He continued living with Emily, who still called him her summer boyfriend, even
though they’d been together since she came back from college. He wanted to tell her
he loved her but wanted her to say it first. They got along great. They never
fought. They enjoyed spending time together. William wondered if she was just as
afraid of saying those words as him.
Emily spent a lot of her time establishing herself at the courthouse. She had been
the public defender since she started and worked long hours.
On weekends, William would wake up earlier so he could make her a pancake breakfast
before his shift at the gas station. While he had the title of assistant manager,
he mostly worked behind the register.
He felt awkward sitting next to his grandmother, not saying anything.
His father had told him to talk to his grandmother even while she slept. He said
even though she wasn't awake, she may be able to hear what people said.
“Hey Grandma,” William started. “It's me, William.”
He hesitated, unsure what to say.
“Um. Things with Emily are going good,” he told his sleeping grandmother. “I'm
still working hard.”
He stopped again to think of what to say next.
“The Le Mans is still running. Dad thought that would have died—” he paused and
realized he shouldn't have said that word. “It stopped working years ago.”
He tapped his thigh, trying to think of something poetic, sincere, or a shared
memory to offer her.
“William?” his grandmother said with eyes closed.
“Hey Grandma,” William said. It had been a week since he last heard her voice. He
felt his eyes water for a second but not enough for a tear to fall.