Page 6 of When the Leaves Fall
LUCA
“ W here’s your mother?” Dad asks me when I bring him his dinner.
“She’s at work, Dad,” I mumble. He’s already asked me this four times in the last two hours. And while I know he doesn’t remember asking, it still gets annoying to repeat it over and over.
I set the plate of food on the table beside him and get into position to maneuver him to sit up as much as possible. We couldn’t afford an electronic bed. Instead, I need to pull him forward and stuff a ton of pillows behind him.
He isn’t able to feed himself, so his meals consist of soft foods that I spoon-feed to him. Mashed potatoes, applesauce, and jello. It takes him at least thirty minutes to eat the little bit of food I brought.
When he’s finished, I wipe his face with a warm, damp cloth and clean up the table. As I’m about to leave the room, I hear him ask, “Where’s your mom?”
“ W ait. Those are for me?” Drew eyes me curiously.
I can’t hold back a smirk. I knew she’d need coffee this morning. Even though she actually tried to get some sleep, that couch is terrible, and she tossed and turned all night.
“Yup,” I reply.
Her brows furrow a bit. “Why?” she asks.
“Umm.” I’m a bit thrown off by her questioning my motives here. “I figured you could use a coffee.”
A sly smile spreads across her face. She’s messing with me. I let out a laugh of relief.
“That’s very thoughtful, Luca. Thank you.”
I hold up both cups of coffee. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, so I got two options for you to choose from. I have a dirty chai with chocolate cold foam and a salted caramel latte.”
“Oh, those both sound amazing, actually,” she replies. “Which would you prefer?”
“Honestly?” I ask. “The salted caramel would be a tad too sweet for my usual taste.”
“Then I’ll happily take one off your hands,” she says as she takes the cup from me.
“I also got bagels. Would you like to grab a table outside with me?”
“Oh,” she says, surprised. She checks her phone before replying, “Sure, that would be nice. ”
We walk side by side to the courtyard, and I find an empty table that’s partially shaded by a tree and partially in the sun.
I gesture for Drew to choose her seat. I take my seat under the shade of the tree and start to unpack the bagels.
I glance up to see Drew with her tin tilted up and her eyes closed, taking in the sun.
I watch her inhale deeply. “Mmm, those smell good,” she says, looking at the spread on the table. She grabs a plain bagel from the center of the table and some cream cheese. I prefer everything bagels myself.
We sit in silence while we eat. It’s a beautiful early fall morning. Leaves are starting to change colors, and the breeze is nice and cool. We’re still in the time of year when it’ll be hot again by early afternoon. Late September in Wisconsin is my favorite time of the year.