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“If you want to get high now, you could go smell Dylan’s T-shirt,” Abby said, and everyone laughed.

“Let me think, what else I can tell you,” Antonio said, then after a minute, he went on.“Did you know your mom had impressive math skills?I only passed geometry because she let me copy her homework and helped me cheat on the tests.”

“I wish she were here so we could hold that over her head,” Morgan said.“She would’ve killed us if she found out we were cheating.”

“What about boyfriends?Did she date a lot?”Charlie asked.

“Not much, and at first, I couldn’t figure out why.A lot of guys liked her, but Carla had a wall up, probably because of her childhood.”

“What do you mean?”Abby asked.

“Carla didn’t talk about her parents much, but I got a little out of her, he said.“Her mother had a lot of rules about dating, so I was surprised when Carla married your father and shocked when I heard they ended it.She told me if she ever married, she’d never split up because of how her parents’ divorce affected her.”

Charlie enjoyed hearing stories about their mom, but Antonio didn’t tell them anything that helped them understand her better.I hope coming to Brooklyn wasn’t a waste of time,Charlie thought.

Antonio went on to tell them about how Carla enjoyed taking Morgan to a neighborhood park to play—the same park where, in high school, Carla, Antonio and their friends had gone to drink beer and feel like rebels.

“It used to be just a big expanse of grass and woods, but after we graduated, the town put in swings and a jungle gym, and it became the place where moms took their kids,” Antonio said.

“What’s the name of the park?”Morgan asked.

Antonio pulled a pen from his pocket and wrote down the name on the same paper he had given them with Carla’s old address.Morgan took out cash to pay for the food, but Antonio wouldn’t accept the money.He made them promise they would let him know if they found out why Carla left New York so suddenly.

CHAPTER 23

Abby

As Abby, Morgan, and Charlie headed to their mother’s childhood home, Abby concentrated on breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the tiny bit of sun peeking through the dark clouds.

Brooklyn had turned out to be much better than Abby expected.It had beautiful brownstones, cool boutiques, and hipster restaurants, although, she thought the best part was the art galleries.Abby felt a tinge of sadness as she remembered how she and her mom shared a love of art.

When Abby was thirteen, Carla took her and her sisters to the Getty Museum.Morgan and Charlie spent the afternoon complaining about how bored they were and how much their feet hurt, but Abby was entranced.After that, Carla created ‘Art Day’, where she and Abby spent special time together at least twice a year discovering new artists.Each gallery that Abby passed created a deep longing for her mother and a realization they’d never again go to the Getty together.

Abby loved those days with Carla, and no matter how many new artists she learned about, Picasso had been her favorite---especially his Cubism-style paintings.Abby could have stood for hours marveling at Picasso’s ability to show multiple perspectives in one picture.As she grew older and wiser, she became an expert at interpreting his work as joyful and, at other times, tumultuous, kind of the way she viewed her own life.

Abby’s relationship with Alex had been steady for more years than she could remember, but at times, she’d wondered if having no experiences with other men had stifled her.Picasso had so many lovers; did those relationships help make him the creative he became?

The sisters crossed the street and turned down the next block.Abby stopped suddenly in front of a stylish boutique, staring at a dress in the window.Morgan and Charlie stopped to see what had caught her eye.

“If it looks that good on the mannequin, it will look even better on me since I at least have a head,” Abby exclaimed.

“First of all, that dress looks very expensive,” Morgan said.“And second if Alex saw you in it nine months later, you’d be pushing out your fifth child.”

“Good point.I’m hard to resist in sweatpants, can you imagine me in a black halter dress?”Abby said.

“At least your ego’s intact,” Charlie said.

Abby had been insecure about not keeping up with current events or reading books on the New York Times best-sellers list.But before kids, she was at least confident that her peachy complexion, glossy hair, and toned figure would garner male attention wherever she went.She would often use her looks to her advantage.At times, she felt almost guilty that she could get a man to stop on the freeway and change a tire for her or buy her drinks in a bar, even after she told him she wasn’t interested.Once, in a raging rainstorm, a man had given her his umbrella when she stupidly left hers in the car.

The rewards of being a mother were great, but Abby had been inundated with the needs of her family for so long that she’d lost sight of who she was as a woman.She couldn’t remember the last time she had done anything for herself.Flying off to Brooklyn with her sisters seemed decadent, even though the reason broke her heart.

Morgan looked at Google Maps and directed them to turn the corner, where they found themselves in front of a bakery.The aromatic scent of fresh java seeped from under the door.A line of people waited outside and down the street, and Abby couldn’t understand why any customers would be willing to stand in the frigid weather.I wonder if no one is speaking because their lips are frozen shut.

“That bakery must be amazing,” Abby said, then realized she was talking to herself as her sisters had continued down the street.She rushed to catch up with them.Did they notice she wasn’t following behind them?

“Now I understand why so many Manhattanites have moved out to Brooklyn,” Charlie said, looking around.“It has this cool vibe.”

“Yep, unlike you,” Morgan said.