Life's Too Short by Abby Jimenez
Author:Abby Jimenez
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: None
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2021-06-04T00:00:00+00:00
CHAPTER 14
THESE PEOPLE ARE EATING DINNER IN A DUMP AND YOUâLL NEVER BELIEVE WHY!
VANESSA
We pulled into Dadâs driveway. It was 6:30 on Saturday night. Weâd left Grace with Yoga Lady. I didnât want her to breathe the black mold and dust mites that Adrian and I had signed up to endure for the next two hours.
Adrian put the car in park and looked up at the house. âAre we really eating dinner in there?â he asked grimly.
I looked over at him. âI thought you said you were willing to get one of the heps with me?â
He snorted.
I pulled my Carmex out of my bra. âI donât trust Dad to cook food that wonât kill us, but I trust Sonja,â I said, applying the lip balm and putting the cap back before tucking it back into my shirt. âI think itâll be okay.â
I peered back through the windshield. The Christmas lights were on. Iâd like to say this was Dad being festive, but this was actually Dad being festive like four years ago and they never came down. For just one month of the year, Dadâs house didnât piss off the neighbors.
âWhat does your dad do for a living?â he asked.
I shook my head. âNow? Nothing. Not really. He used to be an accountant. Heâs really smart. Then he found out that he could sell all the random stuff he liked to collect, so he quit his job to hawk things on eBay and Craigslist full-time. Dadâs not very handy, though, and most of what he tried to sell was junk, so he never made enough. Thatâs when the whole clutter thing went from bad to worse, because everything became something that could be âfixed and sold.ââ I put my fingers in quotes. âHeâd bring anything home. A toilet sitting on the curb. Broken luggage, someoneâs old ice skates.â
âBikes.â
I scoffed. âSoooo many bikes.â
I sighed. âI know I give him a lot of shit, but I think he did the best he could.â I paused. âIt wasnât easy living through the things he did. I think enough tragedy can unravel anyone.â
Adrian turned to me. âI think it depends on who you are. You know, youâve been through all the same things he has and youâre not unraveled.â
I smiled softly at him. âYeah. Well, I think that stuff tends to get worse the older you get. Letâs just hope I live long enough for it to really hit me. Turn me into that eccentric aunt who wraps things from her house to give away as gifts at Christmas.â
He laughed.
I nudged him. âHey, so when do I get to meet your crazy family?â I asked. âIt doesnât seem fair that mine gets all the attention.â
âMy whole familyâs in Nebraska now. My mom moved there with her husband and my grandma in October. Richard and Mom invited me down for Christmas, but Iâm not going.â
âHow come?â
He shook his head. âI donât feel comfortable. I donât like Richard.â
âOh yeah? Why not? Is he a dick?â
He laughed a little at my joke.
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