More on this book
Community
Kindle Notes & Highlights
“Hey there Delilah, what’s it like in Meridian City? Well, there’s trauma, murder, pain, and suffering, Jesus fuck it’s gritty.” - My Husband
Sometimes when I think about my father’s suicide, I wonder if he knew he’d kill a part of me, too. The thing about that mindset is that it’s not fair to him. It took me a long time to realize that his death wasn’t, isn’t, and will never be about me. Losing my parents shattered me, but I’m still here. So what does that say about how broken he was?
“Dad, this better not be a sex tape.”
“Me again,” I say quietly to the empty cemetery where my parents are always willing to listen to me, even if no one else is. “I came here to snitch on Dad,” I quip, looking at my mother’s name etched into the marble headstone. I sit on top of my suitcase to avoid the cold ground. “He used to hide stashes of candy for me all over the house. He made me promise I wouldn’t tell you, but I think you suspected after I spent one too many nights bouncing off the walls from a sugar rush.”
I take a deep breath and slowly open the container. Inside, three fluffy, perfectly round pancakes
“I didn’t want to eat them ever again because it felt like I was moving on and I wasn’t ready for that.”
“I just…I wanted you to know that I get it now. I’ve always been confused and lost, wondering why you left me. But I’m not lost anymore, Dad. I’m going to make the world believe in me the same way you did. I promise. So…that’s why I’m here. To share my breakfast with you.”
“Mrs. Reeves. Mr. Reeves,” he greets. “I apologize for not asking for your blessings to marry your daughter. I didn’t feel like it was my place to come see you without her here. She talks about you both all the time. Her heart is so big and you two hold such a special place in it. I wanted to make you a promise that I’ll keep it safe.”
“You loved her first, but I love her now, and it’s the honor of my life to have her by my side.”
“Do you think your mom believes me?” he asks. I kiss the underside of his jaw. “Yeah,” I whisper back. Nervously, he asks, “What about your dad?” I chuckle through a sob, and tell him the truth. “Not a chance in hell.”
