Page 72 of The Last Autograph
They sat in silence for a moment. His mother was the first to speak. “So now that you know the truth, is that the end of this unfortunate charade?”
“What charade?”
“Well, if Jesse gave Molly those drumsticks, that means she was the love of his life. You can’t take that away from him. And I won’t have her using you as a substitute for your brother. It would break my heart.”
Jake felt the weight of her words but remained silent. It was the best way to deal with his mother, who tended to voice her opinions before she’d had time to censor them.
“He’s gone, Hazel,” his father murmured. “Jesse’s gone. And Jake needs to live his life as he sees fit.”
“I know that, Henry, but why should that make any difference? She was and, in my mind, always will be his. Not Jake’s girl. Jesse’s girl.”
Jesse’s girl. Wasn’t there a song with that title?As for her “substitute” comment, all he could think was, what the actual fuck?
“You can’t ask Jake to choose,” his father continued. “That would be highly unfair.”
Hazel pouted. “I can, and I will.”
Jake lay his silverware on his plate and inhaled a steadying breath. “Would you both stop? Just stop. I’m an adult, not some lovesick teenager, and this subject is now closed.”
“And what about you and Ava?” his mother asked.
He sighed deeply. “There isnome and Ava. You know that.”
“More’s the pity. That’s all I can say.”
They finished their meal in virtual silence, Jake in a funk he couldn’t seem to shake. The nostalgia, the table set for three. Jesse’s girl. Jake the Substitute.Yet he struggled through. Nodded in all the right places. Declined seconds. Insisted he was too full for dessert.
It wasn’t until he and his father had finished the dishes that his mother noticed the package on the counter. “What’s this?”
“No idea,” his father said. “Why don’t you open it and find out? It was in the mailbox.”
After giving her ex-husband a dirty look, she picked up the package and tore it open. She sank onto a chair at the island. “It’s a photo book.”
Jake glanced her way. “A photo book? Who from?”
“Oh my gosh. It’s photos… of Jesse.” His mother covered her mouth with one hand as she flipped through the pages, and when Jake stepped closer, her eyes were misted with tears.
She handed him the attached card, asking him to read it aloud. Jake scanned the text, then spoke.
“Dear Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair,
“I met Jesse the summer he lived in Tulloch Point. We struck up a friendship at a party out at the beach, and over the following weeks, we spent many wonderful hours together.
“I’d just received a new camera from my parents as an early Christmas gift, so everywhere we went, I took photos of our adventures, as he called them.
“I thought you might like a record of some of those times and hope you will accept this gift as it’s intended.
“Best wishes,
“Molly Parker.”
“Look, Henry,” his mother said. “Photos… of Jesse. How wonderful.”
When it came time for Jake to leave, his mother held him tight while whispering, “I’m sorry,” through her tears.
By contrast, his father’s firm handshake and slap on the back were equally meaningful, and as Jake sat in his truck and slotted the key into the ignition, he failed to keep his emotions in check. Through her camera lens, Molly had captured his twin with an awareness that surprised him, and for Jake, the turmoil was immediate.
He picked up his phone to call her but, with a second thought, dropped it back into the console. What would he say? That he missed Jesse so much it made him feel physically ill?
