Unhinged by A.G. Howard

Author:A.G. Howard [Howard, A.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

“All right,” I whisper, relieved the explanation for the car is out

of the way. But that’s the only relief I get because now Dad’s looking at me like I’m a stick of dynamite he needs to defuse. “Dad, I get it.”

“I don’t think you do,” he says, shaking his head. “I’m guessing

you think your mom got overemotional about the car.”

“Like she does about everything,” I mumble.

“Well, this time she has a reason. When we were first dating,

I had a wreck.” He glances down where his toes wiggle inside his

woolly socks. “It was in a sports car . . . not as nice as the one in our driveway but similar. I took a curve too fast and hit a tree. The car

was destroyed. I was in a coma for months.”

My breaths become shallow. I can’t risk inhaling too deep and

missing even a word. This is something sacred, a part of their history they’ve kept from me.

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“I know you wish I’d talk more about my mom and pop,” Dad

continues, though the change of subject throws me.

“No, Dad. I get why you don’t like to.”

“It’s because of the wreck, Allie.”

I stare dumbly at him, trying to connect the dots. “They were in

the car with you?”

The dress bag crunches as he crosses his ankles. “Well, no. It’s

because of the wreck that I don’t remember them. If it wasn’t for your mom, I wouldn’t remember anything about my childhood. She put

a photo journal together for me so I would know my parents’ faces,

since they had passed away before I met her. I couldn’t remember

that I have no sisters or brothers, or cousins or relatives that were

interested in knowing me. I didn’t even remember meeting your

mom. That’s how bad the damage was. And it’s permanent. My life

before I crashed that car, before your mom . . . it’s just gone. As if I never lived it.”

There’s a prick in my heart, like a thorn piercing me from the

inside out. “Dad, I’m sorry.” The apology feels inadequate. Memo-

ries are such precious and priceless things. It’s always made me sad

to think about Jeb losing his from Wonderland. But this is so much

worse. “You never told me.”

“You already had a messed-up childhood. I wasn’t going to add

anything to that. You needed at least one parent who had a semi-

normal past. Right?”

I shrug, though I don’t know if I agree. Maybe if we’d both been

honest all along, we could’ve helped each other.

“So, do you see now?” he asks. “Why she doesn’t want you driving

that car? It’s too easy, when you have unharnessed power at your

fingertips, to forget you’re not invincible.

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