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Carter picked at his nails as he and Maggie stood leaning against the car. 'What do you say to a woman whose son just died?' he asked himself. But Maggie spoke first.
"I'm glad you're here, John," she said. "For Abby. She really needs someone right now."
Carter nodded. "I don't really know why she picked me," he said. He'd been wondering that since she asked him to talk. She said he was the only one who understood but understood what? About her family? What it's like to lose a brother?
"She loves you. She'd kill me if she knew I was telling you but she still really loves you."
Carter said nothing. He wanted to believe it. But it couldn't be true. After all they went through right before they broke up.but then again, he still loved her, didn't he? Or did he just always want what he couldn't have?
Maggie spoke again. "Eric was such a happy kid," she said. "And he loved Abby so much. He followed her everywhere from the moment he could crawl." Carter looked at Maggie and realized that she wasn't really talking to him. Just remembering out loud.
"She put up with it though. I thought she get sick of it after awhile but she didn't. I walked into her room once when she was twelve and Eric was eight and she was painting his toenails. Then he turned around to look at me and I saw that his face was covered in her make-up. He looked like a drag queen. So I did the logically thing.I got my camera." She laughed softly.
After another pause Carter realized that Abby had been gone for five minutes. "I'm gonna go see if Abby's OK," he said.
**************
Carter saw Abby talking to the man he had seen before. He started to walk faster. He could tell from Abby's stance that she uncomfortable in the situation she was in.
"Hi, everything OK?" he asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Abby said with a tight-lipped smile. They both turned their eyes to the man.
"I probably shouldn't have come here," he said. "But when I read about it in the paper.well, I guess I never thought I'd live to see this day but it hit me harder than I expected. I just." he sighed. "I just wanted to say good-bye to my son."
Carter looked at Abby, confused. She seemed just as confused as he was. "I'm sorry," she said, "you must be mistaken. Eric never knew his father.our father," she corrected herself.
The man smiled sadly. "I'm not mistaken. It's not a very common last name, is it? Wysenski. And he was bipolar. It said in the paper."
"What's your name?" Abby asked him.
"Larry?"
Abby and Carter turned at the sound of Maggie's voice. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open.
"My name's Larry. Larry Wysenski," Larry said to Abby.
"Abby, you remember your father," Maggie said dryly.
Once again Carter felt out of place. "Um, I'll be in the car," he said and turned to leave.
"I'm coming with you," Abby said and turned away.
*******************
Abby lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She was angry. She was angry with her mother for not letting her father take her away. She was angry with her father for not fighting harder. She was angry with God for taking her brother away. And she was angry with Carter.but she wasn't sure why.
She closed her eyes and saw her father's sad face again. She probably shouldn't have been so harsh. She remembered him tossing her up in the air, teaching her to ride a bike, holding her up so she could place the star on top of the Christmas tree.
He had been a good father. And she couldn't really blame him for leaving. He tried to take her with him though. This was new information. Apparently her parents had fought for custody and he lost. Abby didn't exactly understand how that was possible but she managed to accept it. During the reception she managed to find a quiet place to talk with her parents.
Her eyes flew open as she realized why she was mad at Carter. "He doesn't love me," she whispered to herself. "He never loved me." Just the then to door opened.
Carter's head appeared. "Abby.can we talk?"
Carter picked at his nails as he and Maggie stood leaning against the car. 'What do you say to a woman whose son just died?' he asked himself. But Maggie spoke first.
"I'm glad you're here, John," she said. "For Abby. She really needs someone right now."
Carter nodded. "I don't really know why she picked me," he said. He'd been wondering that since she asked him to talk. She said he was the only one who understood but understood what? About her family? What it's like to lose a brother?
"She loves you. She'd kill me if she knew I was telling you but she still really loves you."
Carter said nothing. He wanted to believe it. But it couldn't be true. After all they went through right before they broke up.but then again, he still loved her, didn't he? Or did he just always want what he couldn't have?
Maggie spoke again. "Eric was such a happy kid," she said. "And he loved Abby so much. He followed her everywhere from the moment he could crawl." Carter looked at Maggie and realized that she wasn't really talking to him. Just remembering out loud.
"She put up with it though. I thought she get sick of it after awhile but she didn't. I walked into her room once when she was twelve and Eric was eight and she was painting his toenails. Then he turned around to look at me and I saw that his face was covered in her make-up. He looked like a drag queen. So I did the logically thing.I got my camera." She laughed softly.
After another pause Carter realized that Abby had been gone for five minutes. "I'm gonna go see if Abby's OK," he said.
**************
Carter saw Abby talking to the man he had seen before. He started to walk faster. He could tell from Abby's stance that she uncomfortable in the situation she was in.
"Hi, everything OK?" he asked.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Abby said with a tight-lipped smile. They both turned their eyes to the man.
"I probably shouldn't have come here," he said. "But when I read about it in the paper.well, I guess I never thought I'd live to see this day but it hit me harder than I expected. I just." he sighed. "I just wanted to say good-bye to my son."
Carter looked at Abby, confused. She seemed just as confused as he was. "I'm sorry," she said, "you must be mistaken. Eric never knew his father.our father," she corrected herself.
The man smiled sadly. "I'm not mistaken. It's not a very common last name, is it? Wysenski. And he was bipolar. It said in the paper."
"What's your name?" Abby asked him.
"Larry?"
Abby and Carter turned at the sound of Maggie's voice. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open.
"My name's Larry. Larry Wysenski," Larry said to Abby.
"Abby, you remember your father," Maggie said dryly.
Once again Carter felt out of place. "Um, I'll be in the car," he said and turned to leave.
"I'm coming with you," Abby said and turned away.
*******************
Abby lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She was angry. She was angry with her mother for not letting her father take her away. She was angry with her father for not fighting harder. She was angry with God for taking her brother away. And she was angry with Carter.but she wasn't sure why.
She closed her eyes and saw her father's sad face again. She probably shouldn't have been so harsh. She remembered him tossing her up in the air, teaching her to ride a bike, holding her up so she could place the star on top of the Christmas tree.
He had been a good father. And she couldn't really blame him for leaving. He tried to take her with him though. This was new information. Apparently her parents had fought for custody and he lost. Abby didn't exactly understand how that was possible but she managed to accept it. During the reception she managed to find a quiet place to talk with her parents.
Her eyes flew open as she realized why she was mad at Carter. "He doesn't love me," she whispered to herself. "He never loved me." Just the then to door opened.
Carter's head appeared. "Abby.can we talk?"