Chapter 2

The following afternoon, Brandon sent me a message. I saw the notification but didn't click on it.

A few minutes later, another message popped up on my screen.

"I made dinner reservations tonight at that Irudean restaurant you wanted to try. I also picked up some marine collagen for your mom."

I stared at the message for a long time.

Mom was prepping vegetables in the kitchen, and the steady sound of the knife striking the cutting board echoed through the apartment.

I typed a brief response. "What time?"

Brandon replied almost immediately, "6:00 pm. I reserved a private room."

When Mom heard that he was taking us to dinner, she quickly dried her hands and went into the bedroom to change.

She put on the new indigo jacket she had bought, then picked several apples and carefully tucked them into a canvas bag.

"I'd love for Brandon to try these out," she said. "They're from our farm, and it's very sweet."

I didn't tell her what had happened the night before.

We arrived at the private dining room at 6:00 pm. After showing us to our seats, the server asked if we wanted to order. I told her we'd wait a little longer, as we were still expecting someone.

At 6:20 pm, our coffees had gone cold. When the server returned, Mom assured me that there was no rush.

"Brandon probably got held up at work," she said.

By 6:30 pm, Mom placed the canvas bag in the corner of the table.

"It's fine," she said again. "He's probably stuck in traffic."

At 6:40 pm, she smiled and asked, "Why don't we order an appetizer while we wait?"

I sent Brandon a message, but he didn't respond.

At 7:30 pm, my phone finally rang.

"Hannah, Alana's mom suddenly passed out. Her dad's out of town, so I have to take her to the hospital. Tell your mom I'm sorry."

As I held the phone to my ear, I heard a car door slam on his end of the call.

"But you said—"

"We'll talk later."

He hung up before I could finish.

The private room had a minimum charge of 680 dollars, so I asked the server which dishes were the least expensive.

"Let's order a fish dish," Mom suggested. "You've always loved fish."

I ordered an ocean perch, a plate of salad, and a bowl of mushroom soup.

When the perch arrived, Mom took a bite and smiled. "It's so tender. It's even more tender than the fish back home."

She picked up another piece and placed it on my plate. "Have some. We shouldn't let it go to waste."

I lowered my head and ate the fish. Mom didn't ask about Brandon again.

The bill came to more than 700 dollars. After paying, I took the change and turned around.

Mom had already picked up the apples from the corner of the table and returned them to her canvas bag. She hadn't left them behind.

With her back to me, she tied the bag shut and then tightened the knot a second time.

…

That evening, the subway was packed, and there were no empty seats.

Mom stood holding one of the poles. Her indigo jacket was wedged between rows of puffy winter coats, and her eyes were closed as though she had fallen asleep.

As I scrolled through my phone, I came across a post Alana had shared ten minutes earlier.

The caption read, "Mom suddenly passed out. Thank goodness we have family by our side. I'm so grateful for them."

The photo showed a hospital hallway, and the toe of a man's shoe was visible in the corner of the photo.

I recognized the style immediately.

I had given Brandon those shoes for his birthday the previous year. The laces were pulled tight, exactly the way he always tied them.

I turned my phone over, leaving the screen facedown.

Mom opened her eyes and glanced at me. She didn't ask any questions before closing them again.

Once we got home, I opened the refrigerator. The bag of apples was still sitting on one of the shelves.

I left it there and closed the door.

Then, I sat down on the couch with my thumb hovering above my phone screen.

The cursor kept blinking as I hesitated over what to write. In the end, I tapped the back button, and the message disappeared.

My reflection stared back at me from the dark screen, my face completely blank.

At that moment, my phone lit up again with another message from Brandon.

"Your mom isn't mad, is she? I'll bring the marine collagen over tomorrow."

I didn't respond.

After tossing my phone onto the couch, I got up and went to take a shower, the sound of the running water drowning out every other sound.