardly makes me a hero.’

‘Well, you’re my hero.’

She wiped her tears away and flicked her hair off her shoulders with renewed vigor. ‘I’m glad to hear about your leg. I was hoping for some good news today.’

Suddenly, the spark left her eyes, and her expression fell flat.

‘How is she going?’ Lillian asked, gesturing toward Lucy’s bedroom.

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